A Weight is Lifted

If someone would have told me that at the age of 71, I would be doing 45 walking lunges at the end of a weight lifting workout to reach the exit or be rhythmically swinging battle ropes while sweating profusely in a deep squat, I would have just laughed.  Instead, it turned out the laugh was on me.       

I’ve devoted the past 40 years to perusing books and articles pertaining to health and wellness.  I love reading about how diet, exercise, life style, and supplements can help you live a healthier, happier life.  I even incorporated a few of those health tips in my own life.  Unfortunately, since I get distracted by the next shiny thing I read, I tend to try but not necessarily apply them for any length of time.  But that doesn’t stop me from sharing some of these helpful ideas with others.   I am happy to do the heavy lifting of research, sift through it, and share just the highlights. Hopefully, those who might not like to read all about it, might be someone who will actually DO something about it. 

So, with the lofty idea of becoming a well-aged health guru, you can imagine my chagrin to find out after cavorting my merry way through my first summer off after retirement that I had fallen hard off my own wellness path.  I was appalled to see the results of my blood work in August, 2021. I had jumped from an A1C pre-diabetes reading of 6.2 (an A1C reading is an estimate of how well insulin managed the glucose over the prior six months.  An A1C reading is normal when it registers below 5.7) with a long-distance leap to land squarely in diabetes with an A1C of 6.7.  I had been pre-diabetic (A1C between 5.7 and 6.4) for two decades and my doctor felt since I had managed it for that long, I would continue to do so.  But last summer I was a little lazier than usual and stopped at Mr. Freeze a few too many times for turtle sundaes, and now I had to reap what I had so sweetly sown.

I was armed with a blood glucose monitor and a spring-loaded pen that pricks your finger, so I could check my blood levels every morning.  I dutifully logged my readings and began doing more Silver Sneaker Yoga and Aquajog classes along with my daily walks.  I tried to do protein at every meal, eat more vegetables and get more fiber.  However, my next A1C blood test in March, 2022 showed I only dropped to 6.4.  Unfortunately, after being diagnosed diabetic, you either is or you isn’t – there is no pre. Until I dropped that A1C number to a reading in the normal range, the diabetic label would stay firmly attached to my chart, along with all the possible health challenges diabetes raises.

I had assumed since I did various aerobic exercises on a weekly basis that I was already in decent shape.  But in my quest for a better strategy, I kept coming across articles that mentioned that the more muscle you have, the more sugar you burn.  In a last-ditch effort to “be normal,” I hired a personal trainer.  Erin at St. James Swim Club sees me twice a week for 30 minutes.  I had done weights on and off for years by myself but never with this intensity and consistency.  She challenges me in ways that I would never do myself and watches every move I make to ensure I’m achieving the absolute best possible results with perfect form.  This August, after six months of doing weight lifting for a total of only one hour a week, my A1C dropped to a normal reading of 5.6. If I can keep it there for one year, the diabetic label will be stricken from my medical history.

Just to be clear, eating a Mediterranean style diet (vegetables, fruit, whole grains, fish, olive oil, etc.) is integral to keeping sugar levels normal.  By doing so at least 80% of the time, it allows me to deviate here and there.  Also, when I eat that sweet treat, I now follow it with a brisk ten-minute walk.  Yes, that little bit of movement actually utilizes the sugar from what I just ate.   Sitting, on the other hand, allows it to hang around until it eventually gets pushed into a fat deposit.   One of the best benefits about getting old these days, is that with Medicare I can take advantage of St. James, The YMCA, Fitness for All, and L’Sporta, with a free gym membership through the Silver Sneakers Program. 

I pay for a personal trainer because I’m not disciplined, and I know Erin will squeeze the very best out of me – in a minimum amount of time – at every session.  If staying at home and not spending money is more your style, weight training can be done for free in your own living room by Googling workouts that use only your own body weight.

The bottom line for me is, by lifting some weight, I was able to drop the burden of living with diabetes.  I can also don my health guru mantle once again, confidently knowing that what I read and share has measurable value.  I no longer just talk the talk because I’ve earned some pretty darned strong legs to walk the walk.