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(Continued from the previous post.)
How did I do it?
Exercise and diet.
I make sure that I get my heart rate up between 120 and 160 beats for thirty minutes, five days a week. (I wear a pulse monitor.) I try to vary this aerobic exercise so that it doesn’t get boring.
There is no such thing as "not having the time to exercise." It is a priority in my life because I want to live as long possible with a good quality of life. Some mornings I get up at 4:30 and run for 30 minutes. Some days, I split firewood with the maul. Some days I hop on the old NordicTrak machine or the treadmill.
I also work out about fifteen minutes, four days a week, with the Bowflex machine I have in the basement.
(That machine is one of the best investments I’ve ever made. I like having the resistance training machine in my house. That way, I can do the exercises whenever I have some spare time. I don’t have to pack a bag, run to the gym, sign up for the machines, and then drive back home afterwards. That would take a hour or so out of my day. Instead, I simply go down to the basement and work out fir fifteen minutes.) And the machine cost me about as much as two yearly contracts with a health club. (I’ve been using the machine for about ten years now. I guess it has more than paid for itself.)
On top of that, I do one hundred stomach crunches and fifty push-ups five days a week.
I find thaisexercise regimen easy to follow. I also actually look forward to exercising, and I feel like a SLUG when I don’t follow it! One of the hardest things about being laid up for six weeks after my horseback riding accident was that I couldn’t do my exercises. (Some people say that exercising gives them a natural high due to the release of endorphins in the body. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced that. What I do experience is real sense of accomplishment.)
Did this exercise program have an effect on my blood numbers? (See the previous post.) I don’t think so, I have been doing a similar exercise regimen for years. In my opinion, the thing that made the biggest difference in my blood levels these last three months has been my eating habits – limiting carbs and eating more veggies. (Thank GOD my Mary is an excellent cook who makes cauliflower, asparagus and broccoli taste ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!)
The dietician I saw suggested that I limit my carbohydrate intake to 18 carb units a day. (A carb unit equals fifteen gms. of carbohydrates.) Carbohydrates metabolize into sugar in the body.
Believe it or not, the lion’s share of most people’s carbohydrate intake does not come from sweets, like candy or cake or ice cream. It comes from pasta, bread and rice. Seriously! I still eat those items, but I eat them sparingly. (Also, the breads and pastas that I eat are WHOLE GRAIN foods.. When I eat rice, it is long grain, brown or wild rice.) And I avoid processed foods. (including the so-called HEALTHY processed entrees like Lean Cuisine and Heathy Choice crap, which are low in calories but often high in carbohydrates and sodium.)
Do you want to find out more about carbs in foods to help you make better choices and plan meals? Ask your doctor, and he or she will give you a handy little booklet that lists most foods with their fat, protein and carb contents. It will also give you guidelines for what your intake levels should be. The booklet I have even gives you sample meals for breakfasts, lunches, snacks and suppers.
It’s easy, and I never feel like I suffering or starving!
I have made little sacrifices with my eating. I’ve cut out the nine butterscotch’s I used to have every night before going to sleep. Also, when I order a bacon cheddar cheeseburger and Octoberfest ale at The Main Street, I get mashed potatoes instead of fries.
My Monday through Friday diet looks like this:
Breakfast – 1 cup of Honey Nut Cheerios and a half-cup of 1% milk.
Mid-morning snack – Kashi granola bar (Peanut Butter and Honey Oat flavors are the best.)
Lunch – HUGE salad prepared by my honey with about 2 tablespoons of Italian or Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing.
Mid-afternoon snack – 6 oz. of fat free yogurt
Supper – whatever Mary Ellen throws in front of me – lots of protein and veggies with a limited amount of carbohydrates (Maybe a cup of potatoes, pasta or rice.)
If it’s bread, it’s whole grain. If it’s rice, it’s long grain or wild rice.
Then, before bed, ice cream or other carbs in order to get my 270 gms. (18 carb units.)
Do I drink beer? Yup.
Do I eat sweets? Uh-huh!
Pizza? Of course!
Bread? You betcha!
I just eat and drink in moderation now, and I watch my carbs.
Dieticians may have a problem with some of the things that I’ve just laid out here. However, my blood sugar is dropping, my cholesterol and blood fats are fine, my heart is strong, and right now I stand 6 feet tall and weigh 182 lbs. (Which is down from 218 lbs. six months ago.)
Life is good.
What an accomplishment. My parents just did a "lifestyle change" and are now underweight and off all their meds. It's amazing what you can do with just a few small changes. I'm glad to hear you're getting healthier. 
Hi Hayduke! You are doing real good! I exercise by running around and we go on walks every morning.