Last week I needed to get keep a doctor’s appointment in order to refill an expired prescription, so even though it was pretty snowy I got myself out the door and to the office. (My husband did yeoman duty shoveling the driveway multiple times over the course of the storm.) Since it had been over six months since my last A1C test at their office I had them do that, too, and it was:
6.0
I am, to put it mildly, chuffed.
Some of you knowledgeable readers are probably thinking, ‘Hey, what is there to celebrate here? You’re still well within the boundary of pre-diabetes. When you’re below 5.7 you can do a happy dance then.’ Yes, true, but here’s the thing: I’ve proven that I can get the number to go down. Last summer I had a reading of 6.2, and the beginning of last November showed 6.3 with an at-home test. So even with the intervening holidays I’ve managed to bring it down three-tenths of a point. I would like to get it down below that dreaded 6.0 marker, so that can be the next goal. It is clear to me, by the way, that if I weren’t being as strict as I am that I’d probably be well into full-blown diabetes by now. I hovered in pre-diabetes territory for years before I got serious about limiting sugar, so all (all!) I’ve managed to do is to hold the line. It’s going to be very interesting to see if I can continue to do that over the next decade.
A couple of points can be made here in a broader context, since this isn’t a diabetes blog: One is that there’s usually something you can do about your health issues by making good choices. Another is—and this is kind of discouraging, but it’s sadly true—the choices have to be ongoing. In fact, I think I’ll re-state a dichotomy here:
Projects vs. Processes
One of the bloggers I follow, Dana K. White at “A Slob Comes Clean,” talks about having what she calls a “project brain.” I wrote about this concept over two years ago. Some things are over when they’re over: those are projects. So the Cherry Creek Chorale’s Showcase talent show this past Saturday night is over. I had decided that I wanted to perform something, mainly because the most recent show two years ago had had rather thin participation. Anne Murray’s “You Needed Me” seemed like a song that I could get down into my very limited range, so that’s what I did. And it was great to participate. We had such a nice evening, and I was honored to be a part of it. Of course I was also responsible for the refreshments table, but that wasn’t too big of a deal. And then we cleared off the tables and put up the chairs. The evening was in the past, never to be revisited.
But you know what? Today, the Monday after, I need to do my little 10-15-minute floor exercise routine. And since the sidewalks and trails are snowy and icy, and it’s pretty cold, I’m going to have to grit my teeth and get onto the treadmill. I hate exercise machines! Did I do that last week? No, I did not. I think I did my full walk one time, wimping out on a couple of other occasions because of the weather. But I can’t just say, “Oh well—I’ll just resume my walks when spring comes.” By then I’ll have slid backwards in my fitness level.
One encouraging fact I’ve realized, though, is that my overall activity level is higher these days because I don’t do much sitting and reading books any more. With the exception of reading articles online (which I spend w-a-a-a-y too much time on), I consume most material via audio: podcasts and audiobooks. And I don’t like to just sit and listen, so I get up and do something. I clean up the kitchen. I sew. Stuff like that. Every bit of physical activity is helpful, both in terms of expending calories and of general fitness. There’s quite a bit of scientific evidence showing that people who are “fidgeters” tend to be thinner and fitter than, well, “relaxers”? In other words, do you sit while you’re talking on the phone, or do you pace back and forth? It makes a surprising difference. Once again I give credit to my dear friend Ronnie for getting me going on the audio route. Talk about multi-tasking! I used to just listen to the radio when I was working on something mindless, so I had no real choice about the material I was consuming. If I was working out in the yard I didn’t have anything to listen to unless I somehow could plug in a radio close by. Eventually I got a cellphone with radio capabilities, so that was at least something. But now, with the wonderful advent of the smartphone, I have this great lineup of programs. If I’m listening to something truly fascinating I’ll look for excuses to continue, which means coming up with a task I can do at the same time. Win!
Okay. Enough for today. What do you need to just keep on doing today?