When motivation kicks you in the rear

Motivation can come in many forms. I find health & fitness motivation from reading blogs, news articles, and fitness magazines. I watch people who motivate me all of the time, but especially my dear niece, Cheryl, and awesome friend, Jody. Both of these fine women are an inspiration to me as athletes and fitness sounding boards. I respect their knowledge and experience with health, nutrition and fitness and I'm very blessed to have them in my life.

The most impactful (is that really a word?) motivation always comes from those motivators of last resort, your doctors. Last week I thought I had a UTI so I visited the doctor. While there, I asked them to check my A1C. Now keep in mind, I had my A1C checked in November and the result (5.9) made me happy. While not normal, my test results were definitely below my personal goal of 6.0.

Then I decided I didn't need to test my glucose every day. My doctor was having me test my glucose right before eating. Every time I tested it was fairly consistent. Normal with the exception of my before breakfast reading. So, I thought to myself "Why am I wasting money testing my glucose and having it tell me what I already know?".

Ding ding ding.

Great (feel the sarcasm dripping?) idea #1: Don't test your glucose.

OK, really, it wasn't a bad idea. I was training for a half-marathon. Life was good. It was January and February & every one on Planet Earth was trying to get fit and healthy. March? No problem. Jeff & I had a "Biggest Loser" challenge between the two of us. I lost the challenge, but I won because it motivated me.

April?...

(crickets)

May?...


June??.....oh hello, my name is Carla and I'm trying to be healthy. Have I met you before?

Back to the story: So I went to the doctor to have my A1C tested. I finally called and got my test results.
6.7    OH MY WORD


I don't ever want to see a 6-point-something ever associated with my health unless it's my clothing size! Holy cow. So, needless to say, I got my swift kick in the rear and now it's time to kick it in gear.

ADA recommends A1C for diabetes diagnosis

According to a recent article on WebMD, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) now recommends a simple blood test, known as the A1C test, for diagnosing diabetes. Until recently, the A1C test hadn’t been standardized between labs. Now, a person with an A1C below 5 is considered not at risk for diabetes. People with A1C levels between 5.7 – 6.4 are considered pre-diabetic. Those with A1C levels of 6.5 or higher are considered diabetic.

Happy happy. Joy Joy. In accordance with this recent revelation, my latest A1C result would mean that I am considered pre-diabetic. Never thought I’d be so happy to learn that. Of course, the other category to consider in my diabetes struggle is my BMI. Using a simple BMI calculation, I still have work to do as my BMI is still slightly in the overweight category. I also am an apple shape which means I put additional stress on my vital organs by having my excess weight in my mid-section.

Ugh. Time to reduce my waistline.