Category: Health & Well Being

Some Winter Supplementation…

Most of this material was part of a post I wrote in June of 2019. It was one of my favourite posts and one of the most researched. This is one of those posts where I should point out that I’m not a medical practitioner, dietitian or health professional. So, consult your physician or medical practitioner before starting any supplementation. That being said, this is my third time posting this material in the past three years, and for good reason. I haven’t met a doctor yet who hasn’t recommended using a daily multivitamin to supplement my meals. And since any given doctor has no way of knowing which vitamin I’ll purchase and it isn’t a prescribed item, the conspiracy theorists can’t even spit out their usual bullshit about “big pharma” trying to coerce us into buying them. It’s one of the few things where one needs to acknowledge that it can be helpful. And since the winter weather causes everyone to catch every little bug that comes about, I thought it would be a good idea to remind people of the importance of vitamins and minerals in the everyday diet.

One of the key reasons behind the consumption of food is to obtain carbohydrates for energy. The human body requires energy to carry on normal functions and, well… stay alive! But what else do we get from the food we eat? A proper diet will also include a number of vitamins and minerals that we require to maintain proper health, growth and energy levels within the body. We’ve all heard about getting enough vitamins from a young age. I remember getting my Flintstones vitamin everyday as a kid.

But if you’re like most people, you’re likely wondering what these vitamins are for and what they do. My goal is to cover off the main ones here:

Vitamin A: This is an all-around vitamin that provides a number of functions including but not limited to the proper health of various bodily functions, tissues and helps to fight chronic disease and is known to be good for the eyes.

Vitamin B: This one is a bit complicated, as there is a large grouping of enzymes, vitamins and minerals that fall under the “B” category. In general, B-vitamins are used for energy production, immune function and absorbing iron. Some them include B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B9 (folate) and B12. There are a few more that I can’t recall, but B12 is considered amongst one of the most important of vitamins overall because it helps you turn food into energy.

Vitamin C: At some points, this one has been referred to as the sunshine vitamin. I’m thinking that’s mostly because people’s main source of Vitamin C is from citrus fruits. But this vitamin also helps with iron absorption, immune function and is a natural antioxidant that helps with the elimination of free radicals. Eating citrus fruits are also what sailors used to eat on long voyages to prevent scurvy.

Vitamin D: This vitamin helps with the strengthening of bones and teeth. Our bodies are designed to self-generate this vitamin naturally through exposure to sunlight, but obviously that needs to be done in small doses. Modern life has created an environment where more people spend their time indoors, away from the sun. So supplementation becomes important.

Vitamin E: A pretty straight forward vitamin, this one helps with proper blood circulation and clear skin.

Vitamin K: This vitamin is essential for blood-clotting. In order words, if you’re deficient in this vitamin, small cuts or injuries can cause excessive bleeding that can become dangerous.

Folic Acid: We hear people speak about this one as being necessary during pregnancy. And they would be correct! Folic Acid helps to prevent certain complications during childbirth but is important to everyone for proper cell renewal. This one is also known as Folate, or Vitamin B9 (as listed above).

Calcium: Most people should be familiar with this one. Teeth and bones, people! Teeth and bones! Good calcium levels are required to keep those body parts healthy.

Iron: This helps to build muscle tissue naturally and helps with proper health of the blood. As an interesting sidebar, it’s also what makes your blood red through the reflection of light!

Zinc: Immunity and Fertility. I’m a little unfamiliar with this one and haven’t had the opportunity to research it a great deal.

Chromium: This one is near and dear to my heart. Because it helps to control blood sugar levels. Chromium is what helps all the systems of your body to get the energy they need when they need it. Some traditional medicine practitioners will suggest Chromium supplements for Type 1 Diabetics who may have difficulty in maintaining proper levels.

Magnesium: This one helps your body to absorb all the other vitamins and minerals. It also acts as something of a relaxant to muscle tissue and play a role in proper muscle contraction.

Potassium: This mineral helps with the proper hydration of your body and helps to control blood pressure.

There are many others of course, but I’ve tried to cover off the main vitamins and minerals required for a proper diet. We get most of what we need by eating regularly and including a variety of healthy foods. A lot of people take a daily multi-vitamin, which is fine. But unless you are experiencing symptoms or unexplained illnesses, there shouldn’t be a need to actively try and take added amounts of anything. Your medical practitioner should be able to advise you if further supplementation is required. For example, patients who are recommended to take Folic Acid and Iron during pregnancy.

Obviously, all of this is extremely important; not only for proper health and fitness, which is important to me, but to help with Type 1 Diabetes as well. Taking a daily multivitamin can help to ensure that your body gets everything it needs, in combination with carbohydrates, lean proteins and fibre. My wife Laura originally gave me the idea for this post in 2019 when she asked about B-vitamins. So, I should once again extend a shout out to her for keeping me inspired and constantly feeding me ideas. ☯

When The Day Starts Out Bloody…

I had an interesting incident this morning as I was waking up to start my daily routine. My pump buzzed, pestering me for a blood glucose reading without calibration This is something I’ve come to expect from the pump although it annoys me to high hell, having it occur during the night. To add insult to injury, it happened fifteen minutes before my alarm was scheduled to go off. this is especially annoying because fifteen minutes isn’t enough to fall back asleep but it’s certainly enough time to piss me off. But I digress…

As I sat up and silenced my pump and turned off my alarm, I felt a light itch inside my nose. I wriggled my face a bit as I rose and started walking towards the kitchen but the itch was too much, so I scratched it. Now, before any of you get all high and mighty, saying, “Eew, Shawn picks his nose…” keep in mind that your fingers are designed to fit in your nostrils. Ever see someone with small, slender hands? Usually a tiny nose. See someone with massive meat hooks for hands? Typically a massive bulb above their lip. Nature didn’t design us with facial tissues in mind.

Although I want to be clear that I don’t typically go around picking my nose like some obsessed maniac, there will be times when I need to scratch or something, which is perfectly normal. And you all do it. It’s a bit like masturbation. There are two types of people: those who masturbate and those who lie about it. Nose picking falls under that same category. But since I seem to be going off on a tangent here and straying from the topic of today’s post, let’s move on, shall we?

I lightly scratched the inner wall of my right nostril, barely a half centimetre inside my nose. It relieved the itch and I figured all was well. Then, I felt what I thought was a runny nose. This was odd since I had woken up with a dry nose and felt no buildup prior to something leaking out of its own volition. I swipe at the nostril to no avail. SOMETHING wiped away but the leaking continued. I walked downstairs, still in a half-awake state and made my way to the downstairs washroom.

Once there, I looked up and saw something akin to a horror movie scene. My nose, mouth and chin were covered in blood. Not just a tiny trickle, I’m talking saturated. I felt a momentary stab of panic. And I should probably explain that… With the exception of the very few and rare occasions where someone has managed to land a strike to my face, I have NEVER experienced a bleeding nose in my life. Ever. So to have it happen unexpectedly like this caught me by surprise.

I walked to the sink and spat a couple of times, reached down and grabbed some bathroom tissue and pinched my nose, angling my head slightly forward. I remembered the steps to stop a bloody nose from hearing it all through my childhood. Plus, my brother used to get bloody noses quite often as well. Once I had pinched for a few minutes, I took my hand away to reveal that the bleeding had stopped. Perfect. Now, I had to deal with the fallout; blood on the stairs, blood on the basement floors and blood all over the bathroom sink and floor.

Once I cleaned everything up so it didn’t look like a bad murder scene from a horror movie, I took a hot shower and cleaned myself off. Many of you may be thinking, “Why tell us all this? A nose bleed is not a big deal…” Although you would be right, as I previously mentioned, it was my first time dealing with this and all life is experience, so why not talk about it. Plus, it’s my blog and I write about what I want, so there (walks away stomping his feet).

Interestingly enough, i learned that nose bleeds are called Epistaxis and are usually caused by dry air (like using increased heat during the winter) or picking one’s nose. Other common causes can also include the frequent use of nasal sprays, which I do. In reading some articles on WebMD and the Mayo Clinic website, the common thread is that a nose bleed can be considered serious if you have a known injury, such as a strike or impact to the face or head, bleeding lasts for more than 20 minutes or if you’re bleeding so much that your breathing is impaired. You should seek medical attention or contact your doctor if any of these occur.

It was certainly an interesting (and unwanted) way to start my morning. I wasn’t able to clean out the downstairs sink properly before leaving, so I expect it may draw the attention of my family. But what can one do? Just another one of life’s many unexpected scenarios. Today just happened to be my day to experience it. ☯️

Not Just The Boy Scout Motto…

Even if you’ve never been in the Boy Scouts, you’ve no doubt heard of their motto, “Be Prepared” in television or movies at some given point. I myself, was a Beaver Scout in the early 80’s, until I was diagnosed with Type-1 Diabetes and my world was turned on its head. But before I turn this post into a pity party, let’s focus on the motto, which is the aim of today’s post. Being prepared in life is important. Since we live in a relatively comfortable environment where most resources and amenities are available to us (at least here in Canada), people have a tendency to overlook good preparedness.

Now, I could be very generalized and discuss how one should be properly prepared in ALL aspects of their lives, including the care of their home, family, health and property. But what I’m going to focus on today is specifically as it relates to one’s fitness, especially in conjunction with Diabetes. It’s no secret that having Diabetes presents a plethora of challenges, especially when you’re working out. This means you need to be prepared for the inevitable issues you may face when training.

First of all, we need to agree that it’s somewhat easier to function with high blood sugar than it is with low blood sugar. There’s a certain where where either one is an issue but if you’re doing something fitness-related, you’ll find you can at least push through and won’t pass out if your blood sugars are high. The same can’t be said if your blood sugars are low. For that reason, it’s important to ALWAYS bring some fast-acting carbohydrates with you. For me, jellybeans work best. I know that some people will use a variety of juices, gummy candies and even straight sugar and water. You’ll want to find what works for you and be sure to keep it on hand. You want to avoid certain foods like chocolate, which is basically just a block of fat that will take forever to bring your levels up.

Next and equally important, is water. If you haven’t noticed from the thousand+ posts I’ve put up (yes, I am now in the thousands), hydration plays an integral role in fitness and overall health. Proper hydration is also helpful in maintaining balanced blood sugars. Most sources will say that we should all be keeping a reusable bottle with us and consistently siping from it, throughout the day. My wife is far better at this than I am. When it comes to fitness, you want to strike that proper balance and try to avoid dehydration AND drinking too much water.

You probably read that last sentence and asked, “Can you really ever drink TOO much water, Shawn?” Why, yes! Yes, you can! Consuming too much water in the wrong conditions will cause something called hyponatremia. This condition can be caused by an increase in diuretics, severe or excess sweating or consuming too much water. The result is your body’s concentration of electrolytes, namely sodium, gets too low. Back in the summer of 2020, I experienced this condition firsthand. I woke up on a day off and chugged an energy drink, which I unfortunately seem to do every morning. Then, I performed the longest bike ride I had taken (at that point) where I peddled from Regina to Balgonie.

It’s a 56-kilometre trek, back and forth, which is far from the farthest I’ve managed to achieve since then. But it was summertime, with temperatures in the mid-30’s and dry Prairie air… My phone shut down halfway due to being too hot, I was sweating like a hog and chugging back water ever five minutes. To my credit, I had brought plenty of water and fast-acting carbs, but little else. This meant that I kept pumping the water in to slate my thirst but I was losing electrolytes through my sweat. Like, a lot!

By the time I got home, every joint was killing me, I had a headache, nausea and difficulty focusing. It took several minutes of trying to look up the symptoms and my wife helping out to discover that I needed to take in some sodium. I slugged back a couple of bottles of Gatorade and ate some salt & vinegar chips and laid on my bed with the A/C going at full strength. Once my body slowly started to regulate, I got groggy and fell asleep for a while. It was probably the most uncomfortable and painful experience outside of a tangible injury or Diabetes.

Since then, I maintain a practice of mixing electrolytes with water as I cycle, which has served me well on my 70 and 80-kilometre treks. But it was an important lesson to recognize that getting to the end of a significant workout can require more than just sheer will. Easy things to carry with you, whether at the dojo or while out doing cardio, are little things like a portable battery pack to charge your phone in the event of an emergency and bandages or a small travel first aid kit. You may never NEED any of those things but it’s always better to have it and not need it.

Being prepared is an important aspect of anything one does in life. It can mean the difference between potential facing a dangerous or hazardous situation or being temporarily inconvenienced. it all depends on how prepared you want to be. For most people with Type-1 Diabetes, being prepared and constantly dragging along a small bag with carbs, testing equipment and food can mean the difference between good health or a hospital trip. Why not take the few minutes required to ensure that you always have what you need for any workout or outing you go on. ☯️

A Little Monday Motivation…

There’s no denying that the past few years have been extremely challenging for most people and even more so for some. I know that for myself, life had turned into a churning tempest of chaos well over a year before COVID-19 sunk it’s miserable talons into everything. Despite the pandemic still having a solid hold on society (some feel we’re reaching the end of it, but I believe it’s a “remains to be seen” kind of thing), life has become significantly better for my household and I. And since today is not only a Monday, notoriously known for being disliked by most adults AND it happens to be the last day of the first month of 2022, I think a little motivation is a good thing.

Sometime during the whole mess, I adopted a practice of visualizing some inspirational words. I did this by taping up something inspirational or motivational on the wall next to my desk so that I could turn and read it when I’d be working. Although I changed up the quotes and sheets I used a few times over a couple of years, the habit of visually seeing the words and reading them aloud became common for me and helped me at times when I was struggling. Being as that my workspace was located in a small nook under my stairs, the last sheet of paper was undisturbed and left alone when renovations took place and are still there.

To be honest, I don’t know who wrote this quote. I’ve used some famous ones that were easily identifiable, sure. But I can’t recall where this one came from or even who penned it. And I can’t be bothered to look. But the words are sound and I thought it would be a good idea to share it with all of you:

“Will Emerge From This Nightmare
Like The Powerful, Beautiful, Resilient Person That You Are.
It Can Be Hard To Remember This When You
Feel Like A Shell Of The Person You Once Were,
But Trust Me: You Are Capable Of Overcoming
So Much More Than You Think.”

The words still speak to me and resonate, especially during the times when things seem to get rough or difficult. As I always say, life doesn’t care about your plan. You can plan things, set up goals and do your best at working towards them but ultimately, life will decide what kind of speed bumps you encounter along the way. After all, it’s like one of my favourite characters, Jean-Luc Picard once said, “It’s possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not weakness, that is life.” Food for thought…☯️

One Step At A Time…

Habits. Vices. We all have them, in one form or another. Sometimes it can be associated with our state of mind; either suffering from self-image or mental health issues or we’re simply unhappy, which is a big part of life for most people. As a result, some will seek comfort or relief from various sources including but not limited to food, drugs, smoking, alcohol and even sex. You could think that using that last one wouldn’t be a negative thing but there are a number fo negative aspects to USING sex as a coping mechanism that most people wouldn’t consider.

For me, I’ve indulged in a number nasty vices, including cigar smoking, eating and alcohol. The first and last are mostly by virtue of my previous career, relaxing me and providing calm in the middle of emotional tempests. The middle one typically happens when I’ve indulged too much in the last, as I don’t always make the best decisions. Hey, I’m human. More often than not, I somehow manage to rationalize what I’m doing to myself, with “I can work this off later” or “just this last time” (followed by buying another bottle on the way home the following day).

It can be difficult to overcome certain bad habits on your own. Especially if those habits become severe enough to be an actual addiction. In those cases, getting help from medical professionals or specialized programs can be important. But if it’s something you feel you can overcome on your own, there are a number of things you can do to help get you out of your funk. I’ll provide a few of my thoughts on what’s worked for me in the past:

  1. Don’t Put Off Exercising: Thanks to the frequent ups and downs of blood sugars, the amount of grogginess and lethargy I deal with can be a real pain in the ass. But if you can push past the fatigue and do something physical, it has a dynamo effect. Once you hop on board the exercise train, all you want is for it to move faster. Start slow and easy at first and increase resistance/distance/challenges as you go along. After a while you’ll look back and realize you’re at the level you used to WISH you were at.
  2. Don’t Quit Everything At Once: Sometime during the late summer, I decided to quit cigars, alcohol, junk food and excessive caffeine. Those sound like good ideas, right? Maybe, but doing it all at once wasn’t the greatest idea. Besides the physical toll it takes on a person’s body, you’re more likely to regress and slip up if you deny yourself everything completely. Most sources I’ve read agree that you should allow yourself the occasional indulgence. Doing so means you’ll be less likely to slip up. So if you have a habit of binging junk food, maybe allow yourself to eat out once a week.
  3. Buddy Up: A problem shared is a problem halved, right? If you need exercise, join a club, a gym or fitness group. If you’re trying to eat better, there are groups for that, too! Or you can just commit to eating better with a friend. You can keep each other on track, remind each other of your goals and step in if you happen to be “falling off the wagon.”

Improving oneself and making oneself feel better takes time and effort. If you think it’s hard, that’s perfectly normal Anything worth achieving in life is hard. Just remember that you don’t have to do any of it alone and there are always resources out there to help you reach your goals, whether it’s weight loss, increased fitness, learning a new skill or quitting a bad habit. ☯️

Shake Things Up…

As I’ve often written about before, fitness and weight loss involves something simpler yet more complicated than a fancy fad diet or weird food restrictions. And contrary to what some people still believe, crunches and sit-ups won’t do anything but firm up your ab muscles and likely won’t do much to melt the fat in front of it. You need a healthy combination of consistent exercise and proper diet, which includes eliminating unnecessary sugars, excess fats, carbonated beverages and alcohol as well as junk food in general. That sounds pretty simple in print but to someone who has unhealthy habits built into their daily routine, change isn’t without challenge.

One of those big changes for me, in recent months, has been the inclusion of breakfast into my daily routine. When most of us were kids we always heard that “breakfast is the most important meal of the day.” I was never fond of breakfast, since eating a massive bowl of cereal before school without the proper amount of fast-acting insulin to deal with it, meant I would spend my morning classes groggy and struggling to stay awake. It led most of my teachers to think I was lazy or unwilling to learn. To their credit, I didn’t understand what was going on myself, so how could I have articulated it to them? But I digress…

My point is that even in adulthood with an insulin pump and a control over my Diabetes that’s better than what in was in my youth, my morning routine usually involves forcing myself out of bed, grabbing caffeine in whatever form I can get it and getting ready for work before rushing out the door. The concept of that first meal is usually the farthest thing from my mind until I’ve been at work for an hour or two and my stomach starts protesting at the lack of tenants it has. This will usually result in my purchasing something quick and less than healthy during my morning coffee. Not so great a habit to maintain and it contributes to one’s gut.

Breakfast!

As a reasonable alternative, I’ve been using my Blendjet to carry my breakfast to work with me. I posted about this device before Christmas and as much fun as I was having with it, I haven’t been using it QUITE as much as I should have or for its intended purpose. In fact, I think my wife has been using them mostly to make smoothies for our kids, which isn’t a bad use but my intention was to have a low-carb, easy to manage breakfast. So on Monday of last week, I buckled down and started including the mini blender into my daily routine. Once I’m up, my first stop is to the kitchen, where I prepare Nathan’s lunch for school. While I’m in there, I’ll put all my ingredients into the blender and bring it downstairs with me where I shower and prepare for work. I’ll run the blender once to mix the ingredients then store it in my work bag until my arrival at work. Then, I’ll blend it again as the ingredients settle and I can gulp it down at my leisure as I work.

It’s been working pretty well. It hardly adds five minutes to my morning routine, provides me with something that keeps me filled and prevents hunger until I make it to lunchtime and the mini blender is convenient and easy to lug around as opposed to packing a meal or ordering out, which does nothing good for one’s overall weight loss and fitness goals. Granted my weekends are still reserved for a more traditional breakfast with my family. For example, this morning will likely see me preparing bacon and hash browns for my wife and I, and toast for the boys. My toddler enjoys a strip of bacon but my 7-year old absolutely hates bacon. I know, I know… I’ve failed somewhere. Moving on!

The calm convenience of breakfast in the morning sunlight

As great an addition to my morning routine as a shake may sound, it’s important to recognize that what you put INTO the shake is almost as important as including breakfast into your routine. If all you’re doing is tossing bananas, milk and chocolate syrup into your blender, you’ll be lacking some key components to your nutrition and health. I mean, eating a banana at breakfast is inherently a good thing, but you want to make sure that you’re giving your body some good stuff to help it along as well as fuel it. Normally, my shake includes half a banana, a dozen or so blueberries, a tablespoon of flax seed and a cube of frozen spinach. The frozen spinach is nice because it not only provides me with all the good stuff that spinach does, it substitutes for ice, which allows more room for the key ingredients.

I was basing all of this with water at the start, but I found the taste left something to be desired and I was still getting hungry during my morning. So I started using milk instead. This isn’t a bad thing, you know, calcium and all that jazz… Diabetics just need to remember that one cup of milk has enough carbohydrates to require additional bolusing. Plus, you can use skim or 2% milk to cut down on the unnecessary fat. If you find that your overall shake is a little bland, you can BAM it up a notch with a small squirt of maple syrup or honey. I occasionally steal a bit of chocolate syrup that my wife uses for the boys’ smoothies but again… carbs!

I know that when most people think of weight loss, their thoughts immediately go to either exercise or eating less. But it’s important to remember that your body needs rule in order to function. So eating less can only be done so much. And when all is said and done, it’s not the amount so much as WHAT you’re eating. But it’s another chicken or the egg scenario… If you eat less, you have less fuel and won’t be able to burn at your workouts as efficiently. You gotta feed the machine! But I find that having a shake, especially one loaded with fibre and good stuff, eliminates the problem of skipping breakfast, doesn’t affect my overall morning routine and is helping to get me healthier. Food for thought… (pun intended) ☯️

Your Comfort Zone Is A Horrible Place To Die…

When all is said and done, you’ll really only get as much out of life as you put into it. Want to lose weight? Eat right and exercise. It won’t happen on its own if you’re sitting on the couch scarfing potato chips and doing fuck all. Wanna learn a new skill? Buckle up and settle in to study, train and develop yourself. Wanna learn karate? It ain’t a knitting circle so you need to be prepared for the blood, sweat and tears that will ensue over the next decade or more to become proficient. Notice that I say “proficient” and not “master,” as karate is a lifelong journey that you’re never really done studying.

An important lesson I’ve learned recently is just how little I actually know. I’ve been studying Uechi Ryu for over three decades at this point, with one third of that time being on my own by virtue of living 3,400 kilometres away from my Sensei. The passage of time and lack of travel ability has brought me to my current state where I made the decision to transition to a new style. Still karate, of course. But I recently joined a Shotokan school and it’s already been quite the ride…

Besides the fact that I’ve become older, slower and thicker (not in the complimentary way), the challenge is significantly different for me, this time around. Add to that the fact that I’m an old dog, teaching me new tricks is not without challenge. My hat’s off to the team of instructors in my new dojo that has to deal with the skilled, unknown black belt gracing their dojo yet doing everything just a LITTLE bit different than how they do.

And this is where the relevance of the title comes in… The past couple of weeks have certainly taken me out of my comfort zone. I’ve started learning different stances, different ways of doing the techniques that ARE familiar, as well as being exposed to a plethora of new forms and katas. I’m definitely enjoying learning new things but it’s been a humbling experience to acknowledge that even though I’ve grown proficient in my style, I’ve also grown comfortable and complacent, which is a horrible state to be in. Complacency leads to loss of proficiency in a terrible “chicken or the egg’ scenario, when it comes to one’s training.

I’m glad that I’ve been able to hammer on and start learning again. Despite how long I’ve at this and the realization that I don’t quite have the same amount of piss and vinegar that I used to, it’s humbling to recognize that there’s still a lot to learn, still a long road to travel and still some exciting surprises for me in the world of karate. I attended my second class of the week last night and my legs are definitely feeling it, with the last class of the week scheduled for tonight. Between work and other obligations, I’m hoping I can keep the circulation going and hammer through tonight’s class efficiently.

Find something you’re passionate about. I think that’s my main message. It’s important to have goals to achieve, but it shouldn’t be torturous and you shouldn’t come out of it feeling as though it was a chore. It’s okay to acknowledge that it was hard; anything worth your time will be. But hard and torturous are two entirely different things. Karate started out as a way to save my life. That’s why I started training. But it’s become a part of me and something I love. I’m blessed to have found a new path on this journey and would encourage all of you to find the path that’s right for you. ☯️

An Interesting Perspective…

I found the above illustration a short while ago and it spoke to me. I like how the illustrations shows the giant carrying everything material on his back and is attempting to scoop up pieces of nature to keep “feeding the machine.” At least, that how I’M interpreting it… And if you look closely enough, you’ll see a person, presumably human, stand beneath the giant firing an arrow up at it, suggesting that not all people are the same as what this short message indicates.

I don’t believe myself to be perfect in any way, shape or form and I can honestly say that I see myself in some of the things I write about. But i see some of the truth in this illustration with how one need only to step out their front doors to see everyone who isn’t actively behind the wheel of a car (and a few who are) with their faces firmly buried in the screen of a smart device. People associate success with the accumulation of things, instead of the accumulation of memories and experiences, which is a shame since life has far more to contribute than how big your house is, or how expensive your car is. Food for thought… ☯️

What Goes Up Must Come Down, Then Go Back Up Again!

Although it’s taken me years to do so, I’ve slowly come to realize that making exceptions and changing up daily routines often isn’t worth it. And yes, this is going to be a bit of a rant about a Diabetic issue, so buckle up. This realization struck me in the face like a snowball with a rock in the middle, last Wednesday night.

I got home at about 9 pm after an excellent karate class. I felt good, my blood sugars were in normal range and I guzzling water and electrolytes to stave off the easy and slippery dehydration that tends to sneak up on me when I train. Although I had some writing and studying to do, my wife mentioned she would not be working any later that night and asked if I wanted to watch a couple of episodes of something. I obliged.

A little after 10 pm, my wife headed off to bed, which is what I would have typically done, as well. But I had laundry going and since I had another karate class the following day, I wanted to make certain my gi was clean. So I told her to go ahead and crash and I’d be joining in a little while, once I had laundry completed. As luck would have it, I got into watching some Star Trek (don’t judge) and got laundry done, getting my head on the pillow at about half past midnight.

Considering I wake up anywhere between 5:30 to 6 am, this wasn’t the brightest move, since it would only allow of drive or six hours of sleep. I made my peace with, convinced that I was reaching the end of my week and that I could get away with the loss of a few hours’ sleep by supplementing with caffeine and staying busy at work. My dark passenger (Diabetes) had other plans…

My wife got up at about 2 am, as she has this system where she starts her work from home before everyone else has woken up. Good for her, but I’m not down for that bullshit. In fact, my years as a police officer taught me to appreciate being able to stay firmly in my bed until morning. But about thirty minutes after she vacated the bed, my pump went off. 3.9 mmol/L. Fan-fucking-tactic. I scarfed a dozen jellybeans I had at the side of my bead and closed my eyes.

At about 3:15 in the morning, my pump went off again. 3.7 mmol/L. Not only had the jellybeans not raised my blood sugars, they were continuing to drop. Not good. I wolfed down the remainder of the jellybeans I had in the bag, which was a little more than a dozen, and tried to go back to sleep. I got to almost half past four when my pump started blaring an alarm at me and display a sensor glucose of 2.9 mmol/l!

What the hell was happening??? My blood sugars were in normal range when I finally hit the sheets. The only thing I could think of, is that I usually have a small snack in the evenings but that night, I chose not to. Maybe that would have been enough to cause my blood sugars to drop? I staggered out to the kitchen, since I had exhausted my jellybean supply and found my wife still working away at the table.

I gulped down a couple of packages of grapefruit segments and about two cups of Froot Loops before passing out once again. When I woke up at 6 am with my alarm, I felt like I had been struck by a freight train. When I checked my pump, I was reading at over 20.0mmol/L. Of course, I was… I had apparently overdone it and my blood sugars slingshot to the other end of the spectrum. I spent the next four hours of my day, slowly reducing my blood sugars and bringing them back to normal.

You may be asking, why am I telling you all of this, besides to bitch about the difficulties surrounding Type-1 Diabetes? It’s simply to show that even when the waters are calm, there’s always the potential for rough currents beneath the surface, In this case, despite having normal blood sugar levels and everything appearing normal, it didn’t take much to send me into a rollercoaster ride of bad readings. Maybe next time, I should stick to my routine and have a snack before bed. Food for thought…(pun intended). ☯️

Cleanliness Is Next To Godliness

No, this isn’t a quote from the Bible as many people are inclined to believe. If I didn’t know any better, I would assume the quote was penned by my late grandmother, who had an intense form of OCD that had her constantly cleaning to the point where she’d walk around her house by sliding her feet on a couple of pieces of paper towel for the following two days. Luckily I’m not THAT bad, but cleanliness is important, which brings me to the point of today’s post…

Maintaining a consistent workout routine can be challenging, especially if you happen to be working a full-time job and handling personal and family responsibilities on a daily basis. For some people, working out can be a very relaxing thing, but many people neglect proper cleanliness AFTER the workouts and this can lead to some smelly and disgusting issues.

If you’ve ever been to a public gym, you’ve noticed that they always (or at least should) provide spray bottles and rags to disinfect and wipe down equipment after each use. The same thing applies to one’s personal workout items. Oh, and one’s body. You gotta wash that body! Nothing worse than someone funking up the immediate area because they hammered out a workout and chose not to shower. Just take the five minutes and wash yourself up. Damn! But I digress…

One of the most well-known issues with sweaty gym gear, specifically clothing, is that leaving them unwashed will make them smell bad. That’s a no-brainer, right? But besides the smell, which no one enjoys, leaving them in this state for long enough can also lead to some nasty staining on your clothes and can even lead to the development of mildew. This is especially problematic if you’re the type to get home or go back to work and drop your gym bag in the corner and ignore it for hours on end.

Picture this: you just finished a wicked run of cardio, you’re coated with sweat and you need to get back to the work day. You go back up to your office and drop your gym bag on the floor by the door. Over the next few hours, that warm, moist sweat (yes, I used the word “moist,” get over it) is contained inside your gym bag where bacteria breeds and mildew can form. Do this often enough and stains that form will become permanent.

Something that most people don’t realize is that sweat itself is inherently odourless. It’s the oils and bacteria on our bodies that cause the smell and when that’s soaked into a fitness garment, it needs to be washed as soon as possible. As do you. Failing to do so can cause blocked pores, rashes, acne in places you don’t want (not that you want acne anywhere, necessarily) and increased chafing if you’re foolish enough to re-wear an unwashed garment.

The ideal scenario is to launder your workout gear as soon as the workout is done. Even removing them from your bag and dropping into the laundry hamper isn’t ideal, as you’re just letting the funk sit there. But I if you find yourself in a position where you CAN’T launder your clothes right away, they should be laid out somewhere with good ventilation and permitted to dry. When you DO launder your garments, it’s best to use hot water to help kill the bacteria. Depending on the garment and your comfort level, a splash of bleach can help, as well.

Also, it’s easy to forget some of the unsung heroes of your workout routine. Namely, your gym bag and your sneakers/shoes. These tend to get neglected and the unfortunate reality is that your sweaty gear gets piled into that bag constantly, so if you don’t wash your gym bag regularly, you’re basically piling clean, pre-workout clothing on top of a bacteria colony. Most canvass/nylon/polyester bags can just be dropped into the washing machine, which is a good practice to observe to keeps things clean and smelling nice.

Sneakers can be a bit more problematic, since putting them in the washing machine can alter their shape, ruin the binding holding them together and potentially damage the machine. you ever sneakers in the wash? It sounds like the bass drum from a marching band booming over and over. One option is to spray an alcohol solution inside and outside the shoes in order to kill bacteria. There are plenty of sources on the web that will explain how many parts of isopropyl alcohol to water you should use. Grab yourself a spray bottle from your local retailer and you’re off to the races. And since alcohol tends to evaporate quickly, your shoes are dry in no time.

Last but certainly not least, never skip a shower if you’ve worked out. Ever. That is all. Seriously, even if you feel you haven’t sweat much and can get away with it, you should still clean yourself up to prevent ALL of the issues I mentioned previously. If you’ve had a light workout and towelled off and returned to work, remember that others are more likely to smell what’s coming off of you than you will. Not the reputation you want and not something others deserve in their work environment. Food for thought… ☯️