And oh my, the things I found out by counting calories! Like, damn, those lattes add up! That “healthy” granola bar? Has the calories of 1.5 Snickers bars! And if I spend 30 minutes on the elliptical I can eat more! Woo hoo! Suddenly it became a bartering game: saving up calories for birthday cake, realizing that for the same calories as that scone I can eat two chicken breasts…well, you get the picture. Eventually it becomes like a game, one I can’t help but win if I’m truthful with myself and myfitnesspal.
Maybe I won’t have to count calories forever, but I really don’t mind. It was and is…enlightening.
And Finally: Exercise
One day last week my Facebook status was “I’ve found the secret to a long and happy life: exercise every day. No excuses. No exceptions.” Boy, that went over like a lead balloon. Even people who don’t have weight to lose don’t want to hear that, but I’m afraid it’s true. The good news? You get to like it. Really. The most interesting thing that I learned? Ninety minutes on that treadmill won’t do nearly as much good as 30 minutes with some strength training added in.
You see, I was already doing cardio. Hours logged on that damn elliptical, struggling to keep from expiring from boredom, watching reality television with subtitles as Kanye West blared in my earbuds (the shows were WAY smarter that way, trust me). But it felt…futile. What I came to find out? It kind of is futile, cardio by itself, anyway. I knew there was more to exercise, but the other side of the gym, populated by sweaty, grunting men (some of them louder than others – is that screaming/groaning sound really necessary?), was just too intimidating. But the more I read, the more I came to accept that strength training builds muscles. More muscles burn more calories. It’s that simple. Plus, I love accessories and nothing makes a sleeveless dress rock more than a set of guns.
So I started lifting those weights. I joined a fabulous group of women (and one very cool man) for a Saturday morning bootcamp. I hired the young, handsome bodybuilding trainer who, as it turns out, works so well with middle-aged women. All for less money than I used to spend on lattes and scones and fancy cocktails. I feel great and have more energy than I had at 20. Really, at 49 I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been in, and those guns? Well, they aren’t semi-automatic weapons yet, but they are getting there.
Article comments
1 - Dr. Joseph S. Maresca
The one sure way to rid yourself of pre-Diabetes is to make substitutions. You need to
have more salads instead of carbs. Substitute soda with water, herbal teas, decaf coffee
etc. Utilize stevia which can be bought in any health food store for about 7 cents per packet
or less. Have more fruits/veggies. Substitute tuna fish and veggie burgers for fatty meats.
These are some of the things to do in order to get the pancreas functioning well again.
Lastly, you need to see an endocrinologist instead of a regular primary care physician.
The endocrinologist does a lot of things that the primary care physician doesn't do as
thoroughly. The endocrinologist takes more sensitive blood screenings, examines the
lower extremities for signs of diabetic manifestations like a pinkish hue color of the
skin. In addition, the skin may not have a ruddy complexion. Instead, the skin color
may be whitish like a ghost. Wounds don't heal quickly. That's another diabetic manifestation.
Patients get red eye sometimes.
2 - Molly Pease
Yay, Annie! I have watched you and cheered for your success. Thank you for doing it selflessly and sharing your trials with all of us. You are a rockstar!
3 - Ann Cardinal
I hear you, Dr. Maresca. Luckily it seems to be a bullet I've dodged with the weight I've lost already, but I've been making the changes you suggest anyway.
And Molly, thank you! It is the cheering of friends like you that make change possible!
4 - Robin Ann Barron
I love your blog, Ann. It is SO resonant and inspiring. I started walking, then running, in July after NOT running for at least 25 years. I run almost exclusively on gravel, not hard roads. I have new shoes that are VERY comfortable. The dog needs to run off his two-year-old energy. I need to exercise now that I've started baking seriously and almost professionally. And I feel great. I do exercise diligently every day. I'm not paying much attention to diet yet, although I do find that i'm less hungry and I eat better food. Thanks for writing!
5 - Ann Cardinal
Thanks for reading, Robin! Yes, baking and running go together nicely, ask Gesine Bullock-Prado! And most of the experts (including Tosca, my idol) agree, you don't need to count calories if you're eating the right things.
6 - Dr. Joseph S. Maresca
The endocrinologist is the physician of choice because he/she can explain how the various organs cooperate like the liver, pancreas and kidneys. The A1C is the gold standard for the blood chemistry. People with a normal A1C level are more likely to have smaller amounts of weight to lose, if any weight at all. An exercise program is important, as well as 8 or more hours of sleep a night. People who sleep more-eat less.
7 - Ann Cardinal
Oh Dr. Maresca, the sleep issue is SO true. I was exhausted all the time when I had apnea. Now I recognize I need the 8 hours every night. Sleep is my drug of choice! :)
8 - Dr. Joseph S. Maresca
Time spent sleeping is time not eating!
9 - Jodi Paloni
Dear Ann, Thanks for sharing your personal health process with such rollicking prose! I usually get about halfway through an article on health because I get bogged down with boredom. Now I'm headed out for the walk that was going to take before I read this which was right after I ate a bowl of ice cream instead of taking the walk. And so happy to hear that I have permission to sleep more!!! Here's to twenty more! Jodi
10 - Ann Cardinal
Yay! thanks so much, Jodi! Enjoy your walk!
11 - Dr Joseph S Maresca
Diabetes is a nasty condition which kills. The government should concentrate its attention on eliminating child diabetes.