Treatment for Pre-Diabetics

"Self-reverence, self-knowledge, self-control. These three alone lead to sovereign power."
– Alfred Tennyson

Last Saturday,  I ran a marathon in Fremont, California. That was my first marathon in a number of years. However, the first marathon that I ran was in Maui in year 2000. On Sunday, Tony ran a 50 K in Washington state. His last 50 K was in 1997. I told him that my marathon running time was faster in 2000. He told me  that his 50 K running time was  faster in 1997. We both joked and laughed  about our running. It just goes to show that it’s possible to reach a peak  , plateau, and then decline. Trust me, as at some point,  running does not get easier. I know  this from personal  experience. But, so what.  

From Tony: Frank left a little out here. Frank and I have a habit of stopping for ice cream after a race in fact we now know all the places. After his Marathon he did stop at Ghirardelli for Ice Cream. I also did not miss out. 

Post Race Ice Cream in Oak Harbor with Jennifer and Georgia

Our next scheduled trail race is for 10 miles to be held on January 1, 2014. Tony registered for a 50 K in Washington state In early February , and I plan to register for the Jed Smith a 50 K in early February. Also, in March, we both plan to run  the Way Too Cool 50 K.

Next Sunday, a group of us will do a birthday trail run in  Cool which will be followed by a brunch afterwards. This birthday run has been an annual event, starting in the late 1990s.

According to this  article,  in  Time , December 24, 2012, there is  about 25.8 million diabetics, and an estimated 7 million remain undiagnosed. There are 79 million people in the US who have pre-diabetes, a precursor condition which  puts them at the highest risk of developing the disease. About a decade ago, pre-diabetics who changed their diet and exercise regularly lowered their risk of disease by 58%. However, these people in the study , had intensive one-on-one sessions, in a lab setting.

In a more recent  study, pre diabetics took part in group sessions to learn about healthy diet and exercise habits. They also educated themselves by watching various strategies using a DVD, as well as emailing and online counseling. This group was compared to another  group that used basically, medication to control blood sugar and doctor weigh ins. Pre- diabetics taking part in group sessions lost considerably more weight than the medication group. Of course, a low-fat, low-calorie diet was also  part of the protocol.

Even if you’re not a pre- diabetic, exercise, and/  or  running can be good for you. One way to get started, If you have not already, is to check out a local workout facility , or a local running store. There are plenty of knowledgeable people that can assist. You don’t have to necessarily run the distances that  Tony and I do for your benefits. Yes, I realize that we are extreme and age has nothing to do with it.

In any  event, keep moving, laughing, smiling, deep breathing, bonding, and loving as it’s good for you.