Mandated to be Motivated.
I haven’t put an entry in over a month. Anyone who reads or subscribes to this blog would think, “Well, you hardly update that often anyway.” What I am happy to report is that I actually have two good excuses. Today’s entry: Good Excuse #1.
Two months ago, as I had vaguely reported, I had to deal with some news about my health. I will go ahead and be open and honest in this entry about it. On March 9th, I was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes by my Primary Care Doctor. It was rather shocking news and to be honest, I was more than a bit embarrassed to disclose it to anyone, let alone the Internet. After all, my perception of the disease was that only older people got it, or if young people got it, it had to be because they were highly overweight and didn’t take care of their health. I could have easily put myself into the latter category, and it was not something that I wanted to share with everyone. Genetics may have very well taken a role in bringing on the chronic disease, but I have decided to take full ownership of it and over the past two months, I have been taking steps in mitigating the risks of the long term effects.
As far as putting this information on the blog, I decided that it could very well be my contribution to the Internet. By verbalizing everything I’m going through, I figure it can get people to take a greater inventory of their health. I don’t doubt that there are a lot of people out there who are like how I was then: in denial about their mortality. What’s more unfortunate about diabetes is that a lot of time, those who have it are asymptomatic, so there’s no urgency for people to get their health tested or at least to make them mindful of what they are doing to their bodies.
For those of you who don’t know what Type II Diabetes is, it is when your body becomes resistant to insulin, the receptors of glucose for your cells. This results in high blood sugar, which can lead to long term complications such as heart disease, kidney disease, and eye disease among other things. The cause can be partly genetic, but for the most part, is due to sedentary lifestyle and bad eating habits. My blood test indicated rather high blood sugar levels, which led to my diagnosis.
As soon as I was diagnosed, my doctor put me on medication but more importantly, she put me on the track to changing my lifestyle, which is going to be the key to my success in tackling this disease. I had a series of health education classes on how to cope with diabetes, and how to make everyday changes. It was kind of a bummer to have to make such drastic changes while in my happy rut, but on the other hand, I knew I had to take it as an opportunity to feeling better.
First thing I committed myself to doing, was writing down everything I was doing in terms of what I was eating and any exercise I was getting. That way, I would be more mindful of what I was doing or not doing. It also served a good excuse to use a cute little Chococat planner I had feasted my eyes on. (Note: Sanrio obsession for a future entry.) I also went back to keeping a personal journal about my successes and my frustrations. In making myself more aware of what I was doing, and then aware of what I am supposed to do, making the changes didn’t seem so overwhelming.
It can still be pretty hard having to count carbs and having to deny myself of things that I normally could have gotten when I wanted them, but after two months, I think I’ve coped really well. In addition to eating better, I have learned to value sleep more, and therefore not allowing myself to stay up all night wasting valuable time on my computers. What’s been really fun is getting more exercise, more so because Hunny is such a trooper and so supportive in joining me for the hikes and outdoor activities I’ve been trying to expose myself to. Most recently, we went to the Makapu’u Lighthouse Road hike. We took a lot of pictures and got a lot of healthy sunshine.
I have definitely seen changes such as my blood sugar going down, my weight going down a little bit, and perhaps the most fun — having more energy in my day to enjoy this paradise I live in! I still have quite a ways to go, but I think at this point in the ride, I am actually enjoying myself.
Just gotta keep on keeping on.
As for “Good Excuse #2,” we’ll see if anything comes out of that. I’ll keep that one a secret for now.
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