Category Archives: Mind

Willpower, It’s Fueled by Glucose

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WillpowerWillpower, what is it?

It’s that thing that gives you the strength to persevere.

It helps you build a path to a better life.

But…when depleted, it’s the thing that leaves you overwhelmed, exhausted, and unable to carry on.

Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength by Roy F. Baumeister and John Tierney explores willpower, what it is, how it works, and how you can put it to work for you.

The authors take an unexpected turn in their discussion of how to corral your willpower. Among the advice about getting organized, setting priorities, and working on one thing at a time there’s a discussion of blood sugar levels. Turns out that glucose to the brain literally fuels willpower. Too little glucose and willpower disappears.

What a revelation for a person living with diabetes!

A whole section of the book shows the effect of low blood sugar on a person’s ability to make decisions and follow through. We’re not talking about the “I’m a little peckish,” kind of low blood sugar, but the you get it together enough to test and you end up staring at a number below 70 on your glucose meter—sometimes a number way below 70, like 45.

Actor Jim Turner, who lives with type 1 diabetes, shares various experiences he’s had when dealing with low blood sugar. In one instance he’s at the beach with his young son and he can’t decide whether to  take his son to the bathroom or get some food to bring his blood sugar back up. There he stood paralyzed.

As a person living with diabetes these scenes are a bit frightening. The mere idea  a hypoglycemic episode can take away my ability to make the simplest decision left me feeling helpless. My head filled with what ifs. What if that happened to me? What if I was driving and totally lost track of things? What if I put my children in danger because I couldn’t make a simple decision?

Then I read the section on how to put glucose to work for me and I felt better. Understanding that I need to feed my body and my mind in a measured, consistent way helped. When you’re sick, the authors say to save your glucose for your immune system—in other words, rest and recover. And most importantly, when you’re tired, sleep.

In short, willpower isn’t about pushing yourself to extremes. It’s about making conscious choices and following through on those choices. Blood sugar levels can help or they can get in the way. Understand that and you’re in a better position to persevere and make your life better.

 

More than a Century of Inspiration

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TuDiabetes hosted a video chat with Joslin Medalists Tom and Richard last week.

For me the best moment was when Tom shared a story about experiencing a hypo while on the golf course. He had forgotten to put some sugar candy in with his clubs and had to ask his friends to go get him some candy from the clubhouse so he could bring his blood sugar back up.

“That was careless,” he said.

“That was careless.” It struck me how gentle he was with himself. He didn’t say he say he was stupid or made a mistake. He didn’t make a big deal out of it. It was only a moment of carelessness. He understood what he needed to do differently next time. That is all.

What’s In Your Diabetic Time Capsule?

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The other day as I was responding to a writing prompt that asked what seven things would I put in a time capsule that would be opened in 100 years. As a person with diabetes is it surprising that this chronic disease influenced my list? A glucose meter was one of the seven things I put on my list.

 

Here’s what I wrote: 

Health is another big concern for people today. The population in the United States is getting older. Chronic diseases have become common. There is an epidemic of diabetes. The World Health Organization estimated that at the beginning of this century 33 million people in the Americas had diabetes. And they estimated that number would more than double by 2030. Diabetes is a disease that requires constant attention-taking medicine, carefully choosing what to eat, exercising regularly, and watching for complications. The device I’m including here is called a glucose monitor. It is used by someone with diabetes to keep track of his blood sugar levels. The person pricks a finger, puts a drop of blood on the test strip and the device reads the strip and gives him a number telling them if his blood sugar is high, low or normal. As someone who has diabetes, I can tell you it’s rare to have a normal reading.

What would you put in a time capsule to represent your experience with diabetes? 


Can a Dog Be Your Exercise Plan?

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Source: Flickr cc johnlemon 2.0

 

The Well health blog in yesterday’s New York Times boldly proclaimed Forget the Treadmill. Get a Dog.

Oh, if only it were that simple. Get a dog; take it out for walks daily; and your daily exercise needs were met. The data from several studies show mixed results. Not everyone went out for walks. Some just put the dog out in the yard to run around. Others complained about the weather. And some said they were too old or frail to walk the dog. Still others hired someone to walk their dog!

“If we’re committed to a dog, it enables us to commit to physical activity ourselves.” Said Dr. Rebecca A. Johnson.

There is something that is extra motivating in doing for others—whether they are human or canine.