It's a new year... try some Couscous!

When thinking of New Year’s Resolutions, I wanted to get a head start!  To go along with the theme of my health conscious, guitar practicing devoted Christmas break, I decided to get creative in the kitchen!

COUSCOUS- popular Mediterranean dish made from Semolina wheat, in the form of pasta like grains

Couscous is available in most grocery stores, and is very easy to prepare.  Combine with veggies or meat to spruce it up!

My kind of Couscous:

1 cup cooked Couscous (I like the Toasted Pine nut flavor)

corn

1/4 avocado sliced

diced tomato

sliced jalapeños (just the juice if you don't prefer the jalapeño kick) 

jalapeño juice 

a little pepper

Bonappetit!!!

Use Your Break to Get in Shape

A break from school shouldn’t mean a break from good eating and exercise habits.  I know it’s not impossible, but I will be the first to admit that it was tough staying in shape and eating healthy all of the time during my first semester of college.  Since exams are over and I wouldn’t have anything to study even if I wanted to, I have decided to dedicate my Christmas break to getting back in shape and learning a few songs on my guitar!

About getting in shape… it’s not just about improving outer body image!  Where that is really important to me, being in shape is just as important for my inside.  Having Diabetes, my body is already working extra hard to make up for a non-functioning pancreas.  Eating healthy and exercising goes hand in hand with controlling blood sugar and ultimately reducing the wear and tear on my organs! 

My exercise routine that only takes about 45 minutes… no excuses!!!

1.  CARDIO-

            Walk/run on the treadmill for 30 minutes

2.  ABS- 

            20 crunches

            20 calf lifts- 20 pushups

            1.5 min plank

            1 min side-to-sides with 10 lb. weight

            1.5 min plank

            20 calf lifts- 20 pushups

            20 crunches

3.  STRENGTH-

            20 one-arm rows (with each arm)

            20 overhead tricep extensions

            25-30 lunges

           

DONE!!!

Roomie Love!

The thought of going to college, being away from your family and thrown in a room with a complete stranger (more times than not), is so scary to think about.  All of the “horrible roommate stories” that people tell you make the thought of going to college even scarier.  First off, don’t take everything you hear to heart... personally speaking, I couldn’t have asked for a better roommate!  I don’t even think I told Sarah I had Diabetes until after we decided to room together!  I wasn’t trying to hide anything, its just one of those things that I don’t go around broadcasting.  I can't say that when I meet someone new, the first think I tell them is, "Hi, my name is Ashley and I have Diabetes."  (I would think I was weird)!  When I did tell her, it was just sort of a… I have this, and rarely ever have problems but if this or this happens, this is what you’re supposed to do.  It’s not an awkward convo at all… I don’t even know why people would think that!  Having Diabetes is something that the people you live with definitely should be aware of.  Last week, I exercised several times in one day.  Burning calories caused the amount of insulin and glucose in my body to become un-proportional, so I woke up with dangerously low blood sugar (30 something), in the night.  I ended up being fine, but it really scared me!  I started thinking, what if something had happened and no one knew about me having Diabetes... I would have been in a lot of trouble!  I feel completely safe knowing that Sarah will always be there to step in if something were to happen!  She’s the best :) 

Have Your Pie and Eat it Too!

Ham, turkey, carrots, dressing, gravy, biscuits, cranberry sauce, sweet potato soufflé, macaroni and cheese, pumpkin pie... I ate it all.  The only additional thing I had to do this Thanksgiving was count carbs, and give insulin with my pump!  When I was 8, I was fortunate enough to get on an insulin pump.  Every time I eat, instead of having to count carbs, use a bunch of equations to figure out how much insulin is needed to cover those carbs, and then give myself a shot, I just use my pump!  I enter the carbs and it does the rest!  I try to limit myself on sweets because they aren't good for anyone! Having Diabetes doesn't mean I can't eat sugar... in fact I can't remember ever missing a slice of cake on my birthday, chocolate on Easter, or s'mores at a bonfire!  As long as my blood sugar is good and I give insulin for what I'm eating (preferably before), I can really eat anything I want to!  Of course too much of anything is bad, and I do try to limit myself on unhealthy foods because let's be honest... they don't do anyone any good!  But... I feel like on Thanksgiving you can splurge a little :)

My Story

It all started when my parents noticed that I was thirsty and hungry all of the time, losing a lot of weight, and using the bathroom constantly.  My mom picked me up from school one day, right after lunch and took me to the doctor... that's when my world began to crumble, or so my parents and I thought at the time.  On September 9th, 2001, I was diagnosed "Type 1 Diabetes."  I was seven and had no idea what was happening.  My mom and dad were supposed to cook me dinner and take me to school, not give me shots or prick my finger!  My parents were already an emotional wreck, so that combined with me freaking out made for a bad night.  We decided it was best that I stayed in the hospital for a few days to help us figure everything out and calm everyone's nerves.  Once things got somewhat settled, I went home and tried to get back into the normal swing of things.  I was in second grade and within a few hours, suddenly had a whole lot more to worry about than your average seven year old.  Obviously a lot about my life had changed, and soon, so did a lot about everyone else's.  The morning of September 11th, after I got home from the hospital, I was lying in my parent's bed and saw a bunch of smoke, fire and terrified people on the news.  I called my mom into the room and what she saw was something that I wouldn't fully understand for several years.  The attacks on the Twin Towers that day put the news of my diagnosis into a whole new perspective.  Yes, I would have to give myself insulin and test my blood sugar for the rest of my life, but my family was still together and would always be there to hold me up.  What seemed like the ultimate end of our world quickly became just a small bump in the road.  My dad, who had been scheduled to fly out of town for work, was at home safe, because of what had just happened to me.  I was blessed; we were blessed!

Since that day, I have graduated high school and started my freshman year of college, played probably over 200 tennis matches, gone to the Bahamas with my family and so much more!  I do what I love, and live my life like any other eighteen year old!