Alright, I’ve given you 3 months since we made our New Years pacts. Have you kept yours up? I know you’ve been busy, and you wish there was more time in the day (doesn’t everybody?), but make sure to make time for yourself. Being a diabetic, it’s especially important to focus on yourself to avoid complications down the road.

This 2017, I scratched “resolutions” and decided to focus on one goal this year: to lower my A1C. In January and February, I made a commitment to eat healthier by putting the oven to work and avoiding fast food. I suggest meal prepping every week, because it saves me a lot of time and comes in clutch when I have unhealthy cravings. The prepped food is staring at me in the refrigerator, so I have no choice but to eat it. All I have to do is pop that sucker in the microwave, and we’re good to go!

Now, I will tell you that living a diabetic lifestyle is not easy. When my sugar drops, I want to eat EVERYTHING in sight… forget the plastic containers filled with grilled chicken breast, broccoli and black beans. I choose the greasy potato chips, fruit snacks, cookie dough, goldfish after the juice box and glucose tablets! I know what you’re thinking; I should have healthier snack options. But when you go low, you’re not thinking, let alone thinking healthy. Self-discipline and low blood sugars are on opposite sides of the spectrum.  There’s no such thing as carb counting in the event of a hypo.

What I will tell you is eating healthy on a consistent basis has lowered my A1C to 7.0. For people without diabetes, the normal A1C range is 4-6%. I want to feel a sense of normalcy again, so I’m aiming for that  “normal” percentile.

This past week, I signed up for personal training. My mentality is if I can pair healthy eating and a guaranteed workout 3 times a week, my A1C is bound to decrease. I’m not saying in order to see results you have to invest in a trainer. Being a former athlete, I’m used to being pushed, and this is what works for me. Do what works for you. For those that don’t have a gym membership or personal trainer, I’m giving you one of my favorite at-home workouts.

This is a circuit. Each exercise is timed, 30-45 seconds for each one.
15-20 seconds rest in between. Rest more if needed. Each exercise has to have maximum effort! These exercises can easily be done at home with a couch or a chair. Use a couch or chair for reference to make sure you are getting low enough.

Jumping jacks

High knees

Squat jumps

Pulsating squats

Bulgarian split squat

Tricep dips

Inclined pushup

Declined push up

Suitcases

Mountain climbers

Russian twists

To increase the intensity of this workout, time each exercise for 1 min. +

Disclaimer:
Don’t forget to check your bg levels before you start any exercise. I run a temp basal for the duration of my workout so that my Omnipod gives me less insulin to avoid hypos. Always stretch before and after you exercise to avoid pulling muscles.

Follow me on the road to exercising better!