Exercise plan for this year

A new year has started.  Many people use this time to make resolutions to be better, exercise more, read more, go back to school, etc. etc.

For me, goals are better than resolutions.  If I don't quite accomplish what I wrote down, it's ok.  I just keep plugging along until I do.  For this reason my best friend and I set new exercise goals.

Last year we had a friendly competition going to see who could walk/run/exercise the most miles each week.  The "winner" had bragging rights and could rub it in all they wanted to.  (I won more weeks that she did.)  It was a lot of fun, but a bit too easy to be lazy.  This year we wanted to up the anti.  Bragging rights is good and all, but sometimes it just isn't enough.  So a few weeks ago (during an all important girl's weekend of pizza, wine, and hair dye) we came up with this year's goals and rules.

There is no arguing that it is winter, and colder, right now.  Yes, I admit, my area is not nearly as cold as others.  I put on a jacket at temperatures that people in other areas are just barely putting on long pants.  However, we did take into consideration the change in seasons (and holidays) when we set our monthly goals. 

Here they are:

Rules:

Miles ran OR walked count the same

30min workout = 1 mile
Bike riding 3:1 (3 miles equals 1 mile credited because of coasting times)

First person to reach monthly goal gets a $10 gift from the other (must be mailed).

If you fail to reach monthly goal you get a $5 gift card to a cheesy location (ie: Toys R Us)

Person with the most miles at the end of the month has bragging rights.

Person with the most monthly wins at the end of the year gets a $50 gift card to a restaurant of their choice.

Goals:

January through March = 40 miles

April  through June = 50 miles

July through September = 60 miles

October through December = 40 miles

Now I know those miles look like a lot, and they are...if you try to do them all at one time.  But think about it, just 2 miles a day (which takes me about 30 min to walk during my lunch at work) adds up fast.  20 work days/month X 2 miles = 40 miles  That doesn't count ANY weekend time, or workout time, or running-up-and-down-the-street-with-the-nieces-helping-them-learn-to-ride-a-bike-without-training-wheels time.

We don't have a weight loss goal, or a size of jeans to get back into goal, or anything like that.  This is strictly an exercise accomplishment goal, the "side-effects" are a bonus.

Now.. it's time for my walk, I can't let her reach the goal first on our first month!

An invisably rough evening

(I wish I would have been able to take a picture or two.  By the time I thought about it, and had the opportunity, the moment had passed.  You'll have to use your imagination.)

Last week I was at a church committee meeting.  The meeting was very productive albeit a bit long; I was there for over three hours.  Earlier in the day my husband and I had gone out to lunch.  We don't normally have the opportunity, but being Veteran's Day we both had the day off.  The lunch was wonderful (and the company even better).  I wasn't sure how my blood sugars were going to react to the difference in schedule and menu.  I bolused the best I could, but sometimes you just have to guess.

About half way into the meeting I started feeling.. weird.  It felt like a low was coming on.  I kept checking my CGM to see how I was trending.  Everything there looked good.  I was hovering right around 120.  I checked my blood sugars to confirm, and the difference was only a few points off.  I then checked my pump to see how much IOB (insulin on board) I had.  That's when things got more complicated.  I don't remember how much was on board, but I do remember it was a LOT more than I was hoping would be.  I reduced my basal for the next hour and munched on 4 Starbursts.  (One of each flavour.  I have to keep the package balanced.)  I kept checking my CGM about every 15 minutes to see if I had over corrected or started to drop.  No change.  I still hovered around 120.

At the point when my basal reduction ended I checked my blood sugars again.  It still confirmed that my CGM was being super accurate.  I also still had quite a bit of IOB.  Another temp basal and four more Starbursts and I kept watching my CGM.

The meeting wrapped up and everyone was leaving.  I had a little more business to take care of so I hung around.  I was listening in on a discussion but checked my CGM a couple times.  That's when it happened.

No, my CGM didn't show a drastic change.  It was still showing a near perfect flat white line.  One of the gentleman tapped me and quietly asked if I was okay.  I assured him that I was okay, that it was just a rough evening.

Just a rough evening. 

There was no proof of it being rough, unless you counted test strips and Starbursts wrappers.  If you looked at my meter and my CGM graph you would have seen a near perfect 4+ hours.  I had nothing to prove to anyone that it had been a rough time. 

Nothing.

Yet, I was tired and worn out from it. 

Diabetes is an invisible disease.  People can't see it.  They can see evidence of it, sometimes.  They see the insulin pump clipped to your belt or the CGM sensor on the back of your arm.  They see you pull your meter out at the lunch table.  They see all the technology but they don't see diabetes.

And sometimes, even that same technology doesn't see diabetes.

It may be invisible but I sure feel it.