Is that your BG calling?

I’ve got an honest question that deserves an honest answer. Have you used your BG logbook today? That’s ok, a bad day happens to all of us. How about this week? No? This year?

I’m not judging. If you asked me the same question my answer wouldn’t be any different then yours. We all struggle with this.

Diabetes management came a long way when we were able to toss out the 3 ring notebook in favor of a computer program, but it’s still no where near where it needs to be. What do you want to download today? Pumps, meters, and PDA’s, Oh my! And each one with different cables and attachments for all (oh goodie). Animas had a great idea trying to get meters from different companies to work with their software but that involved A LOT of work on their end.

The problem is that diabetes can not be looked at weekly, or when you happen to be able to get your 5 year old computer to stop freezing up on you long enough to load your meter. It had to be analyzed minute to minute, because that’s how often were living with this disease. Software needs to go the same route as the insulin pumps, working 24/7. But until then perhaps there’s a close second.

Now the only other thing that gets carried with me as often as my pump and meter is my phone. And here lies a possible solution. A new product was just launched through Mobile Diabetic called the logbook FX; it’s a diabetes health diary that combines all the cool ‘techy’ things you can do through phones (like multimedia pictures and melodies) along with the very important part of graphing and reporting blood glucose numbers.

Now I will admit. I have yet to download it to my phone so I don’t want to give it a premature thumbs up, but it sounds pretty cool. And to be honest, other then my colored screen pump, there aren’t a lot of ‘cool’ things about diabetes. Go ahead and view their site here.

If you’ve tried and have a comment, please feel free to leave it.

RPE

Silly Brian, worried because he doesn’t have the cash to fix his heart rate monitor. Oh Boo-Hoo! Need a tissue!?

The Guru doesn’t fool with any of that technical gadgetry. No, not because I don’t know how to work it. Oh believe me, I know how to work it. I work it all the time. For example, the garage door would not open this weekend. But did I cry, No! Did I whine, No! I used my expansive knowledge on the subject, (and after that I asked my wife who told me to change the batteries. No wait a minute - you didn't hear that last part) and whal-lah! It opened (and closed). So stop teasing me and let me get on with what I was saying. What was I saying?

Oh yes, I don’t use a heart rate monitor because I don’t need to – I’m that good. (And I am, no really I am). I use something called the RPE, or the Rating of Preconceived Expedition. It’s a rating scale of how long I think I might work out later while driving in my Ford Expedition.

Huh? That’s not right? Ugh….. Well of course it’s not right! I was testing you! RPE actually stands for…..(frantically turning pages in a book)ugh….Hey is that a flying saucer in the window? Go look, go, go. I’ll wait for you (still franticly turning pages).

Oh well, must have been a kite, so let’s see what did you want to know? Oh yes. The RPE stands for the RATING OF PERCIEVED EXERTION. This is a way of gauging the intensity of your workout by a set of numbers, 1 to 10 for example. 1 would be easy, 10 would be the absolute hardest you can do.

The idea is to mix up your workouts so you’re not doing the same plane jane thing every day. One day you might exercise at a high level, like 8. The next day you might work out twice as long but only do a 4. This way you’re workouts stay fresh (and so do you).

The RPE is very similar to a heart rate monitor except it’s just more ‘geeky’. So be a geek like Brian if you want to. Or, you could be like the Guru and use the RPE.

Heart Rate Monitor Misfortune

Yesterday was kind of a bummer…

I got my polar heart rate monitor back yesterday. It’s one of those super techie gadgets; a combined heart rate monitor and a foot pod. It could tell your heart rate, as well as measure the distance you've run. it was a great tool that I used in my training. For me,the biggest benefit was to see the effects my BG had on my heart rate. There were times when i was running way slower then I usually do because of a high or low BG, but my heart rate would be at the same mark as if i were running the faster time. To be able to use heart rate as the training goal as opposed to a time was ausome. It was a combined birthday – Christmas gift from the better half. I really did love it. (With an emphasis on the ‘really did’ part.)

Anyway it wasn’t working so I sent it back to get looked at for repair. They sent it back along with a list the size of my groceries (and that’s a big list) of things that were wrong with it. Bottom Line? It was going to cost about $220 big ones to get it fixed. Yea that’s right, about the same price it would cost to buy a new one.

They did say I could ‘upgrade’ and pay about $250 for a new improved model. (Yea, sure i can.) When you don’t have $220 to fix the one you have, you sure as heck don’t have $250 to upgrade it (even if it does measure your speed on the bike).

So how am I going to train? Well, it won’t be as scientific as I’d like it to be, but I can still put the miles in. I might have a little trouble knowing when I’ve pushed too hard, but it could be worse. I could be signed up for the Ironman without a decent bike. (Wait a minute – I don’t have a decent bike…..)

P.S.

Note to self: DOMS does not feel better when you have a 233 mg/dl (Damn the cream of wheat and raisins!!!)

Sore?

I was able to ride for an hour and a half this morning, despite being a little sore in the-you-know-what (that would be the butt, if you-don’t-know-what).

I'll admit, I'm not much into weight lifiting. I can run for an hour, but i can hardly lift a bar with five pounds on each side (see the image). I know i need to, but it's not something that comes easy for me. So in the beginning of my traning season i start of with core exercises and medicine ball drills. These are exercises that use your body weight (like a push up) and for some a medicine ball - which is essentially a heavy basketball.

So, I did these core exercises / medicine ball drills for the first time in a long time yesterday, and the muscles are pretty sore today. Maybe I over did it? (don't answer for, that would be a big Y-E-S.)For me, the muscles that seem to get sore in the beginning of any weight training program are the quads and the hammies (muscles in the upper legs) and the glutes (muscles in the butt).

Whenever you get sore the day or two after you work out its called Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (or DOMS) – it’s actually a physiological response and is pretty common whenever you start a new activity. It goes away in a few days, and that means you’re body is beginning to adapt.

Butt it doesn’t feel too good now, tomorrow can’t get here soon enough. Later.

Ugh!

Man I feel awful.

For our anniversary, my wife and I went out to dinner to celebrate. (no that's not what i feel awful about). I should probably give some background information.....When it comes to carbohydrate counting, I am the King of my own castle. I've got the size of my bowls, cups, and plates to a science. You can put any amount of food in them and if i know that carbohydrate content of the food (from the label of course) then i can tell you the carbs. It's not something that came right away, but after measuring and measuring you just get the feel for it.

Now the important part here is that last part ...of my own castle. When we go out to dinner it's a whole different story; differnt plate sizes, more preservatives then i would use at home, more fat then i would want to guess - all of these will screw up my bolusing. It's almost a garuntee.

So back to dinner.... Ithought that I had the bolus down. I didn’t eat anything out of control, I was pretty good actually – large salad and black bean soup. When I was ready for bed my BG was dropping a little and was at 87 mg/dl – so I decided to cancel the rest of my combo bolus. But I woke up around 4:30 am feeling like I hadn’t had a drink of water in months (and had a 266 mg/dl). I corrected and was back down to normal by the time I got to work this morning but had to skip the morning bike because I didn't get enough sleep.

Damn.

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