Healthy Life, Happy Life

In just the last few months, I chose to take part in a much healthier lifestyle not only to lose weight, but to be a happier and healthier me. Heath is a big deal to me, obviously for the fact that I am diabetic. I am constantly counting carbs on a regular basis and keeping track of the foods I am consuming, and the amount of exercise I am taking part in, so why not go the extra mile?

Being healthy feels amazing. I'm not as tired (apart from working late some nights) and I have a lot more energy. And it was just the smallest change. Eating organic, healthy food. Every morning I try to have a smoothie that consists of:

250mL water
1/2 cup of Spinach
1/4 sqeezed lemon juice
1 cup of fruit (I love strawberries, mangos, oranges, and apples)
1 tsp of Nutrasure Omega3 apple flavoured oil

Of course, a smoothie is not the only change. I now shop at a store called Goodness Me. It is an all natural and organic food store. This means that there are no chemicals used on the foods while they were being grown, and many of the foods I get there are gluten, sugar, egg, wheat, and cholesterol  Wrong! Many foods have natural sugars and sweet flavours that make eating healthier, easier. Something as simple as having gluten free pretzels, and peanut free peanut butter thats made with sunflower seeds for a snack makes all the difference, and it tastes amazing too! I am still mind blown at how many really good foods there are for you that taste even better than the "junky" version of it.

At first, I had a totally wrong outlook on the whole "being healthy" thing. Prom was coming up and all of the girls wanted the perfect "prom body", and I fell into this fad pretty quick. I began dieting and cutting out many carbs out of my day. And ask many fellow diabetics know, this is very harmful to us because we need carbs for energy as well as to balance out our insulin intake. I kept getting low blood sugar levels during class and in the middle of the night, and figured out it was because of the low carb intake. Then I seen that this "diet" was so ridiculous, and was probably only hurting my body more than it was helping. Then healthy organic came into mind, and here we are. It really does feel great knowing that eating the same things as everyone else, with just a few better ingredients in them, has helped me so much. Proportions are also key too, however, without completely cutting out a dietary must such as carbohydrates. Throughout this journey I have come to realize that dieting just to look good really is such a bad way to view yourself. Society's view on the word "healthy" has changed so durastically that we fail to see the negatives in it. Starving yourself of what your body needs is not healthy, but giving it what it needs in a healthier form, is. Of course, without exercise or physical activity, you're not helping yourself at all.

One Year & A New Life

I know it feels as though its been forever since I last wrote, but I guess its safe to say that grade 12 is quite a busy year. Lots of heavily loaded courses, spending the last year with your friends, working, prom, and all that wonderful stuff has definitely been taking up a vast majority of my time lately. However, my one year anniversary of having Type 1 Diabetes was on May the 1st, and this is what I had to say about it:

Today marks a very special and important day for me. May 1st. Just an average day of the year for most other people, but for me, is a day my entire outlook on life changed. The day the world of Juvenile Type 1  Diabetes became my livelihood.  My blood, sweat, tears and passion. Most people would wonder why you would celebrate an anniversary of a chronic disease, but in all honesty, diabetes has changed me into a better person with a healthier lifestyle that I love. I've learned so much along this journey, and my outlook on life has changed drastically. Ive come to appreciate life a lot more than I ever have, and treat others so much better because you never know what someone may be going through. Diabetes is a tough, but silent disease. I walk past people who would never be able to look at me and say "she has diabetes".  I do my best to contribute to the diabetes association as well as the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation because I know Im not the only one. I do have my weak days. as do all other diabetics, and somedays I wish I could just put this disease on hold for just 24 hours and live a normal life again, and not worry anout injections or my blood sugar, or how many carbs are in something I want to eat, but then I remember its part of who I am now, and this is the path God chose for me. I know He wouldnt have lead me this way if he didnt think i would be able to handle it. I have never been more thankful and appreciative for this beautiful gift God gave us, called life. And Im so proud to be in a nation where diabetes is a team effort of research and education. If this were my life 50 or 60 years ago, i might not have had the chance to be here today. I can truely say that I keep this chronic, yet learning experience of a disease extremely close to my heart. Talking and working with othe diabetics has showed me that together as a team, we can Dia-beat this! <3
May 1st 2012 - the day my life changed for the better, forever!

I'm very proud for how far I have come, and I cannot thank my family and friends enough for being there for me and watching out for me when I needed it the most. It does mean more than you can imagine. Diabetes is not an easy thing, and I really dont think I could have done it on my own. Without my support system, I really do not know where I would be today.