How I Fought Type II Diabetes Without Drugs and Won
Step 1. I Changed How I Moved
In my reading about reversing diabetes, I read somewhere that exercise gives your body something to do with the glucose you are ingesting. I wish I could remember where. It seemed sensible that a walk after eating was going to help process what I ate. I decided that the easiest thing to do until I figured stuff out would be to get out and walk, preferably after eating. I wanted to DO something right away before I lost momentum. I also wanted to build a habit.
Walking is safe, cheap, and unfussy. It can be done solo or with others in all kinds of weather and you can make it as hard or as easy as you like. It is easy to track and measure and you probably have the “gear” you need already. The list goes on and on. I knew that changing how and what I ate was going to have a lot more complications, so I figured that getting a regular walking habit would rack up some relatively easy victories to build on.
I started where I was
My plan to get healthier was to move. Not a lot, just more. Weight loss was NOT a goal. I knew from my marathon year that “walking off weight” worked for some people, but not for me. I wanted to see what walking could do to better my quality of life, to improve how my body processed sugar.
My walking goal the first day was 4,000 steps. While ridiculously low, it was roughly 30 percent more than my average daily steps at that point.
I was still regaining my stabilization reflexes after the femur break and the thought of falling again HORRIFIED me, so I picked the flattest route I could and stuck to the alleys, adding a column to my spreadsheet for “stairs” because my Fitbit tracked them. My stairs goal was 3 flights of stairs a day.
I added a LITTLE every day
I increased my walking goal by 1 percent every day (spreadsheet), knowing that my target would be somewhere around 10,000 steps. Starting low let me build a habit and got me a boatload of opportunities for victories.
I also increased my stairs goal by a flight each week. Again, achievable goals and victories. Don’t underestimate the importance of a “win” in sticking with something.
As I mastered each goal, I added columns to the spreadsheet and started tracking other things that my Fitbit measured (active minutes and resting heart rate) and I added in other data, like blood pressure and blood glucose. This is mainly because I LOVE data. It’s not necessary, but I find it motivating.
I made little side bets with myself, like noting where I had to stop to breathe while walking uphill and going a little further each time. It’s super embarrassing but I used to stop on the first block up from my house (pretending to tie my shoe). Now I can get pretty darn far up the mountain before I need a breather. I get excited when I have to stop to pick up dog poop and get a secret rest.
I made it a habit
Walking was important physically and mentally. It increased my endurance and lung function, lowered my heart rate, and built muscle. There were days when I really didn't want to walk, but I did it anyway and always felt better for it.
The dog and I get out and walk for about an hour every day unless it’s pouring rain or snowing hard. We walked all winter, even when it was -20 degrees (see the picture). We aren’t perfect, and we aren’t walking super long distances (8,000 to 12,000 steps a day).
We’re also getting some hills in (15 to 20 flights of stairs on average). Hills are now a welcome chance to feel my glutes tighten, rather than a fearful threat to my heart. The hike up to my favorite bench is 40 flights of stairs.
I was grateful
Walking was good for my soul because the dog and I saw some spectacular things while stomping up hills or treading down alleys.
How can you not feel better when the Universe surprises you with a perfect sunset. I saw a lot of these, and some sunrises, too, although I am not a crack of dawn girl. Late sunrise is the best thing winter has to offer. As my fitness increased, I spent more time on trails and less in alleys, but I still like the alleys and even hit the sidewalks maybe once a week.
The accident that broke my leg made me realize how quickly mobility could be snatched away, and how much harder immobility made everything. I refuse to waste a minute of the miracle that is walking or to take it for granted.
I’m so much healthier and stronger now and have met lots of new people, which makes me happy. Since I write stuff down anyway, I keep track of who I meet on my walks. I ask for names when I say hi (people and dogs) and put them in my spreadsheet. People are delighted when they meet someone again who remembers their name. It’s the little things…
This is worth getting up for. I went out to catch a quick picture from the street and just kept walking. It was bliss.