Thursday, March 24, 2011

Is Exercise a Four-Letter Word??

So yeah, I guess you can tell by the title of this post, I really struggle with exercise.  Or, more specifically, I struggle with the motivation to exercise.  Sticking with it for the long haul is my main problem.  Sure, my husband and I get a good workout at our weekly ballroom dance lesson, but that’s only forty-five minutes a week.  Last summer I stuck with the Couch to 5K program and completed three 5K races, but as soon as winter hit the running was over.  So my main problem with exercise is finding something I like and will stick to - even on days when I just feel like being lazy.


For me, the hardest thing about managing diabetes and exercise is figuring out the magic combination of pre-exercise snack, lower basal rate and physical activity to keep my blood sugar from getting too low or too high while working out.  And this is where my exercise inconsistency really makes things even harder than they have to be.  Because every time I slack on exercise and have to start my workout routine all over again, I also have to start my “workout blood sugar plan” all over again.  *sigh*

This post is my March entry in the DSMA Blog Carnival.  If you’d like to participate too, you can get all of the information at http://diabetessocmed.com/2011/march-dsma-blog-carnival

14 comments:

  1. Yes, it costs a little $, but maybe getting with Team Wild would help - did you see my post on it on DD? I'm biased 'cause I'm really going to do WildFit.

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  2. Amen, dude. My motivation to "stick with it" is totally sketchy. Like, it hangs out in a dark alley and has a handlebar mustache.

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  3. yes, it is a total struggle - i agree! why does exercise have to be so complicated when it's supposed to be good for you?

    well, though, having said that, last year we bought a dog just so that i HAD to exercise everyday for at least an hour! and it's worked so well at helping manage my levels :)

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  4. Ugh...exercise...it is a pain and so hard to stay motivated. I have issues with long term motivation too and the exercise/blood sugar/snack planning makes it that much harder!

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  5. Cool, I blooged about exercise today as well. I agree it's hard to control it(I mean balancing all things related to d)when exercising. I totally do it for the mood now. Cheers!

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  6. It is so hard figuring out how much to boost and/or decrease basals etc. Also, I hate,hate,hate...IOB during exercise for Joe. It is the devil I tell ya.

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  7. Oh, motivation is so hard to come by! I've tried and tried and tried to get into an exercise program. Finally found a way to do it...I challenged myself to do 30-days straight of 1-hour, without any excuses. Did that in October and now I'm at the gym 5-days a week, as long as a cold or flu isn't kicking my butt. I had to make it a habit. Now it's a little bit easier. But the blood sugars, carb-boosting, basal-reducing, etc., is just about enough to rob me of the last of my sanity!

    I hope you can find a way to get back into it all!

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  8. you're not alone. i've tried jazzing up my workout before with jams or my favorite songs, but to no avail. I would still slack off.

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  9. It's only a four letter word if it's "fun!" and you count "!" as a letter.

    Seriously though, I hope you find something you like; that's the key. And if you do find the magic combination, be sure to let us know.

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  10. I'm with Rachel, Team WILD is awesome. I did Wild101 last year (new name this year: WILDFit) and I've joined the cycling team this year. Shoot me an email or some other form of message if you want more info about what it's like.

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  11. I hope you find something you enjoy

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  12. Last week after hiking in the desert for 3 miles adn then swimming in the pool for an hour....I decided it was easy to work out in 70 degree sunny weather. Too bad there is none of that in Chicago for so much of the year...
    I want to build a lap pool in our yard...
    I have to picture it first,,I hear that is the first step!

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  13. I have that problem as well. I start out with great motivation, but then it just kinda rolls over and dies. I end up trying again a month later, but the main issue is that I get so UNmotivated because my bloodsugar ALWAYS drops low on me during the workout. I don't know how to fix it either....

    We'll figure it out one day.

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  14. It's a four-letter word for me! I have a hard time motivating myself to exercise and I have hard time managing my son's BG when he's swimming, biking, ice skating, playing tennis, etc.

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