Bouncing back
Being on a serious vacation for the past 10 days means until yesterday, I had not exercised in…well…10 days. That’s actually not my normal vacation M.O. - I’m the type to squeeze in a few runs or 20 minutes on the hotel elliptical while on vacay, just to not totally turn to mush over the course of my trip. But this trip was different - because of the hectic month leading up to it, I was so ready to just let myself chill that I didn’t make working out a priority at all. Plus, any motivation I had to get even a few minutes in was quickly smothered by the smack-you-in-the-face humid heat of south Florida. So I did a whole lotta relaxin’ and save for one short run at the beginning of our trip, I didn’t do any physical activity beside a few long walks around town, which I am sure were quickly negated by my constant influx of what can only be described as “anti-workout” food (e.g. heavy, carby, and lovely).
So it was only yesterday that I dragged my slightly heavier butt to the gym and took a boxing class with one of my fave instructors. I had prepared myself to have my ass kicked - I thought for sure I’d be slow and sluggish, and completely worn out by the end of class. To my surprise, I felt a pep in my step I hadn’t had before leaving town. It was as if my body was excited to be back moving and working out, as if I’d deprived it of it’s favorite treat for over week. Although I’m a little sore today, it was hardly the womping I’d expected to take.
I’m stoked on this because it means I’m finally at a point in my conditioning where my body is more used to exercise on a consistant basis than not, and I’m feeling fit enough to bounce back from 10 days off without too much trouble. These are good things, and given that exercise has been a consistent part of my life for over 10 years (which was when I started taking care of my diabetes), I’m glad I’ve built my stamina up to this point. It also shows me that exercise has become a habit and lifestyle for me - so much so that my body doesn’t feel quite right without it.
I’ve blogged many times before about the hassles of exercise and diabetes. Exercise, at a surface level can be another monkey wrench that messes with your BGs. You have to adjust insulin and food, and deal with subsequent highs and lows from physical activity. But the clarity of mind, the stress relief, and the overall healthy benefits of exercise drastically weigh out the ‘betes juggling for me, so I know this is a habit I’ll keep. Although I don’t always expect to be able to get to the gym as often as I do now, I’d like to think I’ll always keep an active lifestyle. And as diabetes management tools continue to improve, I hope that managing the curveballs of diabetes and exercise will continue to get easier. The fact that I can keep my CGM near my heavy bag during a boxing class and feel safe knowing where my BG is all the time is nothing short of a miracle to me. I know it’s kind of a crazy thing to say, but with all the technology we have, it’s a pretty good time to have diabetes. 
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Comments
I’ve been wearing the Dexcom Seven for 8 months now and when I slept overnight without it for the first time, I realized just how dependent I’d become! You miss not having a ballpark figure of where your bg is. The CGM provides a level of security that you defintely miss when you aren’t wearing it, especially during exercise and overnight when you are sleeping! Totally agree with you that the current technology available to us rocks.
Glad you are loving the CGM Nikki! And just checked your blog - it’s rad! Love the title - we all need a little sunshine in our lives
After watching the effect regular, intense exercise has my BG, waistline and energy (in my case 3 - 5 1 - 3 hour bike rides/week), I also had an ‘exercise vacay,’ in my case due to work getting in the way of my workout schedule (go figure
). So when resuming I noticed my energy and speed on a regular 4.8 hilly ride segment I use to gauge my fitness was UP, heart rate down, BG responding to exercise as expected. For both of us it probably has to do allowing the body time to recover, as exercising near peak level routinely doesn’t give muscles time to mend from the last workout. I remeber from years ago done body building to allow a muscle 3 -4 days before hitting it again. So all things in moderation, including moderation 😉 !!