6.3

Image courtesy of expressmedicalsupplies.com

As someone who has been diagnosed as having type-1 diabetes, having testing done on me has become commonplace over the past decade and a half plus.  This past Friday I went in to have my blood drawn to test (among other things) my A1C scores--an indicator of my average blood glucose levels over approximately the past three months.



A year ago my A1C came back at a level of 7.3.  This time it was down to 6.3--an entire percentage point lower than it was this time last year.

Image courtesy of prediabetescenters.com

Comparing my lifestyle choices between this year and last, it was initially difficult for me to see any major differences.  In fact, this time last year was when I was in my early stages of sleeping 3 hours a night--a phase that would last until mid March of this year--so I would not have been surprised if  things were the same or worse than before after running on such little sleep for that long.  However, the more I thought about it, the more some little choices I have made began to surface.

While I have been getting more sleep over the last four months, a few other things really stood out to me when I was thinking about lifestyle changes I've made.

The first two I have already written about in previous posts--intermittent fasting and the effects that has had on my blood glucose levels as well as the effects receiving regular MAT™ sessions have had on my blood glucose levels.  But the third thing that I've really changed over the past year is not yet something that I've written about exclusively.

One factor I have decreased over the past 12 months is the frequency, duration, and relative intensity of my exercise.  I used to exercise six to seven days a week, most of which was done at extremely high intensities.  These exercise bouts used to force me to elevate my blood glucose levels into the 200's beforehand and then by the end I was either down in the 120's or I continued to elevate into the 250's and beyond.

I'd be exercising for anywhere from one to three hours at a time, all of which from time to time would lead to massive drops in my blood glucose levels either later in the day or that night.

By decreasing the frequency, duration, and relative intensity of my exercise, I have experienced fewer swings in my blood glucose levels.  I can begin my exercise session at lower levels (closer to 140) and usually end up between 80 and 100 with there rarely ever being a delayed hypoglycemic reaction.

Just as exercising more appropriately for my body has relieved me of many of the joint aches and pains I used to experience on a daily basis, exercising appropriately with the understanding of the stress that exercise can potentially create and adjusting thing accordingly may have helped relieve me of the massive blood glucose swings I used to experience.

While a year ago I loved everything about what I did while I exercised, taking a step back and coming to the realization that it just wasn't working for my body in multiple ways has allowed me to see just how powerful of a tool exercise is.

Realizing this can't help but beg the question, "Is your exercise right for your body?".

Your body.  Your training.

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