Exercise and Diabetes

Becoming pregnant for the first time can be overwhelming for any woman, especially if that woman has diabetes. When my husband and I decided we were ready to have children, the first thing I did was make an appointment with my endocrinologist. Diagnosed when I was fourteen, I've had type 1 diabetes for twenty-four years. My doctor explained that I would need to be in tight control for three months before I could even think about babies, so I got right to work. Learning everything I could about diabetes and pregnancy, I was pleased to discover that with education, support, and practice, a woman with diabetes has every opportunity for a healthy pregnancy.

3 comments - Nov 17, 2008 -

With more than 2,500 facilities serving 10,000 communities that run the gamut from big-city downtowns to small rural sites, the YMCA (Young Men's Christian Association) could turn out to be a powerful tool in the fight to prevent diabetes.

1 comment - Nov 17, 2008 -

Have you ever thought of water exercise as a convenient and effective workout alternative? If not, now might be the time for you to leave the land and get into the water. This workout will challenge your body in a new way, increasing your endurance and muscular strength.

0 comments - Nov 3, 2008 -

Regular exercise is a large component of maintaining health for people with type 2 diabetes and, let's face it, everyone else. According to the new "Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans" written by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), adults need at least two-and-a-half hours every week of moderate aerobic physical activity. Children should have at least one hour of physical activity every day.

0 comments - Oct 20, 2008 -

I'll never forget the afternoon of January 22, 2003, and the phone call that came from Derek's pediatrician. I was just leaving my classroom that day when I noticed the light on my phone lit up, alerting me to a new voicemail. My heart stopped when I listened to the message.  The doctor asked me to call him back as soon as possible.  

2 comments - Oct 6, 2008 -

I awake at 1:00 am with a feeling of sickness in my stomach. I wonder if it's from anxiety created by a weird dream, hormonal imbalances, and/or high blood sugar. Or did I go to bed angry? The deep-sunken feeling of thick stagnant sludge in my stomach begins to settle into my consciousness. My Mini Mag flashlight illuminates the blood sugar meter, which reads 357. I remember in my high blood sugar fogginess that my blood sugar was 140 before I went to sleep, and I did nothing out of the ordinary. Now, only a few hours later, I am rudely awakened and have to force myself to gather my senses to correct the situation. Fluctuations in blood sugar are mind boggling and frustrating, not to mention the feelings of irritability, anger, fatigue, victimization, and depression that come along in daily life with diabetes. It can create a sense of failure if one does not get a handle on creating a healthy mind, body, and spirit.

3 comments - Oct 6, 2008 -

Joel Shpigel's dad was considered a "large" man. He was 37 the day he had a "heart scare." "He didn't have a heart attack, but his doctor said he was headed for one," Shpigel recalls. His father decided to begin exercising. Joel, who was also overweight, decided to join him.

1 comment - Sep 29, 2008 -

These days, Doug Burns is a modern Sampson. The reigning Mr. Universe, he’s two hundred pounds of sheer muscle and the picture of good health. Of the skinny little boy with type 1 who used to work out in the woods alone, all that remains are a wry sense of humor and an attractively self-deprecating manner. They’re unexpected in a man who’s triumphed in the uber-masculine world of bodybuilding, but there’s a lot that’s unexpected about Doug Burns.

23 comments - Sep 22, 2008 -

Four out of five adults experience back pain during their lifetime. The problem becomes chronic for five to ten percent of sufferers. Back pain can result from being overweight, sleeping on an uncomfortable bed, or incurring an injury. The best way to alleviate back pain, according to Timothy J. Gray, DO, in his book Back Works, lies in a solid exercise program.

0 comments - Sep 18, 2008 -

As an Ironman triathlete with type 1, I get asked a lot of questions.

How do you control your blood sugar during a race?
What foods do you eat?
What products do you use?
How do you balance work, family, training, and diabetes?

Sometimes, people simply ask me if I am nuts. 

3 comments - Aug 28, 2008 -