F*#king Diabetes
Written February 6, 2021
F*#king Diabetes
Are you so close to the reality you are creating that you sometimes can’t see the bigger picture?
It’s so easy to explain this in writing and can be so difficult to implement real time in my life, perhaps that is why I write.
This morning I had an expectation to grab 10 miles with a few running besties. My expectation was thwarted by a low glucose level, so I ended with 5. In my thousands of runs, I know the pattern. I know why. I am fortunate, I have less low glucose reactions than most T1Ds, probably 2-3 a month. I wear an automated system to carry an element of dosing decisions with my diabetes and I just don’t go low very often, even living an active life.
My glucose and insulin systems adapt to the patterns I introduce over the previous few weeks. I haven’t been running much due to snowy mountain time, a blister on my heel and the busy of life I justified.
The past few days I have run, back to back workouts after weeks of no running. Back to back running depletes glycogen stores (long chains of glucose molecules stored in muscle and liver) and has lasting impact on insulin sensitivity. My diabetes management for my running workouts and recovery vary from day 1 to day 4. A starting glucose on day 1 of running will respond entirely differently to the same exertion on day 4 of running. By default, sleepy-eyed, at 5am, I implemented my day 1 workout diabetes regimen... my body quickly reminded me I had errored a few miles into my run. I could have dosed with glucose to keep going in my miles, I chose differently this morning.
I walked back to my car as my besties continued on, under my breath I caught myself saying “fucking diabetes”. It didn’t last long, I don’t do self-pity diabetes really and as I looked at the sunrise and reflected on my life I quickly felt the opportunity in a few minutes solo walking along the beach path.
When negative feelings (those that do not bring pleasure) surface I have noticed it serves me to zoom out and look at the bigger picture.
When positive feelings (those that bring pleasure) surface I have noticed it serves me to zoom in with as much detail as I can handle, looking as close as possible. That is the reality I desire to create, the one that feels good.
I share this perspective with my health coaching clients and together when we co-create a plan for them to work toward their goals we focus in this way. In what they desire we get clear and specific. When obstacles arise, we step back and look at the bigger picture.
I got to run the past 4 days in a row, my body feels fit and is getting stronger. This morning I zoomed out and I sat in appreciation as this sun rose in the sky.
#betweendiabetes #healthcoach #diabetes #typeoneathlete #saturdayrun #wellness #2021goals