Running As A Stress Buster

Tomorrow I go for what is now going to become a regular 3 mile fun run.  I want to beat my previous time of 31:04.  Hopefully going on these runs with my running club will push me to improve, to get stronger, faster.  It’s going to be chilly tomorrow so I get to wear a new pair of sweat pants I bought last week.

I also intend to use running to help me deal with a new health concern I have.  I have a cataract in my right eye.  My vision in that eye is seriously impaired.  I can see shapes and colors, but I can’t see a lot of detail.  I have a cataract forming in my left eye, too.  I know cataract surgery is one of the most common and simple surgeries.  But it’s still scary.  I hate the thought of anyone messing with my eyes.  I don’t think anyone likes that.  Since I was diagnosed a diabetic, the idea of going blind is the one thing that scares me the most.  Even more than the idea of dropping dead from a heart attack.  Diabetes is a truly horrible disease and it can cause damage to so many parts of the body.  The frustrating thing is my sugar is under control right now.  My fasting sugar is still averaging in the 70’s and 80’s.  Yet this cataract has been getting steadily worse for over a month.  I get surgery on my right eye on the 11th November.  On the 2nd December I go back to get the same procedure on the left eye.  It has been so frustrating lately.  I have to use reading glasses and a magnifying glass to read a book.  I just can’t wait until it’s all over so I can see clearly again.  The doctor told me that cataracts happen faster with diabetics.  She also said getting outside and exposing my eyes to extra sunlight because I’m out more with my running could have sped up the process.  Unfortunately I’ve never been the type to wear sunglasses.

At least I can still run.  Running will help me deal with the stress of my impending surgeries.  It’s bad enough having to go through it once, but knowing that just a few weeks later I have to do it all again with my other eye just makes it so much worse.

Talking of running, the pics above are of products I’m using that help me with my running.  The first pic shows the Access bar.  This is a delicious bar I eat about fifteen minutes before I start to run, or before I start any kind of exercise.  It helps fuel my workout, giving me energy for whatever workout I’m going to do.  It also helps the body access fat stores.  I wouldn’t want to run without eating one first!  The protein shake is delicious and it’s something I look forward to drinking when I go home after a run.

The second pic shows the products I use for my post workout.  There is nothing better than a long soak in the bath after a good workout at the gym or after a hard run.  The essential oils are especially soothing.  The Pain-A-Trate is great for soothing sore leg muscles after my run.  All these products are available from an amazing online Wellness company we shop with.  Running is so much better with them!

My Health Struggles

Wow, it’s been a while since my last blog.  I’ll have to make more of an effort.

I know I’ve blogged before about my health concerns and that I’m a diabetic.  Well, things have been going much better on that front.  Unfortunately I fell off the wagon of not eating bread.  That’s very hard to maintain.  Sandwiches are so easy and convenient.  I still try to regulate and limit how much bread I eat.  Honestly, if I could cut bread out of my diet altogether my health would benefit.

But I’ve had recent good news on my diabetes front.  I recently had my three month fasting sugar test.  My previous number had been 9.2.  But my latest number was down to 6.4.  For those that don’t know, the A1C test monitors how well your body breaks down sugars in your body over a 3 month period.  I believe 6.0 is considered normal.  So my A1C is close to normal.  This doesn’t mean i don’t have to watch what I eat or that I can stop exercising.  But it does mean that I’m doing well in controlling my diabetes. 

Having diabetes is a life-long battle.  But at the moment, I have the upper hand.  The hard part is staying that way.  I’m in it for the long haul.

So what did I do to bring my A1C down?  Well, obviously eating healthier is a big issue.  I still struggle with that.  We eat out a lot.  Too much really.  But I do try to make healthy choices.  Unfortunately when someone else is cooking your food, you don’t always know what goes into it.  Sauces can still be high in carbs and sugar.  Obviously, cooking at home is the best answer.  I need to learn to cook a greater variety of dishes.  But that’s a subject for another blog.

Another thing I’ve been trying to do is get more active.  My wife and I joined a gym.  We try to go more than once a week, but that takes discipline and that’s something we haven’t quite acquired yet. <ahem>

We found an amazing item called an Access bar. We shop with a Wellness company and the Access bar is only available through them.  You eat one fifteen minutes before starting a workout, on an empty stomach, and it helps to give you a more effective workout.  It’s designed to help burn off your fat cells.  It also gives you more energy.  I’m not too sure how the science behind it works, I just know that it works!  The first time I worked out at the gym after eating one of these bars, I spent over an hour on the treadmill, part of that with the treadmill set to a steep incline.  I felt great afterward, and the best thing was I had no aches or pains after the workout, even the next day.

So I’ve made the Access bar part of my workout routine.  As long as it works, I’m going to keep on using it.  Now, if only we could get into the habit of working out more often….