For people with type 2 diabetes, even those who have successfully retained remission for more than six months like Elisabeth, the month of December can be extremely hard to navigate.
There’s shortbread and eggnog, boxes of chocolate and candy canes, gingerbread and sweets at every turn. Dinners and cocktail parties with family and friends can be a minefield of high sugar and high carb treats and festive feasts.
How did Elisabeth do keeping her blood sugar in check this past month?
“Pretty well, I think. I didn’t deny myself everything. I had a few treats and really enjoyed them. But I was able to keep the sweets in control. I really didn’t want many cookies or candies. But best of all, I didn’t gain any weight or see my A1C rise. So that to me is success,” she said.
In 2025 she wants to build more stamina to keep up to active grandchild
Spending two weeks visiting with her daughter, son-in-law, and active 18-month-old grandson over Christmas and New Years, however, was an eye-opener. Elisabeth realized she really wants to get fit and build more muscle in 2025, especially so she can increase her stamina to keep up with a running, curious toddler.
“Taking care of a very active grandchild really shows you how much your body has changed since you were raising your own kids. It was so much fun, but it was exhausting! So now I really want to focus on building my strength and endurance in the next few months.”
To that end, Elisabeth has been researching local strength-training and fitness programs as well as options provided by online apps. She and a friend are going to sign up for a program or two, particularly one that focuses on building muscle strength. They are looking for a defined, incremental program that takes into account the needs and limitations of post-menopausal women with type 2 diabetes risk factors and bad knees.
“I respond well to defined goals and deadlines,” said Elisabeth, now 70. “I like the goal of improving my numbers. I find that motivating.”
Therefore, Elisabeth has decided to start the month of January with a full fitness assessment from PISE – the Pacific Institute for Sports Education in Victoria. She did a fitness assessment with PISE in 2013 so she will have those numbers to compare to her current state, and then she can aim to improve her fitness in specific areas in the months ahead.
Fortunately, since her knee is feeling so much better, she is getting between 7,500 to 10,000 steps a day. “I love walking around my neighborhood.”
Now uses CGM ocassionally to track blood sugar
And every second month or so she is still wearing a CGM – continuous glucose monitor — to ensure her blood glucose levels have not been silently rising again.
Check back in February for more of Elisabeth’s progress as she embarks on building muscle and stamina, while continuing to eat a whole-foods, lower carb diet to keep her blood sugar in normal ranges.
Comments