I'm full aware that i'm a healthy weight and i don't think there is anything wrong with my body (besides my pancreas lol) so this isn't a "oh i'm fat so i need to loss weight" thing. I just think that i never really exercise regularly like i probably should to be healthier over all and to help control diabetes a little bit more. So what would be a good example overall exercise plan for a 17 year old girl.
That's awesome to start planning exercise at 17! I didn't start exercising regularly until I was like 37 or so and it's a LOT of work to make up for the lost years! "Overall" I think that it's good to mix up cardio w/ strength training as they sort of enable each other. I started doing Tae Kwon Do and think that martial arts can be good if you are pushed, as you can make slow, incremental progress and, after a while, if you do it seriously, you will see yourself getting stronger, more flexible, more endurance, etc. as the natural progression of things. I had a lot of fun with that but then we moved and things changed so it wasn't as convenient so I switched to running which I also enjoy a lot. It's sort of a good downtime "escape" to fire up my iPod and get away from it all for 1/2 hour at first and I've kept at it. I did weights on my off days for a while and now am doing pushups and squats and sometimes working in some interval training for a change of pace. MrsAcidRock gets "Fitness" magazine which seems to have different workouts, a lot of planky sort of things that look interesting but I've never tried them. You might find the magazine at the library or something like that and see what the possibilities are. Jen, another member, has a string of blogs going recounting her adventures swimming that is also interesting.
I also like THIS cool and compact ab workout to mix in. When I do it a lot, it will tighten things up pretty readily. Abs are useful for running and strength exercises too!
I think a better way to think about it is as to what activity you enjoy doing. Walking? Swimming? Biking? Tennis? You get the idea. Basing your exercise on something you enjoy will make it easier in the long-term.
As for me, I tend to either walk while chatting with friends or do exercise DVDs. About 5 days a week. I'm actually not fond of most sports, but there's DVDs out there that are only 20 minutes. I find they don't take up much of my time but bring down my BSs a bit or stabilize them. Am considering doing the dance stuff on the wii with my kids more often - always forgetting what a workout that is!
I agree that fun is a huge factor and I know that many people don't find running to be very much fun! I am not a huge dancer, other than sort of Grateful Dead-y shambling around the kitchen while I'm cooking and I dunno if that's quite a "workout" LOL Making exercise a habit is the way to go. I like bicycling a lot and it has the advantage of being easy to lug gear (meters, snacks, wallets to go buy more snacks with...) along but it takes longer so I don't do it as much.
I second what AR said, it is just really within the last month and the Big Blue Test that I have actually started exercise regularly. I mean I was not a couch potato before and play tennis on Wed nights and golf on the weekend. But every morning since Oct 14 I have taken my dog for a 40 minute walk in the woods. It means getting up at 6:30 but both Cosmo and I have much more energy during the day. At work I take a walk after lunch. I work in an industrial park and there is a great building across the street with a big hill up to a parking lot that is 1/2 mile around. I try to get 3 times round the parking lot and am bringing my times down every time I go. At night if I am feeling energetic I get on the Life Cycle in front of the TV and spend 25 minutes pedalling like crazy. The only thing disappointing about the bike is no matter how hard I pedal, or how fast I think I am going, at the end of 25 minutes the readout is always 9 miles.
I think for me getting back in to exercising has made me realize it's not that hard to just get a little bit of movement in to your life.
You're young so I think it's important to find a type of exercise you are passionate about and that you can see improvements as they happen. Or even a bunch of different things like zumba or yoga or swimming or running. Find something that speaks to you and do it. It really has made a lot of difference in my D control and in how I feel. Good Luck
Just keep moving...;-)... stay happy...being a sad sack will make you old quick...
My mother is 86 and she goes to the gym 3 days a week, she mows her yard every week, gardens, and takes care of great grandchildren two days a week and when she was in her late 70's she made a few commercials for LA Fitness. Before she retired she was a real estate broker and when she was younger she owned and operated several beauty shops... her secret to success has been ...never smoked., never stops moving...and always smiles...
Exercise is a wonderful thing regardless of your weight. It has HUGE benefits for your cardiovascular system, which is important because T1 diabetics are at an increased risk for cardio problems. It is also proven to help with mood and overall feeling of well being (you release endorphins when you exercise, which is your body's natural way of making you feel good!) And, exercise will have huge benefits on your blood sugar levels.
I think you have to find what exercise plan works for you and your lifestyle. Some people really like to have designated times of the day for exercise. You can start by just going for a walk/light jog. Make sure you have good/proper shoes for walking/jogging. It's a cheap, easy way to get in some exercise. Stay in well-populated areas, wear some identification that says you're a T1 diabetic, and always carry fast-acting glucose with you (and a meter if you can).
Experiment with the right temp basal setting. Check your BG before, during, and after exercising. I have found through lots of trial and error that a temp basal setting of 0.375 generally works best for me during exercise. I have to remember to turn it down about 30-60 minutes before running, otherwise I need some carbs to get through my run.
Strength training is also good; increased muscle mass can help bring blood sugar down as well. The good thing is that you don't need a gym to do this!! There are plenty of basic exercises you can do right in your home (sit-ups, push-ups, etc). Look online for isometric exercises, which use your own body's weight.
Yoga is also good. Yoga DVDs are available through Amazon.com. All pretty affordable.
One thing that helps me is that I see my exercise time as my personal time. I love going for runs/walks because it's my time to be alone and just think. I listen to music (I love making playlists for running) and have a sort of personal meditation.
If you're on a pump, that makes exercise much easier. Be patient and start slow, but if you stick with it, the results are awesome.
Oh, also look for ways you can incorporate exercise into your everyday routine. Walk to the store instead of driving; park far away when you go to a store; opt for the stairs instead of elevator; and if you have a spare 15 minutes, just walk around instead of sitting. I find that when I do little things like this, I can significantly drop my blood sugar, especially if I'm running a wee bit high.
Aging with Grace is a book that's sort of removed from Zumba/P90X/ gonzo exercising that makes a really good case for regular exercise. They studied nuns who had a solid "package" of records, applications when they were 17, higher education, career, medical, all in one place for case studies. The nuns donated their brains as they can only diagnose Alzheimer's for sure when you're dead, by sectioning your brain. Some nuns who had some indications nonetheless were able to stave off some of the dementia type of problems and seemed to correlate with having regular habits, just walking, etc. maybe having been a PE teacher or basketball coach when they were younger or whatever but keeping at it and at it and at it, even into the senior ages, seemed to have helped them a lot and is something we can all learn from. People who were less focused seemed to have a higher incidence of issues developing that turned into what we'd look at as more classic Alzheimer's. It's a really breezy read that certainly inspired me to get going, as I have it on both sides of my family tree and have ghastly penmanship, another indicator...
Great advice John, not one in my family ever sit still long enough to become cold, always on the move or else reading. Better get away from laptop now.