Category Archives: Exercise

Walk your Heart! Diabesity Steps Upward

Posted on October 11, 2009 | Leave a comment

© Jacquelyn Johnston, M.Ed. Diabesity Coach

So, you’ve got the meeting-point of diabetes and obesity. You’ve measured your waist and compared it to your height. You have diabesity. What now?
To those of you who read yesterday’s blog, no, I’m not posting a duplicate—please read on. Then post a comment and let me know if you can spot the differences, like with those pictures we used to have as children.

Did you walk yesterday? I mean for at least 30 uninterrupted minutes. If so, your heart is thanking you profusely for helping it avoid complications from diabetes. Every little bit helps. You’ve done well, made a valiant start. Keep it up, OK?
You walked yesterday, so you’ve taken the most difficult step—you’ve started. The first step in a journey of winners. You have helped your beleaguered heart.

You realize that your heart is intimately connected with your diabetes. With your blood glucose.

Look how you’ve started the miracle of the domino effect. Heard of the Butterfly Effect? Amazing. It’s a similar phenomenon.

You are overweight. You have diabetes. Your heart works overtime. You have insulin issues, your pancreas is struggling. When this happens the liver takes on an extra workload, as if its 500-plus jobs per day weren’t enough. Now the kidneys kick into high gear too, joining in the fray. Oh and incidentally, you have helped these organs which till now have been screaming for extra nutrients from the blood. Guess who does the pumping? You got it—the heart. And you’ve helped it pump more efficiently.

All the research shows how quickly the heart improves with exercise. You have made this possible. You have begun to control your glucose levels.

We started with weight compounded with diabetes; we ended up with the heart. And I want to assure you your brain appreciates what you’ve begun. We’ll come back to that another day, when we can talk about it in greater detail.

Let’s get back to walking.

It’s hot—but you walk anyway.
It’s cold—but you go in spite of it.
It’s raining—you willingly go, with your umbrella.
It’s foggy—you take your flashlight and go.
It’s late—you’ve made a promise to yourself; you put one foot in front of the other.
It’s early—but you get up with the first buzz of the alarm, and out you go.
No one to walk with—you are undaunted. You think beautiful thoughts as you step out.
You don’t have the right gear—you dress comfortably, and away you go.
You’re not in the mood—you know walking can easily improve your mood. You go.
You know that, if you have Type 2 diabetes, you can reverse it with lifestyle changes, the first of which is a regular exercise regimen. You have set a goal to see improvements in 3 months. You know you will see some sooner than that. Courage. You will.

Here’s something you might find helpful: if you go to the right of the page you can download a free report that gives you ten proven reasons why you must lose twenty pounds now. Go ahead, enter your details and download the report. Share it with a friend.

Then let me know if you find a reason that reminds you of something—for yourself or for a loved one. Let me know how you feel, having quashed ten excuses you used to make, and gone right out there and started walking. You deserve a huge pat on the back.

You’ve only got one heart. It needs your support. Your kidneys love you. A few weeks down the road, you will notice your eyes improving, with all that extra circulation.

Ditto for your ears, your legs and your arms. Every part of your anatomy is singing. Diabetes affects every one of them. It affects your limbs, your eyes, your nerves. So does excess weight. And you have begun to take charge of all that.

Four cheers for you, my courageous friend.

You got vertical. You put one foot in front of the other. Tomorrow, you will call a buddy and extend the invitation. Please tell me who you’re going to walk with tomorrow. Happy walking to two valiant people!

Jacquelyn

Jacquelyn Johnston M.Ed.
Professional Health Coach and Educator,
Solutions and Support for Optimal Health

Whether you need to lose those pesky 20 pounds,
work on prevention or regain health, I can help.
Call me. 604.276.8673

www.LifestyleForLongevity.com
www.LoseTwentyPoundsNow.com
Richmond, B.C. Canada
mail to:jj@lifestyleforlongevity.com
Tel. 604.276.8673 Fax. 604.276.8675

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Posted in Diabetes, Exercise, Overweight

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Weights, anyone?

Posted on October 8, 2009 | Leave a comment

© Jacquelyn Johnston, M.Ed.

Now , if you’ve got Diabesity, don’t go overboard and get a set of 10-pound weights. We’ll talk about anaerobics another day.

In yesterday’s blog I mentioned getting into the game for World Food Day. I also mentioned we were going to talk about exercise today. If you’ve got some weights, fine. Hold off for a moment. Unless you already have a safe, well-designed routine.

First, think aerobic exercise, which is designed to raise your heart rate and get the oxygen flowing in your arteries faster than it’s doing now. To do this, all you have to do is start walking. And I don’t mean walking from the couch to the fridge. Let’s take it one step at a time (no pun intended).

First, if you want to take care of pre-diabetes or full-blown diabetes, you need to ask yourself if you want to do this. If not, keep reading just the same, and see if there’s something in this exercise thing for you. Meanwhile, if you don’t mind, I’ll go ahead with those who want to lick diabesity now!

Get into some comfortable clothing and a pair of well-cushioned walking shoes. Sneakers that still have some good, strong tread will do the trick. Better if they’ve not been worn continually for more than 6 months.

Decide when you’re going to walk daily. Don’t decide one day at a time. Decide for the whole week. Write it in your calendar. And write the exact time. Starting time and finishing time. Done?

Next, do find someone to walk with you. You don’t have to have the same partner every day. Some days, you can walk alone. But I can tell you that one of the best ways to ensure you’ll stick to it is having a buddy to walk with, even if it’s your dog. (To quote my Spaniel-besotted aunt: “Dogs are people too!”) You can bet your bottom dollar Fido will come with a leash and badger you right on schedule once he figures out you’re doing this just for him. I have a friend who walks her cat—yes CAT—on a leash every day, and woe betide her ankles if she’s half a minute late!
In fact, you might want to make a pact with a friend that you’ll do each other’s ankle-biting on alternate days!

Have fun, and happy walking. I’ll check in with you in 5 days and show you what to do next.

Meanwhile, I’ll look for your blog comments or questions on this experience.

Jacquelyn

Jacquelyn Johnston M.Ed.
Professional Health Coach and Educator,
Solutions and Support for Optimal Health

Whether you need to lose those pesky 20 pounds,
work on prevention or regain health, I can help.
Call me. 604.276.8673

www.LifestyleForLongevity.com
www.LoseTwentyPoundsNow.com
Richmond, B.C. Canada
mail to:jj@lifestyleforlongevity.com
Tel. 604.276.8673 Fax. 604.276.8675

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Posted in Diabesity, Diabetes, Exercise

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World Food Day & Diabesity

Posted on October 7, 2009 | Leave a comment

© Jacquelyn Johnston, M.Ed.

If you have been diagnosed with pre-diabetes your doctor will no doubt have told you that you need to make some lifestyle changes. For the majority this would, for starters, involve losing twenty pounds.

But let’s not get into flights of fancy just yet. My question to you is, do you even believe that pre-diabetes, or “Syndrome X”, could develop into full-blown diabetes? That it can dovetail very quickly with high cholesterol, inflamed arteries, heart attacks, kidney problems, foot problems resulting in loss of sensation or amputation, blindness, and a host of other issues?

Do you know it can be reversed with lifestyle changes?

When I received an e-notice today about an event here in Richmond for World Food Day, I thought what a good opportunity for pre-diabetics, diabetics and those with diabesity to make a serious lifestyle change that will make a real difference to them even in the next 3 years. What a good time to try something new—if you’re ready for it, that is.

Here in Richmond several excellent initiatives have been launched in favour of going back to our agricultural roots. We have the Fruit Tree sharing Project, where produce is grown and tended by volunteers and given to those in need.

There is also quite a following for the 10-mile diet. Those who espouse the wisdom of this move do their level best only to buy produce from local farms. We have a number of superb ones within a 10-minute drive, and I have been stockpiling blueberries and cranberries for a couple of months now. One more bag of cranberries and my freezer will explode.

Now, I was just thinking, if each person with any degree of diabesity would swear off processed foods and go for the 10-miler, cooking from scratch beginning today, you would notice a marked change in how you felt even by World Food Day, which is on October 16.

I invite you to create an entry in this blog and share your insights with other pre-diabetics. I would love to hear from you, and try out your recommendations. If you have any from-scratch recipes to share, you’ve only to post them. I’m sure everyone will enjoy them.

Next blog, we can talk about starting an exercise program.

Meanwhile, bon appétit!

Jacquelyn

Jacquelyn Johnston M.Ed.
Professional Health Coach and Educator,
Solutions and Support for Optimal Health
www.LifestyleForLongevity.com
www.LoseTwentyPoundsNow.com
Richmond, B.C. Canada
mail to:jj@lifestyleforlongevity.com
Tel. 604.276.8673 Fax. 604.276.8675

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Posted in Diabetes, Exercise

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Weight, Diabesity and Executives

Posted on September 29, 2009 | Leave a comment

He sat next to me at a conference last week. “Do you think I’ve got diabetes?” Then, lowering hos voice, “The doctor says I have to lose 50 pounds—er—to begin with, that is”.

“Sean”, says I , “I don’t know. Your doctor does the diagnosing”. When you’ve got all your tests done, listen carefully to what your doctor says, then bring me the printout and we’ll see.” Sean wanted to know if this might be a death sentence.

After all, at 46 he had just been promoted to senior vice-president of his company, and he’d need to do some travelling, more presenting, and much socializing, The many dinners also meant many drinks, and as he had “no time to exercise in the morning” and couldn’t fit it in anytime except occasionally on weekends, he didn’t see how he could possibly lost that weight.

“Sean”, says I , “if you think you can’t, you’re right. And if you think you can, you’re right too. How important is this to you? What do you think could happen to you six months, a year down the road, if you don’t start losing some weight now?”

He worked on the delectable poached salmon almondine as he thought. Maybe golf would do it. Maybe if he played twice a week…

“Look, Sean, why don’t you go home and think about it, get your test results, discuss it with your wife, then decide if you want me to work with you on it?”

Sean already knew from his last tests that his cholesterol was high. He had high blood pressure, was frequently tired, had several aches and pains in his joints, and an impressive muffin-top. His wife had had to get him a whole new set of belts.

How was he going to handle his new responsibilities? Did he know what was inside that expanded midriff? Dinner time was hardly the optimal place to discuss it.
Sean had many indicators of metabolic syndrome, a cluster of disorders that included many of the symptoms he exhibited.

Sean would need to get the first 20 pounds off as soon as possible for his own sake, and he would need to lose the next 20 if he wanted to make “President” any time in the near future. I suggested he give me a call that week to book the free 30-minute consultation offered on my website. He agreed.

Go ahead an book one for yourself.

Cheers,

Jacquelyn

Jacquelyn Johnston M.Ed.
Professional Health Coach and Educator,
Solutions and Support for Optimal Health

Whether you need to lose those pesky 20 pounds,
work on prevention or regain health, I can help.
Call me. 604.276.8673

www.LifestyleForLongevity.com
www.LoseTwentyPoundsNow.com
Richmond, B.C. Canada
mail to:jj@lifestyleforlongevity.com
Tel. 604.276.8673 Fax. 604.276.8675

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Posted in Diabetes, Exercise, High Blood Pressure

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Diabesity—Just Move It!

Posted on September 20, 2009 | Leave a comment

You’ll never guess what they did a study on in London, England. I recently came across a study on ticket-collectors on London double-decker buses. It showed how those who ran up and down the stairs during the workday got less osteoporosis than the bus drivers did. Hmmm. Could there be a message there for people with diabesity?

The recommendation there was to do something, no matter what. Move the muscles or they’ll fall asleep. Vegging out in front of the TV will make them wither away. When you exercise you keep telling your brain to expect better circulation. Your brain then does what it’s told and gets you give it more of the same. It’s that simple.

However, the opposite is also true. Take Sandi, for example. She says that when she gets home from work she is too tired to exercise. Besides, says she, she’ll never shed those 70-odd pounds her doctor recommended. Now that’s quite a theory.
So she doesn’t, and the pounds keep piling on.

Now, Sandi, says I, how about this. Let’s forget the 70 pounds and shoot for 7. I also explained how the too-tired-to-exercise bit could well have been connected to having eaten dead, processed food all day and a lot of slouching. “But I don’t slouch!”

I gave her the slouch test. “OK, OK, I slouch.” Also, Sandi my dear, one of the problems with diabesity is that the weight takes away your motivation to exercise. And one of the best ways to get motivated is to walk with a buddy.

Sandi also said it would help to have a walking buddy, but she had no one to walk with. It so happened that her 13-year-old son overheard her side of the phone conversation, an insisted on getting on the phone with me. Hi, my name’s Jordan, and I’ll walk with Mom. How many times do we have to go round the house? “Two” says I. “Fine, says Jordan, I and Mom will do three! Deal?” “Deal!” Unexpected deals are always welcome!

“And no stopping, OK?” I got Sandi to agree. From Jordan: “No problem”.

Three weeks later Sandi reported that they were now doing five laps round the house, even though the days were getting shorter. They were also catching some spectacular sunsets. She had lost 5 pounds. (I have to say we also revised her brown-bag contents, and got an agreement to drink water only).

How did that happen? For details, call me. You can get a free 30-minute consultation if your obesity is twinned with diabetes—if you haven’t been diagnosed it’s possibly just a matter of time. Call.

You’ll get there. We’ll do it together.

Jacquelyn

Jacquelyn Johnston M.Ed.
Professional Health Coach and Educator,
Solutions and Support for Optimal Health
Richmond, B.C. Canada
www.LifestyleForLongevity.com
www.LoseTwentyPoundsNow.com
Tel. 604.276.8673 Fax. 604.276.8675

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Diabesity, Exercise

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