Diabetes Forecast - July 2012

Welcome
What Moves You?

I CHOSE A desk job: magazine editing. Which means I really have to strive to get daily physical activity (crossing out typos doesn’t count). Sure, I can take the stairs and grab a 10-minute walk break—short bouts add up. But to get 30 minutes of sustained physical activity, I need to make an effort. Confession: I find that difficult.

So I’ve resolved to change my attitude and get back to specific “get moving” goals, inspired by the athletes with diabetes featured in this issue—from cover star Elizabeth Profit to exercise physiologist Nathan LeBrasseur to Ironman Cliff Scherb. They’ve got me thinking about exercise not as a chore but as a way to respect my body. Although my pancreas went on strike, I can ease the burden on my other organs by keeping active.

I’ve experienced the benefits of regular exercise: controlled blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol; improved mental outlook; and increased comfort in the jeans department. I also know that exercising daily may bring adjustments in therapy—the need to reduce amounts or types of medication, stock up on glucose tablets, and check blood sugar more often—changes that can make me cranky (I know—I’ll get over it).

For people in the diabetes community dealing with nerve damage, wheelchair use, or rapidly progressing eye complications, exercise modifications or supervision may be necessary. In unsafe neighborhoods, finding a place to exercise can be a challenge. Those are real issues.

Whatever your circumstances, I do hope you’ll share your moments of athletic triumph—and tell us what moves you. I’d like to print your inspiring stories in this magazine.

My best feeling ever? Racing my teenage son to the finish line after doing a couch-to-5K running program. Now it’s time to get off the couch and do it all over again. Because I know I can, we can— each in our way and at our own speed, moving forward together.

Special Delivery

Feeling stressed? Call 1-800-342-2383 for a free copy of the booklet Coping With Diabetes: A Handbook for Women With Diabetes and Their Families. Gentlemen, we’ll send you one free, too, or call and tell us which of our many other guides you’d prefer to receive.

Busting Barriers

Are you involved in community efforts that address type 2 diabetes care in high-risk populations? Sign up for the ADA Disparities Partnership Forum, “Overcoming Diabetes: Diabetes Care in High Risk Populations,” October 22–23. Care providers and the public are invited. Learn more at diabetes.org/ disparities-forum.