This article will take approximately 3-5 minutes to read.

After my workout this morning, I sit in the sauna to think, meditate, and well… just sweat it out.  It feels good!  If you haven’t tried it, and you have access to one – do it!  Anyway, I started thinking a lot about the evolution of this blog.

I started this blog with the intention of getting the word out about our Diabetes and Colitis management through food.  We almost always cook with modifications and finds ways to better suit both of our needs.  I mean, after all, we love food.  Then, the more I thought about my posts, my thoughts, and what I wanted to really write about, was not JUST about food and recipes, but about the mental, physical, and life changes that need to happen in order to make ourselves healthy according to OUR personal molds.  It is not only specific to food or diets, but specifics about exercise (types of exercise, how it affects our health according to each individual, what exercises work the best for our goals, what our intentions are with exercising, what is realistic, etc.), food (choices, capabilities, modifications, portion size, balance of proteins, carbs, veggies/fruits, etc.), and a healthy mind (how we deal with stresses, loss, guilt, motivation, determination, support or lack thereof, love, relationships etc.).  I found that I didn’t want to write as much because I felt constricted to our primary topic of food and recipes.

What am I going to do about it?

Change it up!  My intentions for this blog are selfish and self-less.  I get to be selfish sometimes and in this case, it is an outlet for me.  I want to put my experiences, my thoughts, and ideas out there NOT for gratification, but to take the change in knowing that someone else might relate to me in a large or small way.  I want to be self-less in the sense that I would like to be able to help anyone that could be in the same boat as me, or have interests in the same topics.  I know that diabetes management, colitis management, weight loss, motivation and making changes to your habits and daily life can be extremely challenging.  My main topic is still, of course health.

So here I go…

A recent situation has led me to truly change me for the best.  People call it a ‘blessing in disguise’.  Over the past few weeks I’ve had a lot of time to reflect and dig deep about myself and my purpose.  The topic that comes to mind constantly is my health – diabetes, weight management, mental state of being, and my overall comfort level in my own skin.  Like most people, their jobs and families consume a large part of one’s life.  I know that for me, when times at work become extremely stressful, my level of motivation to work out decreases prrrrretty quickly.  So, with work and wedding planning I had hardly any drive to work out.  What did that do?  That increased my blood sugar levels which increased my hemoglobin A1C level, body fat percentage increased due to lack of exercise which then decreased my energy levels as well.  As you can see, it is quite the domino effect!  With diabetes, people are more susceptible to pretty much everything!   My work situation was the start of an ongoing decrease in health and I can’t tell you how incredibly relieved I am.  It feels pretty gosh darn awesome to be healthy again.

So here’s what I’m currently doing.  Now, I take spin class or run three days a week, pilates three days a week, and weight/strength training three days a week.  I am currently checking my blood sugar levels four times a day to ensure tight control of my levels – which then affects the A1C.   My A1C lab test result was provided as of this week and it is 6.8.  This is a little high compared to last time.  In two and a half months, my goal is 6.0.  With the exercise, tight control and motivation, I know I can do it!  With the combination of different types of exercise and checking my levels 4-5 times a day, there is no excuse to not reach my goals.  Not to mention the increase in exercise has increased my energy levels and I truly feel good in my own skin.  I look at the scale and see no fluctuation in numbers, but I know my body is changing and I can feel it.

I know it’s only been a few weeks.  I know this is not a total life change.  But it’s a step in the right direction!  All my life I’ve been in flux.  My workout schedule, my eating habits, my comfort level with my weight/body.  We all have our moments, but for me, it has been a huge struggle.  I’m not entirely sure why to be honest with you.  I know it is dependent upon my stress levels which are connected to my energy levels.  I also know I love food too much.  I’m such a sucker for good food!  Otherwise, I’m not sure.  Maybe I get bored?  Maybe it’s based on my emotions?  All good stuff for me to think about!  But as of now, I am so happy with where I’m at, how I feel, and the path that I’m on.  Now the real challenge is – is to stick with it!

That being said… I am changing the name of the blog.  Haven’t found one that I love just yet, but stay tuned… I will be writing more about life experiences in conjunction with my/our health.

What do you think?