Wise Words Wednesdays: Les Brown

Takeaway quotes:

• "No matter how bad it is or how bad it gets, I am going to make it."
• "You must have patience and engage in consistent action."
• "It is possible that you can live your dream."
• "As long as you work for someone else they are controlling your destiny."

(Bold mine.)

Expect Greatness.

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Testosterone and Insulin Sensitivity

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Check out this study by Kapoor et al. discussing the effects on testosterone replacement therapy on insulin sensitivity and glycaemic control.

Could these results indicate a valid use for testosterone supplementation as a form of diabetes management?  Could similar results be found in subjects who did not already display low testosterone levels?

Could an exercise program/lifestyle designed to improve testosterone concentrations see similar results?  Or could the type of lifestyle and exercise regimen required to do so (proper exercise, nutrition, sleep, stress management) in and of itself be enough to improve insulin sensitivity and glycaemic control equally as much as purely supplementing?

What are your thoughts?

Your body.  Your training.

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My n=1 Study

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This past Tuesday marked 17 years since I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.  On this day I would add another layer of insight into how I can better-manage this diseased state.

Beep!  Beep!  Beep!

I knew that sound.

Beep!  Beep!  Beep!

Crap.  It was 7:30 AM and I was in the middle of working with a client.

Beep!  Beep!  Beep!

My pump was dying.  I was no longer going to be receiving insulin from it.  Crap.

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This wasn't the first time this had happened so I knew how to execute my backup plan.  I also knew that the last time this happened my blood glucose levels ran between 250 and 350 for the next 24+ hours until my new pumped arrived.  I knew I felt miserable that entire time, and I knew I didn't want to experience that again.  This time I'd call an audible on the backup plan.

I decided to run an n=1 study on myself.

Over the course of the next 24 hours I would only inject myself with insulin at very specific times, opting instead to manage my blood glucose levels as well as I could using mainly diet and exercise.

I would exercise vigorously multiple times throughout the day and limit my carbohydrate intake to as few as possible.  I decided I would continue this as long as my blood glucose levels stayed below 200.

Over the course of the day my blood glucose fluctuated between 70 and 130.  In fact, it wasn't until 6:30 PM that evening that it got up to 190, after which I injected myself with insulin to try to combat the rising glucose concentration.

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I had three different exercise sessions that day, each lasting between 30 and 90 minutes and each combining aerobic endurance training with higher volume resistance training, after which I would administer an insulin injection.  I did the injections post-exercise to try to take advantage of the immediate increase in glucose transport post-exercise in hopes that doing so would keep my blood glucose levels lower.  Additionally, I limited my food intake to meat, vegetables, and a protein shake.

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Overall, this emergency strategy worked very well for managing my blood glucose levels.  The highest my levels got after bringing them down from the initial reading of 256 was after I woke up the next morning.  At that time I tested in at 211.

Additionally, I cut my average daily insulin intake in half.

While this strategy is by no means something I would want to try right now for a longer duration--I felt completely exhausted by the end of the first day--I believe it did prove effective as a form of short term emergency maintenance.

To me, this only further exemplifies the importance that a proper diet and regular exercise can plan in managing diabetes.

Your body.  Your training.

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