The Terrible Tuesday-not really :)

Morning blood sugar: 5.9
Episodes of low blood sugar today: kind of feel a bit low at the moment, hang on, going to go and check.....yup 3.3mmol/l, oops! Took too much insulin with lunch apparently. Is it that I took too much insulin or is this a delayed low from my workout this morning? Delayed lows can happen up to 16 hours after an exercise session..... I also think that I likely didn't have enough breakfast.... As you can see there is no 'perfect management' of Diabetes-anyone who tells you there is, is a big liar (no offense). Oh well, moving on, hello glass of Ruby Red Grapefruit juice! Thank you for the fast acting carbohydrates you pack.
C's mood today: C is, what I like to call, "being 2" today. This involves running between the extremes of being extremely happy and extremely unhappy within the span of a few minutes. We had a great morning visiting the neighbors for a play date (we have awesome neighbors :). C was overall very pleasant, except for a few instances where he didn't want to share (he is 2, that is normal!). Came home for lunch only to have him cry through 80% of the meal-I think he was hot, tired and hungry- the perfect trifecta for a meltdown.  He is napping now, so hopefully he can recharge for the afternoon. :)
Workout this morning: 7km Tempo run on the treadmill (2 km warm up, 4 km 80% max effort, 1 km cool down)-it was sweaty and hot, but oh so satisfying to finish.
Eat clean menu today: Lunch was 3 protein pancakes with diet syrup and berries. Yum! I have posted the recipe below for all to enjoy. It is courtesy of Bill Phillips' Eating for Life cookbook. Bill appears to have had a bit too much plastic surgery recently (if you google him, you will know what I mean), but there are some great recipes in this book. I have been using it now for over 6 years-the pancakes are a great go to recipe for breakfast, lunch or dinner! They also don't leave you hungry or give you that crash an hour after you have eaten them like some other pancakes.

The past few weeks I have been putting in some heavy mileage in preparation for my race in 4 weeks. This past Sunday I ran 18km, the Sunday before 20km, and the Sunday before that 18km. Along with my workouts throughout the week my calculations tell me that in the last 3 weeks I have averaged about 34km per week. Nothing to scoff at (unless you are a full Marathoner, then you are likely laughing at me right now). A few of my friends and acquaintances have said to me recently "I don't know how you do it"-or at times if I tell them how much I have been running lately they look at me blankly and I can tell they are thinking 'why would anyone want to do that'. I do it for many reasons-it's empowering, it gives you wickedly good fitness, etc.  But these comments in particular made me think of the adjustments I have had to make since becoming a mother, and of course a Diabetic. Yes, it isn't easy to run that much, whether you are single, married, a mother or not. Here are the top 5 things (I came up with) that Diabetic Half-Marathoning Mothers have to do that perhaps other runners don't:

1-You watch Sesame Street and Curious George while completing a treadmill workout
2-You have to hide your gummy 'Stingers' that you use during your workouts to maintain blood sugar because you may have (once or twice) used them to bribe your son into a-leaving the park, b-putting down a toy in the store, c-stopping a tantrum in its' tracks
3-You have to arrange childcare for 2 hours every Sunday morning so that you can complete your runs (Thank you Jeff-best babysitter ever!).
4-You methodically calculate how long you will be running before every workout, count how many grams of carbs you will need to replace, and pack extra gummies just in case your calculations are off so that you can here the word "Mummy!" when you open the door back at home
5-You wake up in the middle of a Saturday night to watch "The Secret World of Benjamin Bear" because your toddler can't sleep in the heat, and wonder if you are going to be able to get out of bed at 6am as planned for your long run

It's all worth it! That's all I can say. I am addicted to running, that's for sure. Here are a couple of recipes:

Protein Pancakes-By Bill Phillips
serves 4,  approximately 5g carbs per pancake 

2 cups uncooked old fashioned oats
1 cup egg whites (I use the ones in a carton)
2 cups fat free cottage cheese
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Serve with berries and syrup ( I use diet syrup, of course)
Lightly coat a non-stick skillet/griddle with cooking spray. In a food processor (or blender), combine all ingredients, and blend until smooth. Pour batter 1/4 cup at a time onto a hot skillet. Cook pancake until bubbly on top and dry around edges, about 3 minutes. Turn and cook other side, about 2 minutes or until golden. Repeat with remaining batter.

An actual photo of my lunch :)

Another good Diabetic friendly recipe I made recently is Chia seed jam. Super easy and delicious. I love the idea of homemade jam, but just the idea of buying something called 'pectin' makes my palms sweat. A neighbor brought over a ton of plums last week and they were so delicious! I didn't want them to go to waste and couldn't eat them fast enough; luckily I saw this posted on Facebook.

Homemade Chia Seed Jam
2 cups fresh fruit (I'm sure you could use frozen, I used fresh plums)
2 Tbsps. Chia seeds (I used black Chia seeds)
2 Tbsps. Honey (you could also use Splenda or Stevia, or something like that if you wanted)

Place all ingredients in a food processor, blend as you like -don't over mix (less if you like chunky jam, more if you like smooth jam). Place in a container and put in the fridge overnight-the Chia seeds make the fruit kind of gel-up overnight. Enjoy!

Happy Anniversary!

Today marks 1 year since my diagnosis. You would think it would be a dark day of remembering when my entire life changed forever, reliving what initially felt like a death sentence (and truthfully sometimes still does- not a death sentence, but certainly a life sentence). I remember that day fairly clearly- it was a day when I raced down to the walk-in clinic because I couldn't get in to see my family doctor. A day that I just couldn't wait another minute to find out why, for the last 4 days, I had blurred vision and couldn't see the kitchen clock from the dining room table like I always could. A day that I was seen by a doctor I had never met before, who opened my file and looked at my blood work results and said " so you're Diabetic?". My stunned response was " well, no". From what I can recall there was a pregnant pause of silence followed by a technical explanation of what my blood results said, followed by me melting into an emotional wreck ( ie. there were tears and what I like to call " cry talking" where you cry and try to talk at the same time- pretty sure this doctor had no idea what I was saying and likely was wishing it was professional to run from the room as fast as possible).
No, it was not a happy day in my life. No indeed. This was made worse by the fact that this walkin doctor had no idea what to do with the anomaly that sat in front of her. This 30 year old, Type 1 Diabetic- when 85-90% of Type ones are diagnosed before 20 years of age- so she sent me away to contact my family doctor, on a Friday morning in July. My blood sugar was 26.2.
Thankfully today is not a day to stay in bed and mourn the day my life changed forever,  today I am thankful for how strong this year has made me and for the blessings that surround me. Today I am thankful for:
1- My son: I am bias here, but Jeff and  I have created a beautiful human being. A son who has manners at 2 years old ("thank you mummy!" and " you're welcome"), who's smile can light up a room, and is growing bigger and stronger everyday. I love you C!
2- my husband Jeff-the other half of my team. I married a man whose work ethic never quits, who often misses dinners or goes to work early so that he can support me in staying home part time with my son. Jeff, I know what you do for us and I can't say enough how much I appreciate you and your drive. I love you Jeff!

My handsome guys!

3-my Dad- thank you Dad for being the take charge man that you are. I can remember when I phoned and had blurred vision and needed help your answer was " we are leaving right away". From helping with C, to driving me to the doctor, you were there to help and I barely had to ask. I love you Dad!

My Dad and Mom

4- my Mom- of course I wish you weren't Mom, but thank goodness you are a Type 1 like me. From helping me through those first horrible few weeks, to ingraining in me that things will never be perfect no matter what you do, to being the Robin to my Batman in fundraising, I never would have made it through this year without you! I love you Mom, you Insulin-dependent woman, I love you!

Mom and I after Victoria half 2012

5-The 62 contributors (+plus their hard working families)  to my fundraising campaign- I can't thank you enough. When I felt like I was drowning and I received a donation it would push my head above the waves. When I was feeling strong and received a donation it made me feel like anything was possible! I love you contributors! I received two more donations this week taking me to $6,400.00!

Look what arrived this week-my contributors made this happen!

6-My body- if you can believe this one, yes, I still love my body! I was so mad at you at first for letting me down. How could you after 30 years? But you've made up for it- yes, we still have our  highs and lows, but on Thursday night I finished a speed workout in 28 degree heat which I started and finished with normal blood sugar- I feel stronger now than before I was pregnant, and most certainly stronger than that skinny, sick girl I was a year ago. I love you body- together with my knowledge, insulin, and the pump, we truly are a working team!

A couple weekends back, as I finished the last (uphill) kilometre of a 16 km run, Christina Aguilera's song 'Stronger' came on my Songza app. Maybe it was the'crazy' that sets in when you've run more than 12 km, but the lyrics really spoke to me about what my disease has done for me in the last year-(obviously this song is about someone that wronged someone else but the chorus really rings true):

"Fighter" by Christina Aguilera and Scott Storch

"After all that you put me through,
You think I'd despise you,
But in the end I wanna thank you,
'Cause you've made me that much stronger....

...Makes me that much stronger
Makes me work a little bit harder
It makes me that much wiser
So thanks for making me a fighter
Made me learn a little bit faster
Made my skin a little bit thicker
Makes me that much smarter
So thanks for making me a fighter


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=RBOJpIwF47Y

Thank you Diabetes- you truly have made me stronger. Happy Anniversary! Here is to counting my blessings, and turning what could have been the crappiest year of my life into a year I will never forget!

A Diabetic's night out

This was basically the view from our table-I forgot to take a photo but filched one from online

Morning blood sugar: 5.8 -better! I adjusted my pump and am now taking more insulin-my poor pancreas is on it's last legs :(
Episodes of low blood sugar today: I took C to the park to meet some friends and started to feel a little funny-I then realized I forgot an emergency source of glucose. To be safe I ate C's fruit to go.
Cutting it close on the way home-before I drove I tested a 4.3-so I ate C's leftover crackers from lunch. Thank goodness for a 2 year old that never finishes his meals these days-I guess.
Workout today: 50 minutes of a Jillian Micheals Kickboxing DVD www.jillianmichaels.com with my husband-was going to do a tempo run on the treadmill but Jeff needed a workout buddy this morning so we sweated it out together.:) I have said it before but I will say it again-serious quality time working out with your man!
Clean Eating today: Isagenix Shakes for breakfast and lunch-I do a half vanilla, half chocolate shake that reminds me of a Wendy's Frosty (ie. A diabetic's dream with only 16 g carbs per serving) :)
Donations this week: A super sweet co-worker who is also a runner found 20 bucks on her 19km run this weekend and offered to donate it to my campaign-what a sweetheart!

I had the opportunity to go out last Friday night with two of my girlfriends. For anyone else who is a mother to small children, I don't have to tell you that this is a mighty big deal! I belly laughed a few weeks ago when another girlfriend of mine told a pregnant (for the first time) friend of ours that one of the things you should do before you have the baby is "go out after 6 pm!" This cannot be more true! I typically eat dinner with my toddler at 5:30 pm and am in bed before 10pm-so if the idea of going out for a late dinner (8pm!) with some wine and two great friends wasn't enough to blow my mind-I don't know what is!

The two ladies I had the pleasure to go out with are also physiotherapists. They are beautiful, strong, health conscious people like myself-what better company could a girl ask for? It was Laura's birthday and she chose The Beach Club Resort in Parksville, BC-www.beachclubbc.com I have been wanting to try this place forever-my parents are always raving about it. But as you can imagine with training, a two year old, and a husband that often gets stuck at work late-I don't get out much.

Eating out is not always the easiest thing, being a Diabetic. At home I can read labels and portion sizes to know exactly how much insulin to take. The carbohydrate I eat must be matched with an injection of insulin to ensure that my blood sugar does not go sky-high. Amazingly in a non-diabetic your pancreas does this for you. I currently don't have that luxury. In other words, often when I eat in a restaurant I am doing a lot of guessing as to how much carbohydrate is on my plate. Sometimes I guess right and sometimes I guess wrong-it's all part of the game.

The food was amazing at the restaurant (as well as the wine-I had a glass of Zinfandel with appetizers and a glass of Sauvignon Blanc with dinner-yes Diabetics can drink, in fact wine tends to lower my blood sugar. But just like you, it really isn't healthy to drink too much). I had the Sea Bass with a mango salsa and what was described as a "quinoa salad". I took my insulin with the appetizers-we ordered some mediterranean dips with pita bread, and guessed at how much quinoa would be with my dinner. Unfortunately when my entree came there was barely any quinoa on the plate. The meal was delicious! But now I was in a bind-I didn't want to end up with low blood sugar (ie. when you take too much insulin for what you have eaten). So I had to order dessert :) Alas!

Angelina and I ordered a fruit sorbet, also delicious. But as I was eating it I was thinking "this tastes really sugary" but again did not want to take too much insulin, so I decided to stick with what I had already taken and not top that up. I didn't want to go low on the way home after all.

I tested when I got home-13.2 (Normal is between 5 and 7, grumble, grumble)  Uggh! I could have smashed my blood glucose monitor.

It was still a fabulous night, with fabulous company, and fabulous food which I enjoyed tremendously. I have been told in books on Diabetic Management to "relax your standards once a month and enjoy yourself" or by some of the health care professionals on my team "don't worry about the odd high" which I feel is valid advice. But it still makes my Type A blood boil when I take all the info and technology I have, and think I am doing everything right, only to get it wrong. Oh well, you live, you learn. I must just be out of practice in the eating out department. If practice makes perfect, I need to go out more! :)

I'm over it!

 

 

 

My workout buddy! What you can't see is I am a sweaty mess-and he still let me hug him. Good kid.

 

 

 

C's downward dog/headstand-he didn't learn that from TV!

 Morning blood sugar: 6.7-still a bit high, thinking I should adjust my pump but truthfully have been feeling lazy about looking in to it.
Episodes of low blood sugar today: none so far, it's 10am
Workout this morning: 2km warm up on Treadmill (walk/run), Les Mills Plyo High Intensity Interval training (30minutes)
Clean eating today: Chocolate/vanilla protein shake for breakfast care of Isagenix and a much needed black coffee :)


It's a week for confessions. My Saturday confession is that I use the tv to babysit my son while I work out. For a long while I had lots of guilt about this- in the world of hyper parenting and 'constant stimulation' using the tv even for one hour a day initially felt like one of the cardinal sins.

My husband has been a huge influence of 'working out even as a parent'. He has done this from the very beginning with my son. Initially when C was a newborn I would marvel at Jeff's ability to 'sweat like a beast' present child and all. Obviously I was amazed at first because I was sleep deprived, recovering from the trauma of a non-complicated labour and delivery ( can't even imagine the recovery from a complicated one!) and I was having the life sucked out of me as a nursing mother. In other words a workout was lower on the priority list compared to my non- lactating husband. I marvelled indeed!

The view from my treadmill-'cheese' says C

Now at 2 years and 3 1/2 months I am so happy with the routine we have created with our son. I watched him today from the treadmill perfectly content eating a snack and watching 'Doc Mcstuffins' on Disney Junior- I thought 'why did I ever feel guilty about this'. I'm keeping my sanity and my confidence by getting exercise, my son is watching less than an hour of tv so that I can do this (in the middle of my workout, he stopped watching tv to copy some of my exercises and at one point opened the sliding door to go outside in the backyard and beautiful sunshine), and I'm being a role model. If that doesn't make me a better parent than what does?

There are people that will read this and say "that just wouldn't work for us" which is fine. If there is one thing I know as a parent, what works for one doesn't always work for another. But for those that are still feeling guilty about taking time for themselves, please don't! I'm certainly not, you could say I'm over it.

Chocolate on the ceiling

Morning blood sugar: 6.6
Episodes of low blood sugar today: none :)
C's mood today: I haven't seen him yet today :( I woke up at 5:45am for work and left before he was up-currently waiting for his nap and daycare to be over so that I can grab him and give him a big squeeze.
Workout today: a scheduled "8km" with my Running Room Clinic www.runningroom.ca-I put this in brackets as I am not sure what kind of 8k this is going to be (ie. hills, fartleks, ??) the email was vague about how gut busting this workout is going to be-if only they knew how annoying this is for a Diabetic who counts her Stinger gummies according to how long, intense, difficult her workout is. Alas.
Clean eating today: leftover Prawn, mango and basil stir fry for lunch; I made this last night for dinner with rice. Yummy.

Confession time. It's been another busy week and here we are Thursday afternoon already.

Confession #1: I have a cleaning lady

My wonderful cleaning lady comes to our house 2x/month for 3 hours each time and I have to say it is the best money I have ever spent. She typically comes Wednesday mornings when I am at work and I have to say that there is nothing like walking in to a fresh smelling house, feeling those newly mopped hardwood floors under your feet. I walked in yesterday and breathed it all in-proceeded in to the kitchen to see this on my kitchen ceiling???

If you can't tell, that is my kitchen ceiling splattered with chocolate protein shake. I quickly pieced together that my husband likely did this in his morning rush. I shortly after questioned him via text message-it turns out he was making his morning shake and scraping the sides of the blender to get all the protein powder off the wall of the blender when his wooden chopstick went a little too far into the blender and -chop, chop! Jeff said C exclaimed "whoaa" Ha! Wish I could have been there. Hilarious. Not so hilarious was cleaning the ceiling with a toothbrush as to not wreck the speckled finish (yes, I cleaned it!).

Confession # 2: Sometimes I don't get things done when I would like to.

As you have probably guessed from the beginning of this post, I started writing it Thursday afternoon. I had thoughts of coming home from my running group to finish it but that didn't happen. I was tired after a tough 8km of hills and I hadn't seen my husband all day. That hour we had before our bedtime was spent together watching our guilty pleasure of CBS' "Big Brother" I know, it's garbage television, please don't judge. Jeff and I don't have lots of crutches but this is most definitely one of them. Awesome episode too! Nick went home and Alyssa stayed! Sorry non-fans, I know you have no idea what I'm talking about. :)