"A new you in 42"

[Bebo321]

Gardening, weeding, planting, pruning, so upside down I have indigestion ! 3 hours later, cleaning shower and spa, and no asthma from cleaner!
Then, blew it all and ate wrong things, anxiety per usual, but I'll try again tomorrow and rereading the positives on this blog, and behave myself with food, suppose I could be excused for eating junk on my birthday, but, well, me bad, but determined to keep going!

Happy Birthday!!!! (That's a photo of the weather on your special day!)

 

[Bebo321]

I think with running (which doesn't have to be sprinting!) you are more on the balls of the feet and with less contact with the ground; jogging tends to be more of a flat-footed action and at each step you have your whole weight jarring down through your knee. Is there a sports physio around who can explain it better - or contradict me completely, this is just my impression.

I think you're right actually - certainly in respect to potential knee injuries (not sure on what's defined as jogging vs running).
In order to exercise (jog or run) safely, the idea is that you should actually run on the balls of your feet, and lean your body weight forwards slightly (basically, how you might run if you were barefoot). This allows you to use the natural flex in the muscles/tendons up through the back of your legs and 'bounce' on your feet.
Most of the problems with joints and the whole 'over' or 'under' pronator foot issues just stems from running badly - having trainers with big squashy heels that encourage you to strike the ground heel first - jarring the knees and giving the foot an unbalanced landing.
Running is great exercise if it appeals, but there are other things you can do which have less impact - such as Andy12345 with his cycling, or Pipp with swimming. It really doesn't matter what it is - 'it's all good' as they say!

 

[Bebo321]

Massive massive panic attack and threw up and it was blood streaked so took myself off to a and e. They were lovely and went out of way to make me feel calmer and to try and help sort out my underlying anxiety which is more than the psychiatric service have been doing, though to give them their due they did write to me yesterday to say they know they haven't written to me but they will be eventually and to see my GP in meantime who will say but that isn't my job that's the job of the team I've referred you to.. Feeling fragile still but the fact by BP was heaps better than in the surgery despite being in a hospital setting means I may be able to avoid BP meds.( I get white coat syndrome )
Today I've done 25 mins on bike and ten minutes Pilates and stretching stuff.

Holy smoke cold ethyl - just, holy smoke. I can't even imagine how awful it must feel to be in such a state of panic.

 

[cold ethyl]

I'd like to say you get used to it ( and I suppose I have in many ways ) but sometimes it just shakes you so much. I've suffered on and off for years but life stresses of last three years and menopause have floored me since Xmas. I try and explain it to my hubby as being in control of a car that you want to stop but you've got one foot stuck on the accelerator and the other frantically braking like mad to no avail. With hindsight I can go, on yeah, it was just panic but at the time I just feel out of control and about to meet my maker.

 

[Pipp]

I am beginning to wonder if, for many of the women on hére, myself included, that is one of the reasons we've ended up as overweight T2s? Far easier to comfort oneself with food than to face up to issues of low self -esteem, emotional and physical hurt etc.
Anyway onwards and downwards xx

I find this really interesting. Do males and females use food differently in this way? There is certainly, it appears to me, a difference in the way we use the forum.
For me, I don't think the food was comfort. I just stopped looking after myself after my life changed following the disabling accident. It happened at the same time as my career was taking off after time child rearing. That all changed, and at the same time I had the added concern of chronically sick parents to care for. I sort of went into an automatic mode, spent many years crisis managing, and not taking any time for me or the long suffering husband. I also followed, slavishly, the advice to eat carbs with every meal. More annoyingly, I fed the family this way too. Thankfully, I was the only one who gained weight and became diabetic. They probably needed the carbs due to remaining as active as we had all always been.

 

[Bebo321]

Thank you, Bebo321

I am not that chuffed really, as it is such a struggle at the moment to actually make up the 30 minutes. I would love to be able to keep moving for the full 30 mins, but for now that is not going to happen. So I will have to be satisfied with what I am able to do.
I am not sure I am feeling fitter, unless I compare how I was at the start of the challenge to how I am now. At the start I had had over a year being very dependent on others, due to having two surgical operations, in the space of a year, on my abdomen that had been rather traumatic. So my exercise had been almost zero for too long. Immediately prior to that, I had been exercising in water for at least an hour at a time, five times a week. I have perhaps tried too hard to get back to that level too quickly, and set myself back. A lesson painfully (physically and mentally) learned, that we need to listen to our bodies and take note, and act accordingly. I had a little demon in my head telling me to exercise for an hour a day, or be dead for 24 hours a day, which is far too extreme, even though I get the message to move more.

Prior to becoming disabled in an accident 20 odd years ago, I was very active, would drop the kids at school, then go and swim a mile or so before work. Would walk in Lakeland fells, swim in lakes rivers and sea, run, dance, gymnastics. Happy days! Now apart from the water based stuff, I won't be doing all the other activities. I have to admit that I feel envious when my husband and family go off to do these activities, even though I encourage them to go without me. Even something simple as a day out to the park is often not achievable for me. Despite,hopefully, conquering my T2, I have other degenerative conditions, including a rare, incurable blood disorder, that wicked Mother Nature has designed to be exacerbated by strenuous exercise. Not looking for a pity party here, though. I guess I just got old and infirm earlier than I should have. Would just like to say to those who are able, get out, walk, move, cycle, swim, whatever, enjoy the environment, because you will miss it if you suddenly find you can't.

Oh well, I have discovered Pilates, and I can do that without even getting out of bed.

As for being 'matter of fact', I think that could be a reaction to getting 'burned' in a couple of other threads recently. Thinking the best way for me to avoid that is to be more objective In things I say, rather than giving opinions that some people, who don't agree want to turn personal.

Conversely though, this thread gives me hope. Your kind words have made me open up more than I intended. Maybe only kind people exercise, eh? The '42' challenge has provided the impetus to start working towards an achievable level of activity, that I can sustain and vary, as much as my knackered body will allow. I think there is always some sort of innovative way to make moving about an integral part of daily routine. I am enjoying, so much, hearing about ways people on here are meeting the 42 challenge, and the daily exercise/activity will be embedded in my routine for ever now, thanks to you guys.

Cheers
Pipp

Hey Pipp,
You know, when I said you must be chuffed, I was actually thinking back to some of your posts much earlier on in the thread where it seemed as though the exercise was more of a challenge for you.
I appreciate you had a bit of a setback, and over-did it a bit (hey- we've all been there), but I just thought I would make the comment, because it is just so lovely to hear that you seem to be finding it a little easier, and by being more 'matter of fact' I meant that what you achieve now is almost a throwaway comment - like "and after a 30minute Fartlek I did twenty press-ups and a fifteen minute handstand"
I'm just quietly cheering here, because you seem to be making progress and I'm really happy for you.
I really must insist on giving you a cyber hug.

 

[Pipp]

I think you're right actually - certainly in respect to potential knee injuries (not sure on what's defined as jogging vs running).
In order to exercise (jog or run) safely, the idea is that you should actually run on the balls of your feet, and lean your body weight forwards slightly (basically, how you might run if you were barefoot). This allows you to use the natural flex in the muscles/tendons up through the back of your legs and 'bounce' on your feet.
Most of the problems with joints and the whole 'over' or 'under' pronator foot issues just stems from running badly - having trainers with big squashy heels that encourage you to strike the ground heel first - jarring the knees and giving the foot an unbalanced landing.
Running is great exercise if it appeals, but there are other things you can do which have less impact - such as Andy12345 with his cycling, or Pipp with swimming. It really doesn't matter what it is - 'it's all good' as they say!

I just had a long conversation with husband about this. He is a veteran runner of many marathons, triathlons and such with over 30 years racing experience. I asked him what is the difference between running and jogging. He replied that there isn't any, just that running gets you there quicker. So I asked, but does it make any difference on the impact on joints. He said it doesn't, as long as you have the correctly fitting shoes, warm up beforehand, and start a programme of gradual training. It's no use deciding to run a 3 mile race if you haven't ran for years, then go ahead with it without planning and training first.
He went on to give an explanation endorsing what Bebo321 said. He didn't put it as succinctly as you though Bebo321, as this is one of his favourite topics so, knowing I wouldn't need the info personally, I just nodded and smiled, hopefully in the right places, till he finished. He did keep emphasising the need for correctly fitting shoes, as he believes more damage to joints is through people wearing worn out trainers than anything else. In his younger days when he was running much more than he does now he was getting through expensive training shoes in an average of 3 to 4 weeks, even though he alternated the wearing of more than one pair.

 

[Pipp]

Hey Pipp,
You know, when I said you must be chuffed, I was actually thinking back to some of your posts much earlier on in the thread where it seemed as though the exercise was more of a challenge for you.
I appreciate you had a bit of a setback, and over-did it a bit (hey- we've all been there), but I just thought I would make the comment, because it is just so lovely to hear that you seem to be finding it a little easier, and by being more 'matter of fact' I meant that what you achieve now is almost a throwaway comment - like "and after a 30minute Fartlek I did twenty press-ups and a fifteen minute handstand"
I'm just quietly cheering here, because you seem to be making progress and I'm really happy for you.
I really must insist on giving you a cyber hug.

Haha, Bebo321
I have maybe become a bit chummy, but cyber hugs are a definite no no!
I really am grateful to you for your cheerleading. You make such positive comments, and we all need encouragement. So thank you. I don't know what it was about your earlier post that triggered me to open up like that, it is not something I would normally do.
You are absolutely right, at the beginning I was very, very wary of exercise. Although I have always felt that the swimming pool was my place, having been housebound for so long, I was reluctant to step out again. It is taking a long time to recover. The last surgery was at the beginning of January, and the complications were too unpleasant to report here, so I guess there has been a psychological recovery needed too. I am inclined to get a bit overenthusiastic, so rushed to get back to where I was fitness wise and it has come as a shock to find it ain't happening. It has seemed a bit of a cop out when I claim things like walking round the supermarket as my exercise, as this is the sort of stuff folks do all the time, and not regard it as exercise. Yet it is a big deal and a lot of effort for me.
Yikes, this is all sounding a bit too self absorbed. I don't usually like to share personal stuff. So look at what you guys have done to me.

I hope you are getting the support and encouragement you need too. I think what you do is brilliant.
Thanks
Pipp

 

[Pipp]

I'd like to say you get used to it ( and I suppose I have in many ways ) but sometimes it just shakes you so much. I've suffered on and off for years but life stresses of last three years and menopause have floored me since Xmas. I try and explain it to my hubby as being in control of a car that you want to stop but you've got one foot stuck on the accelerator and the other frantically braking like mad to no avail. With hindsight I can go, on yeah, it was just panic but at the time I just feel out of control and about to meet my maker.

I appreciate your honesty in that description. I have known people having panic attacks, but never really understood just how it makes them feel. Someone dear to me has extreme anxiety. I will think of your description next time I am with her and she panics. Is there anything other people can do to help you when you feel that way, or do people sometimes make it worse with inappropriate help or responses?

 

[zand]

I just had a long conversation with husband about this. He did keep emphasising the need for correctly fitting shoes, as he believes more damage to joints is through people wearing worn out trainers than anything else. .

Although I'm not a runner/jogger I agree with this. When I was walking briskly in old, worn trainers my knee and hip began to hurt. New trainers solved this problem, so I can quite see how this would translate into greater problems if you did even more exercise in them.

 

[Jamrox]

My activity time today was late. Just completed 22 minutes trundling around the garden with a mini watering can giving the neglected plants a drink. Was very pleasant now it is cooler, so to reward myself I got a can of gin and diet tonic from the fridge. Couldn't drink it until I had completed the allotted time, so used the garden furniture as support did some bench presses, hula hoop moves, leg lifts, lunges. Took 12 mins to complete. I sat enjoying the reward listening to the birds and enjoying the scents of the grateful lavender plants. Oh yes, I was in my pyjamas too. Thought about you lot and the nightie dancing, but didn't bother having a go as I was too busy with feet up enjoying my drink.

You mean you didn't chair dance in your pjs ...lol

Sent from the Diabetes Forum App

 

[Jamrox]

I'd like to say you get used to it ( and I suppose I have in many ways ) but sometimes it just shakes you so much. I've suffered on and off for years but life stresses of last three years and menopause have floored me since Xmas. I try and explain it to my hubby as being in control of a car that you want to stop but you've got one foot stuck on the accelerator and the other frantically braking like mad to no avail. With hindsight I can go, on yeah, it was just panic but at the time I just feel out of control and about to meet my maker.

Hope you feel better today x

Sent from the Diabetes Forum App

 

[Jamrox]

I find this really interesting. Do males and females use food differently in this way? There is certainly, it appears to me, a difference in the way we use the forum.
For me, I don't think the food was comfort. I just stopped looking after myself after my life changed following the disabling accident. It happened at the same time as my career was taking off after time child rearing. That all changed, and at the same time I had the added concern of chronically sick parents to care for. I sort of went into an automatic mode, spent many years crisis managing, and not taking any time for me or the long suffering husband. I also followed, slavishly, the advice to eat carbs with every meal. More annoyingly, I fed the family this way too. Thankfully, I was the only one who gained weight and became diabetic. They probably needed the carbs due to remaining as active as we had all always been.

I know that if my husband has a lot of stress or joy etc he doesn't eat where as my daughters and I reward ourselves in good and bad times with nice food especially carbs....or rather we did until I saw the light via this forum.

Sent from the Diabetes Forum App

 

[Jamrox]

Re post 1605 Pipp and Bebo ..
Bebo I agree totally with what you say and I've told loads of people about the "ups and downs" during the adverts etc...fantastic mrs pipp.
Dr Loosemore ...he has a fantastic name for a Dr secialising in sports medicine , would tell you that you are doing the right thing.

As for being burnt on other forums , I know that can be upsetting but remember unlike real face to face conversation , you can just stop reading the unhelpful comments ...
Some people are horrible both in the real and cyber world , you come across as a real kind person pipp.

Sent from the Diabetes Forum App

 

[Pollylocks]

...I didn't see the thread Pipp...there's always nastiness on forums, I've always thought the people who indulge in it deliberately, go unheard in the real world so they vent their feelings in forums where they know it will be seen simply because its there in black and white.....they don't care who they do it to....best to ignore, easier said than done I know, but they're not worth our time....

 

[Pipp]

Just to make it clear, the nasty stuff did not come from anyone known on this thread. I am concerned that some people on this one think I was referring to them when I mentioned it. I wasn't, even though they were in a discussion on one of the threads. The nasty stuff had been before that from someone I had not seen before or since. That might have made me a bit more sensitive, especially as at the time there was other stressful stuff going on in my life.
I will be a bit more discerning with the folks I communicate with, and with how I express my views in future, but I most certainly do not have any problems with anyone on this thread.

 

[cold ethyl]

I appreciate your honesty in that description. I have known people having panic attacks, but never really understood just how it makes them feel. Someone dear to me has extreme anxiety. I will think of your description next time I am with her and she panics. Is there anything other people can do to help you when you feel that way, or do people sometimes make it worse with inappropriate help or responses?

Thanks for this. Just taking your lead from the person is the best thing. Sometimes people just need to be with others when it's happening , other times they might want to be left on own. A cold drink of water sometimes help, and reminding them to breathe normally and that it will pass. It's getting the balance between being supportive and it coming across as " you know it's only panic so why are you so anxious again" that's tricky. When you are in the throws of it, the what ifs are so string and the physical symptoms so intense that the tiny voice of reason is just drowned out.

 

[Pipp]

Thanks for this. Just taking your lead from the person is the best thing. Sometimes people just need to be with others when it's happening , other times they might want to be left on own. A cold drink of water sometimes help, and reminding them to breathe normally and that it will pass. It's getting the balance between being supportive and it coming across as " you know it's only panic so why are you so anxious again" that's tricky. When you are in the throws of it, the what ifs are so string and the physical symptoms so intense that the tiny voice of reason is just drowned out.

Thanks cold ethyl.
Its amazing the way stress affects people differently. I have seen people get really annoyed and impatient with the person I was talking about who panics. I try to just stay close by her, but not sure that reassuring helps. I tried asking her about it when she was calm, but she didn't really appreciate it. Was embarrassed. So thought I had made it worse. I didn't understand, because when I am in a stressful situation I become very focussed but feel drained afterwards.

 

[Bebo321]

Haha, Bebo321
I have maybe become a bit chummy, but cyber hugs are a definite no no!
I really am grateful to you for your cheerleading. You make such positive comments, and we all need encouragement. So thank you. I don't know what it was about your earlier post that triggered me to open up like that, it is not something I would normally do.
You are absolutely right, at the beginning I was very, very wary of exercise. Although I have always felt that the swimming pool was my place, having been housebound for so long, I was reluctant to step out again. It is taking a long time to recover. The last surgery was at the beginning of January, and the complications were too unpleasant to report here, so I guess there has been a psychological recovery needed too. I am inclined to get a bit overenthusiastic, so rushed to get back to where I was fitness wise and it has come as a shock to find it ain't happening. It has seemed a bit of a cop out when I claim things like walking round the supermarket as my exercise, as this is the sort of stuff folks do all the time, and not regard it as exercise. Yet it is a big deal and a lot of effort for me.
Yikes, this is all sounding a bit too self absorbed. I don't usually like to share personal stuff. So look at what you guys have done to me.

I hope you are getting the support and encouragement you need too. I think what you do is brilliant.
Thanks
Pipp

Lol!
I shall talk you round regarding cyber hugs - you could perhaps do with a bit of teasing to help keep you sane.
What you have been through over the years must have knocked the stuffing out of you so many times - the fact that you have the strength of character to not only keep a positive outlook yourself, but have the generosity of spirit to share with and support others is a testament to your inner belief and courage.

I personally think that heading off to the supermarket for exercise is a fantastic idea - I told my hubby about that, and we both thought it was brilliant! You're a perfect ambassador for TeamBG - you are restricted in what you do, but you don't let that get in your way and you are determined to keep making progress.

I feel so very fortunate to basically be healthy - a bit mad in the head possibly, but overall I don't have anything to complain about. For me, I think painting keeps me sane - a creative outlet where I can express myself, and force myself to try new things/ new techniques and challenge my need to feel 'in control'. It's kind of an opportunity to face your fears in a safe environment!
(Sorry Jamrox, I went off on a completely non-sporty tangent then!)

Keep sharing Pipp. x

 

[Bebo321]

Thanks for this. Just taking your lead from the person is the best thing. Sometimes people just need to be with others when it's happening , other times they might want to be left on own. A cold drink of water sometimes help, and reminding them to breathe normally and that it will pass. It's getting the balance between being supportive and it coming across as " you know it's only panic so why are you so anxious again" that's tricky. When you are in the throws of it, the what ifs are so string and the physical symptoms so intense that the tiny voice of reason is just drowned out.

What do you focus on to calm yourself cold ethyl?
How do you bring your anxiety level down?