Thursday Tip of Week...

Gary Scheiner, CDE, is back with this tip:

For better blood sugar control, short workouts (30 minutes, for example) on a daily basis are better than long workouts a few days a week.

Remember, check-in is on Sunday!

March Check-In in One Week!

Just a reminder that the March Check-in is next Sunday, March 4.

You must send them before 11:59 PST on March 4. That's when I turn off my computer and will be done entering in stats.

If for some reason you are not going to be around on Sunday, you can send them to me early. Please ONLY send them early if you will NOT have access to a computer on Sunday. Otherwise, please send them to me on Sunday so I don't lose them! I won't accept them after Sunday.

The March drawing will take place on Wednesday, March 7.

New tips and articles coming this week!

Hope everyone is doing well with their Challenge. Remember to send in any tips or questions to have them featured on the Challenge site!

"My Exercise Goals" by Kate

This was supposed to be posted last week, but things got a little crazy. Here is part 2 on exercise goals by Kate:

My Exercise Goals

Date: _______

1.________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Date: _______

2.________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Date: _______

3.________________________________________________________________________________________________________

My reward for achieving my goals:



Signed and Date:

_____________________________ _____________

Special Guest: Kate!

Hurrah for other people telling me what to write! Saves me time and energy. Ms. Kate has offered some exercise tips that should motivate us as we move through the next year:

Exercise goals
by Kate

As I reflected on some of the blogs that mentioned that they did not set New Years Resolutions, because they are broken sooner rather than later, I remembered that I had put together a goal setting topic for a support group. I’m an RN who has worked with both kids and adults with diabetes, so in addition to my personal experience I have professional experience. All of us are either here to lower our A1C’s or lose weight, both of which are helped by either starting to exercise, or changing up our exercise routine. According to a recent article on Diabetes In Control by Sheri Colberg, PhD FACSM, “Doing close to three hours (170 minutes) of exercise per week at any intensity improves insulin sensitivity more than if you accumulate only two hours of activity (115 minutes) weekly, regardless of the intensity of your exercise. The length of your physical activities, therefore, appears to be more important for your blood glucose control than their intensity.” In other words, we should all be aiming for about 30 minutes 5 times a week, which can be broken up into 10 minute or more intervals.

If you’re like me, there are a lot of things you’ll do for control, but exercise is one that is a struggle. The American Diabetes Association knows that and came up with a list of possible solutions for our barriers to exercise: http://www.diabetes.org/weightloss-and-exercise/exercise/overcoming-barriers.jsp

“Getting Started” is another great article you should read before starting any new exercise program, and has good tips for those of you who already are exercising. (And as always, consult with your doctor if you have any concerns about what kinds of activity are right for you) http://www.diabetes.org/weightloss-and-exercise/exercise/getting-started.jsp

So, I thought I’d share my tips for writing exercise goals that you can apply to pretty much any goal you want to make.

1. Make it obtainable.
1. If the goal is too challenging, you will be discouraged when you don’t follow through.
2. Make it measurable.
1. Give yourself a week or a month-long goal- not something longer.
2. How many times a week and for how long are you going to exercise?
3. Make it specific
4. Be consistent
5. Have a back-up plan
6. Re-evaluate at the end of the time period of the goal and set another short term goal.

Example:

I will walk for 15 minutes 3 times a week for 2 weeks. If I can’t walk outside, I will use the stairs in my house for 15 minutes or do some light strength training.

I created a word document for you to use to write out your goals if you want and so you can post them somewhere that you will see them every day to remind yourself. I find this helps me, for you it may be enlisting a workout buddy, or getting your family involved. Or you could be working towards being able to complete a specific event, such as one of the fundraising walks for JDRF or ADA in the fall.

Always keep in mind that any moderate activity for 10 minutes or more counts, so be creative to keep it fun. Have a few songs that always make you want to dance? Turn that stereo on for a few songs and dance around the house. Anyone have any other fun alternatives to the treadmill? Please do share!

Read more about this at Become Even More Fit (Part 2) by Sheri Colberg

More from Kate tomorrow!

Wednesday Winners!

Drawing Winners!

Congratulations to Wendy and Mel for being the winners for this month's O.C. New Me drawing!

Wendy won a copy of Gary Scheiner's The Ultimate Guide to Accurate Carb Counting and Mel won a year-long subscription to Diabetes Self-Management.

Congrats to our Weight Loss Drawing qualifiers:

Mel for losing 8 pounds!
Sarah for losing 7 pounds!
Catherine for losing 6 pounds!

Also, congrats to:
Julia for losing 4 pounds!
Beth for losing 4 pounds!
and to me for losing 3 pounds!

Edit: And to Anne for losing 6 pounds!

A1C Congrats to...

Scott for an average of 137 mg/dl!
Jenny for an average of 135 mg/dl!
Kelly for an average of 136 mg/dl!
Kathleen for an average of 155 mg/dl!
Manny for an average of 135 mg/dl!
Wendy for an average of 156 mg/dl!

March Goals!!

Alright folks, I haven't quite received everyone's records, but it's close enough so I am going to post the goals for March.

Now, this might get a little confusing so read carefully:

Goals:

Weight Loss Group: Lose a minimum of 10% of your goal. That is, if you want to lose 20 pounds, you lose 2 pounds. This is a minimum. I recorded how much you are planning to lose, so I know what your individual goals are. If you aren't sure how much you signed up for, please email me.

A1C Group: 14-day average blood sugar of 170 mg/dl with no more than 7 blood sugars over 300 mg/dl.

Prizes

Weight Loss Group: Diabetes Burnout by Dr. William Polonsky
A1C Group: Knowing Your Numbers by Amy Tenderich

Pretty cool, huh?

Check-In Schedule:
Write these down!

Sunday, February 19
Sunday, March 5

The February 19 date does not have a corresponding drawing. The purpose is for accountability. A1C Group: The maximum 7 blood sugars over 300 mg/dl applies to the second half of the month (February 20-March 5), not the entire month.

Please, please send them to me on time! Don't send them to me early and definitely don't send them to me late.

New Prizes and Guests:

Keep your eyes on this site... Doug Burns, fitness expert and this year's Mr. Universe, is going to be a consultant for the Challenge. He'll be stopping by to offer advice and words of encouragement!

Keep sending in your tips and questions!

New prizes include a gift certificate for a medical ID bracelet from Monsoon Artisans (thanks Beth!), a diabetes messanger bag from Adorn (thanks Kelly!), and three glucose meters, an AccuCheck Aviva, Freestyle Freedom and Freestyle Flash (thanks Sara!).

Awesome! I don't know about you, but I'm excited...

Monday Extension

I'm going to give everyone until tonight to send in their records because I think there was a misunderstanding about sending stuff in, and also the Superbowl was yesterday so that was a bit of bad planning on my part.

To answer George's question from the last post:

YES! Send in your readings/weight when I tell you to. This is the only way I can keep track of your progress and appropriately adjust the goals. Everyone needs to send it in.