Tag Archives: holidays

Making the most of your holiday season.

December 15, 2014 – 11:56 am

This is not advice… but if you’re interested in my opinion, here are the three things I feel I need to be able to navigate the holidays with diabetes as part of my life:

Holidays

Get plenty of rest. I’m not someone who needs a lot of sleep. Usually, about five or six hours and I’m good to go for the next day. Only the holidays, with their mix of special events, crazy hours (New Year’s Eve, weeknight parties), and lots of delicious food and drink that isn’t consumed at any other time of year, make getting enough rest a priority for me. If I’m properly rested, especially if I get seven or eight hours of sleep, I’m ready to go when The Great Spousal Unit calls me at work and says “Let’s drive around and look at Christmas lights tonight”. I don’t want to miss out on the holiday fun because I didn’t get enough shuteye the night before.

Get as much exercise as possible. With all of the things mentioned above, it’s no wonder our exercise routines get thrown out of whack for the month of December. I get that. I’m the same way. What I have noticed, however, especially in the past few years, is that the more exercise I can get in, the better I feel, no matter what I’m up to. Like diabetes, the holidays are a marathon, not a sprint. Speaking from experience, let me tell you… when you stress your body every day due to lack of sleep and eating and drinking too much, by the time you reach mid-December, you’re soooo ready for the holidays to be over. Any exercise you can squeeze in this month can help mitigate that feeling, partly because you’ll burn off some of those calories you’re consuming, and partly due to the endorphins that are released during exercise.

That said…

Enjoy the holidays as much as you can with the ones you love and care about. Even if you can’t get as much rest as you’d like or you aren’t able to exercise, let’s remember: We only have so many special people in our lives, and we only have so many holiday seasons in our lives. Don’t be afraid to be spontaneous and do things you don’t normally do. Remember to spend time with the people who want to be with you, and tell them how glad you are that they are a part of your life. Find the joy and happiness that this season is supposed to be about. It’s okay to be a walking Hallmark card. Finding your happiness is even supposed to be good for your diabetes. So… if you celebrate with loved ones this December, you’re kinda doing something that will pay dividends down the road.

Okay, maybe I’m reaching a bit on that last point. But as someone who’s missed out on a lot because I was too bummed out or jaded or whatever to participate, I can tell you that happiness is everything it’s cracked up to be. And you deserve to be happy.

I’ll be moderating Wednesday night’s DSMA Twitter chat beginning at 9:00 eastern time here in the USA. With the beginning of Hanukkah Tuesday night, and Christmas just a week away, and New Year’s a week after that, I suspect we’ll be talking a bit about the holidays and diabetes. Follow @DiabetesSocMed and the #DSMA hashtag to join the conversation.

And while I’m at it, Thank You for reading and being such an important part of my life this year. Happy Holidays!
 
 
 

By StephenS | Posted in Holidays | Also tagged , | Comments (2)

Your Friday Holiday Moment.

December 12, 2014 – 6:11 am

I’m posting early today because I’m on my way to New York for the day. I’ve had a difficult couple of weeks, and I’m just trying to keep my spirits up during the holiday season.

With that thought in mind, here are a couple of photos of our local Christmas tree. It’s in a small common area along the main street through the neighborhood. The community association collects donations to trim the tree prior to December, and light the tree during the holiday season.

With apologies to my non-gentile friends who couldn’t care less about this, here are a couple of photos of the tree. Enjoy your weekend!

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By StephenS | Posted in Holidays | Also tagged | Comments (4)

Holiday goodness.. and badness, all at the same time.

December 9, 2013 – 10:03 am

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Man, the holidays can be tough sometimes.

I’m talking about the difficulty of keeping your glucose in a good range despite all of the festive cheer that adorns plates and cups and crock pots full of cider and filing cabinets at the office with cookies, and lions, and tigers, and bears… oh my!

I don’t have any great advice for you on how to avoid the temptations and spikes to your glucose that giving in to those temptations means at this time of year.

Instead, I’ll tell you what works for me (most of the time—not always). Hopefully, there will be a nugget or two for you in here.

First of all, I try to perform BG checks a lot during this time. There are two reasons for this: 1) If I check, I know how to bolus, or adjust basal rates, of course. And 2) If I check, and I’m not in an optimal place, I know I have to wait. This doesn’t always work for everyone, I know, so it’s not advice. But for me, a high number often shames me into just saying no.

That said… Second, I try to never say never to anything. But in my case, I really try to think of less. If I think, “hey, I’d like to have some crab dip on some of that great bread in the basket there”, I’ll give myself about 15 minutes before I actually go for it. Often, that 15 minutes makes the difference, and I don’t go for the crab dip, or maybe I just forego the bread. I don’t do this all day, but if I do it here and there, and it works, I wind up eating or drinking less than I might have in the first place. Every little bit helps. Oh… if I do all this and I still have trouble with my glucose, I try to remind myself where I’d be if I hadn’t done all of this in the first place.

Third, I remind myself that there are certain truths regarding the holiday goodies. They are good. Because they are often things I don’t have the rest of the year, they’re harder to bolus for. Other than a snack in the evening, eating at any time other than mealtime is just not my thing (though, truthfully, you wouldn’t know that by looking at me). And I know that I won’t be tempted by this stuff a month from now. It is the holiday season after all, not the holiday year. It makes sense if our numbers are off from time to time in December. Which makes having a number that’s in a good place really fulfilling right now. I hope you get more than a few of those 80 mg/dL – 120 mg/dL readings this month.

Thanks for letting me write this out. It feels good getting this out of my head. Again, it’s not advice, it’s just what works for me. I’m just trying to enjoy the holidays without a ton of guilt, while keeping the BGs in a place I’m comfortable with. That’s like climbing an icy roof this time of year. But keeping track of where I am, making do with less, not none, and understanding the realities of holiday fare makes things a little easier for me to handle.

I wish you luck with your holiday indulgences. Have any great tips for me?
 
 
 

By StephenS | Posted in Diabetes | Also tagged , , | Comments (2)

Enjoy your weekend.

March 29, 2013 – 9:43 am

To all of my friends everywhere: I want to wish you a great weekend.

To my friends Bob and Linda, thanks so much for welcoming us into your home for your seder every year. At this point, it really does feel like tradition. And it’s wonderful.

To my catholic friends and family, I wish a pleasant end to the lenten season. I hope the new pope brings stability and a newfound sense of faith. In God, not in the church. Churches are still led by people. Oh, sorry… forget that. Just have a happy Easter.

I’m going to be busy, and you may not hear from me as much over the next week. But I like writing, so it will be hard for me to be quiet for long.

Regardless of what you’re up to on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, I hope that diabetes takes a back seat to your happiness. Do something fantastic. Make some special memories. Beginning… Now.

Enjoy.
 
 
 

By StephenS | Posted in Additional Inspiration | Also tagged | Comments (2)

Happy Holidays 2012.

December 24, 2012 – 10:08 am

I’ve never been sick around the holidays, but I guess there’s a first time for everything. I was flat on my back all of Saturday and Sunday. I’m working today from home, but still closer to 50 percent than 100 percent.

But why post about being sick? It’s almost Christmas! Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, I hope you’re enjoying the holiday season.

I must admit that I still buy into all of the “The World is better at Christmastime” stuff. For me, it’s definitely a time of reflection. I think about the year past, and I try to remember what the day is really all about for us Christians. And I try to give, more than I receive. That’s important for me in December.

So let me give out some thank-yous:

– To everyone who visits this page every now and then. I still get giddy when I see a few page views and a couple of comments, the same way I did when I started this blog. Thanks for your support.

– To the DOC, the Diabetes Online Community. I keep waiting to be disappointed in some way by someone’s mean comment or selfish behavior, but I haven’t seen it yet. Nothing but sincerity as far as the eye can see (okay, that’s from The Great Pumpkin– different holiday, but you know what I mean). I think this is also the season to unburden ourselves from our fears and our strange hang-ups, so I’m going to do that here and stop waiting for the other shoe to drop. I’m just going to enjoy it while it lasts.

– Thanks also to my fellow D-bloggers who show me how to do it every day. You’re smart, you’re fearless, you’re inspirational all at the same time. Thank you.

– Thanks to the Live-In Niece and the former Live-In Nephew. My nephew Brian has been remarkable, kind, and accommodating over the past (almost) 9 years that he’s been here. My niece Rachel has always been engaging and funny, and curiously curious about my diabetes, which warms my heart.

– Thanks most of all to The Great Spousal Unit. Maureen has been especially patient and kind, and I have been a less than ideal husband this year. Work always takes much of my time every year, and I always throw in training for a few athletic events that I drag her to. Plus, this year, I added the blog and duties as President of my community association to the list. All this has left me less available to her physically, and at times, emotionally too. Maureen, I tried to remember everything you asked me to get you this year, and I think I covered it all. I hope you like the bracelet. I love having you.

I hope this season brings a renewed sense of purpose this year, whatever your passions. I hope it brings a heightened awareness of the suffering and hurt of others, and the ability to do something about it. And I hope you have an opportunity to share the holidays with the ones closest to you. It’s okay to buy into the good feelings at this time of year. It’s certainly better than the alternative.

Happy Holidays!
 
 
 

By StephenS | Posted in Holidays | Also tagged , | Comments (4)