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Lighten Your Limbs With Friends
Hello all. I have Diabetes 2 and have avoided exercise for over 2 1/2 years. I am overweight and know that I need to get moving and lose weight. I have always had excuses not to do anything much before. I have a treadmill, and I look at it, but I never use it. A few weeks ago, I decided that it is time to lighten my limbs. I received my Mayo newsletter. and it included a twelve-week Exercise Plan. It was like fate that I had decided to exercise and Mayo dropped the perfect routine in my lap. Because it's 12 weeks and not years and years, as some plans are, the Mayo is doable. They're not asking me to run a marathon!
It's a way to get stronger and healthier. However, one part was missing: I need to be accountable to somebody else. I would love for other Connects to join me so that we could celebrate our success each week. I don't want to wait to January when all we hear is "New Year, New You." So I thought it would be good to start before the bombardment of ads for gym equipment and promises to lose many pounds too fast (and gain it back even faster). I needed a plan that will work for me and anybody else, and Mayo has given it to us.
Let's get a jump on 2019 by finishing strong in 2018. If we start the first week on Friday, November 2, 2018 (only four days from now), it will propel us through the weekend and keep us going. Just think: By January 25th, we will have completed the 12 weeks. Just when other people are trying to keep their exercise resolutions, we'll have finished 12 weeks. We'll be lighter, heathier, and stronger. We also will have gotten into the habit of exercising and hopefully, do another 12 weeks. Doesn't that sound good? To be able to say, "I'm healthier and feel so much better and have lighter limbs." For the first time I am excited to exercise, but I need others to come along with me. I need the accountability.
Please join me and give it a try. Come along with me so we can say it's not just my 12 weeks, but it's our 12 weeks. The first week asks us to do 5 minutes of warm up, five minutes of brisk walking, and five minutes of cool down. That's only 15 minutes. I can do that! The walking is the speed that you are comfortable with. The warm up and cool down are just slower walking. It can be outside, in your house, at a gym---wherever you feel comfortable and whatever time of day is convenient. Nothing required except determination and desire to make it 12 weeks.
I'll post the exercise times for each week once we get started. Let's give this gift to ourselves and improve throughout the holidays. If you have any questions, send me a note, and I'll answer what I have from Mayo.
Everybody's walking! Sounds great to me.
@retiredteacher
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@marvinjsturing This is good for a hearty laugh. I needed one today. 🙂
Thanks,
Carol
Well, neither one will let up on you. One therapist told me to suck in my gut and keep it sucked in all the time. She was young and never had three babies.
The good looking male therapists were the best, I think. I don't go to the mall alone anymore, and I don't meet many terrorists here on the farm. Sometimes I think my doctor is a drug dealer, but he is very nice most of the time. I am sure my therapists were glad when my treatment was over and they could have a rest. Dorisena
@kateia I really have to start remembering to ice my hips - both are now painful from bursitis so I cannot sleep on either side for long. Of course the other problem is that I have days like today when I left my house at 9:30 and didn't get home until 6:30 in the evening! Hopefully those days will be over after the holidays and January can be restful.
JK
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1 ReactionJK, I know where you are coming from. This week has been tough. Totally worn out and I have family coming on Saturday. I will be happy when things slow down a little. Going to keep everything simple for Christmas. The kids are just going to have to help out. Have a great Christmas. Let's plan on getting back on track after the new year.
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1 Reaction@contentandwell I feel guilty because the holidays are so peaceful for my husband and me since we don't have family and don't know anyone where we live. It's just the two of us so we don't have to entertain, though I couldn't anyway. My feet are just bad and standing for any period of time is horribly painful. My diabetes is out of control and I don't know why. I have an appointment with my endo in two weeks so I hope he can help. He will probably suggest medicines, and I have researched the options enough to know that they will be bad for me, so it's the pain in my feet or destroy my kidneys or be a zombie. I have to choose the pain. For you and all who have rushed around and been frantic to do more than ever, I do hope that January will be quiet and relaxing.
Carol
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1 Reaction@kateia Thankfully, my son and daughter and their spouses are all very helpful. I pretty much just supervised our late Christmas dinner. My daughter-in-law cooked the halibut, son did the risotto, daughter did the Brussels sprouts and I had done cookies. Christmas cookies are a big deal here, they love the sugar cookies I make. It really is a superior recipe. I don't take credit, it's the recipe.
@retiredteacher Seriously, try adding about a teaspoon of Ceylon cinnamon to your breakfast. I add it to my oatmeal and to my yogurt. I have to believe it helps, either that or I really did reverse my diabetes. It's called "true cinnamon" and has a much milder taste so it does not overwhelm the oatmeal and yogurt as Indonesian cinnamon would. Plus it has much less coumarin which is a blood thinner.
Also, I have seen some shoes online that are supposed to be great for neuropathy. I don't know personally of course, but if I come across the link again I will send it to you.
I am taking the next week off from almost everything except the gym and Connect, just to catch my breath again. Then it will be full-steam ahead.
JK
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1 ReactionJust saw this and it's a great reminder for me...now all I have to do is wait for warmer weather or head to the Mall.
Walking group: Banish boredom, boost motivation
Starting a walking group requires little effort and provides big rewards. Simply spread the word and get organized. Soon you'll be walking toward better health.
-- https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/walking/art-20045837/
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2 Reactions@johnbishop I wish I could walk, but the pain in my feet have made it impossible for now. PCP says neuropathy, endo says no, will see podiatrist when my husband's heart appointments slow down. My blood numbers have risen to unacceptable and I don't know what to do to get them down. I have gained weight and to diet is against diabetes diet, so I feel very lost. Everything is not on the right track and I can't seem to get there, so I may just be one of the many who die from this diabetes disease. It's so warm here that the weather dudes are calling it pre-spring. We had no winter. We also have no mall and my community has no street lights or side walks, so outside walking is not possible, even if my feet were normal. Seems that everything is against me trying to be healthy. I am tired of fighting it. I hope it warms in your area so that you can enjoy you mall walk.
Carol
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2 Reactions@retiredteacher Carol, dieting is against your diabetes diet? Usually they recommend losing some weight to improve diabetes. It sure helped mine.
JK
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1 Reaction@contentandwell Yes. Diabetes means losing weight which helps the numbers. However, for me to lose weight I need to eat very little and exercise a lot. Since my feet are not cooperating, I cannot eat many of the foods on the diabetes diet. If I eat fruit, my blood spikes. So I eliminated fruit. I also have a problem with meat, so I'm getting very little protein. Some foods I ate when I was first diagnosed are no longer compatible with my diabetes. So a diet I would follow to lose weight has illegal food for diabetes. Everything has just gone awry. Today in researching I found again that age makes a big difference in the release of insulin and that most Type 2's eventually have to take insulin. I have tried very hard to be strict with myself and have been successful managing without medicines. However, it seems that in the last several months and since my feet gave out that nothing is working. Old age has a part in this chaos too. I just saw my endo ten days ago, and he told me to see a podiatrist. But, my husband's heart appointments are top priority now and until he is through his paces, I can't see about my problems. It is hard, but I do the best I can for my husband and for myself. Just have to be patient and take one day at a time.
Carol
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