Remembering my First Half Marathon

This morning a friend of mine commented on a picture I posted when I completed my first Half Marathon in October 26^th and asked me to do it again.  I was immediately flooded with fantastic memories of the anticipation, the training it took to get there but most importantly that feeling of accomplishment I had when I finished. 

I am not planning on doing another Half Marathon but I won’t say it will not happen.  I will however, always continue to fight obesity and Diabetes with all I have and I will never give up.

What this Half Marathon signifies to me is not related to how fast or slow I finished or who I was ahead of but rather to the fact that I accomplished something that I never in my wildest dreams thought I could do.  I set a goal, I trained hard and I killed it!

I know you may be sitting there thinking how you could never even do a 5K let alone a Half Marathon but the truth of the matter is that you can do so much more than that liar in your head tells you.  I encourage you to begin by setting small fitness goals, crushing them and moving on to the next one.  This is what keeps you going, what keeps you healthy and most importantly what gives you your life back.  Remember, fitness is not a temporary fix, it is a permanent change that affects every aspect of your life for the better; your mood, your stamina, your energy levels and your health in general. 

I have set a new goal to do a 15K in September, which means I have to train for it and that is what keeps me healthy.  Set a goal, kill it then set another goal and repeat, your life is worth it.

Let’s go!!

So You Don’t Have Diabetes Anymore?

Hello my friends, as you all should know by now I am a diabetic and was diagnosed about 4 years ago.  This diagnosis changed my life in so many ways and although I dislike the fact that I have it, I take a lot of pride in saying that I am not dependent on medicine or insulin to control it.  

Now lets get down to the title of this post, the famous question “So you don’t have Diabetes anymore?”.  The first time I heard the question a while back, I immediately responded with “there is no cure for Diabetes”.  However, after that immediate response I began to question myself as to the accuracy of my answer so I went to my friend Google and typed in “Is there a cure for Diabetes?”.  After reviewing a few websites I was confident that my response was accurate.  

Fast forward to last Friday when the question was asked again by a coworker who is a diabetic.  He proceeded to tell me that he was not told by his doctor that there was no cure and he nonchalantly explained that he just doesn’t take his medication and does not really eat healthy.  At that moment I pictured myself walking over to this man, shaking him and telling to snap out of it and yelling at him but of course I could not do that.  I felt so sad for him and thought of the consequences of his actions.  

I invited him to workout with The Dukes, the group I workout with but he politely declined.  You have no idea just how dumbfounded I was to hear this.  My doctor was very clear with me when he gave me my diagnosis, in fact his delivery was short of a slap in the face.  My doctor told me that if I wasn’t as fat as I was I could have delayed my diagnosis and now I have this disease for the rest of my life.  And yes he really did say that and although rude, I could not find it in me to be angry at him because he was right.  I was unable to counter on that statement because it was the plain and very ugly truth.

This question got me to thinking just how many people actually believe that there is a cure for Diabetes and don’t truly understand the severity of the disease.  Therefore, I am writing this post to shed some light on the subject in case you are also mistaken.

Let me briefly go over Type 1 Diabetes first which was formerly called Juvenile Diabetes and it occurs when your immune system destroys the cells in your pancreas that make insulin.  Insulin is a hormone that helps move sugar into your body so that it can be used for energy.  Without this your body is not able to function the way it is designed so people with this type of diabetes are insulin dependent. This type mostly starts before the age of 20 but it can also start at any age.

Type 2 Diabetes, the type I unfortunately have is the body’s inability produce enough insulin or is unable to use it as it should.  The glucose then builds up in the blood and it in turn causes other complications in your body.  There are many risks associated with the effects of Diabetes such as stroke, kidney disease, high blood pressure and many more.  

With a healthy lifestyle, you are able to prolong the effects that this terrible disease has on your body without the need for medication.  However, please always consult your doctor before you stop using any medications because every situation is different.  

So to answer that question, no Diabetes does not just go away even if you live a healthy lifestyle.  However, a healthy lifestyle enables you to live a somewhat normal life while suffering from Diabetes.  I encourage you to get moving and pay attention to what you eat if you are a diabetic and if you are not then start now so that you don’t have to suffer later.  

In my opinion, the best way to deal with diabetes is by putting your gloves on and fighting it by educating yourself in how it affects your body.

How do you fight Diabetes?

Pesto Tilapia

Hi guys, I want to apologize for my lack of posts lately, I have been really busy and trying to do too much without a schedule resulting in total chaos.  I am working on scheduling myself a bit better beginning next week so that I can resume posting at least twice a week.

So this recipe came out of desperation because I did not know what to make for dinner.  I normally like to cook colorful foods in order to attract the eyes to healthy goodness however, this dish looks pretty dull with all the green so I would suggest sauteed carrots instead for a pop of color.  However, having said that this fish is delicious, I could not get enough of it. 

The recipe is very simple and you are done in less than an hour.  

3 tablespoon of pesto
3 tsp of lemon juice
3 tsp light mayo or olive oil
3 tilapia filets
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions 

Pump that oven on to 350 degrees and spray a baking pan with non stick spray.  Whisk together the pesto, lemon juice and mayo or olive oil.  Season the fish with salt and pepper and coat the fish with marinade on both sides and bake for 20 minutes, turn and bake for additional 10 minutes and devour.  That is all! I know, I told you it was simple now go make it!

Sausage and Peppers

I have made this recipe several times before with pork sausage and my very picky husband does not like it. I decided to try it out one more time with my fingers crossed to see if he would like it and voila, it was a hit! 

Sausage and Peppers

6 Sweet Italian Turkey Sausages

2 tbsp Olive Oil 

½ of a Hillshire Farms smoked Turkey Sausage sliced

1 yellow onion, sliced

½ of a medium size red onion

4 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tbs Olive Oil

1 large red bell pepper, sliced 

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried basil

½ jar of Bertolli tomato and basil sauce 

2 cups of baby spinach 

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Heat 2 tbs of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the sausages and brown on all sides, remove and slice them.  

In the same pan heat the remaining 2 tbs. of olive oil.  Add the yellow onion, red onion, red bell pepper, dried oregano, dried basil and the smoked turkey sausages and  cook, stirring, until slightly softened.  Add the garlic, salt and pepper and cook, stirring for about one minute.   

Add the sausages back in along with the tomato sauce.  Reduce heat to medium and add the spinach; cover and cook until the vegetables are tender.  

Enjoy in a sandwich or as a main dish and please share if you make it.