Bibliography Links My Personal Diabetes Story
My Current Daily Fitness and Yoga Practices Eating
Yoga Chi Kung T'ai Chi Ch'uan Walking
Cloud Hands Blog The Good Life
Nutrition
Links, References, Resources
Alphabetical Subject Index to the Cloud Hands Website
By Mark Hyman, M.D.. New York, Little Brown and Co., 2012.
Resources, notes, index, 423 pages. ISBN: 9780316127370. VSCL.
Challenge Yourself - Leanness, Fitness & Health - At Any Age
Feeding the Body, Nourishing the Soul. Essentials of Eating for
Physical, Emotional,
and Spiritual Well-Being. By Deborah Kesten. Foreword by Herbert
Benson. Berkeley,
California, Conari Press, 1997. Index, 259 pages. ISBN:
1573240680. VSCL.
The Johns Hopkins Guide to Diabetes: For Today and Tomorrow
Jivamukti
Yoga: Practices for Liberating Body and Soul. By Sharon Gannon and
David
Life. New York, Ballantine Books, 2002. Glossary, index, notes, 300
pages.
ISBN: 0345442083. VSCL.
The New Becoming Vegetarian: The Essential Guide To A Healthy Vegetarian Diet
Peripheral Neuropathy: When the Numbness, Weakness, and Pain Won't Stop.
By Norman Latov, MD, Phd. New York, Demos, 2007. Index, 134 pages.
ISBN: 9781932603590. VSCL.
T'ai Chi Ch'uan and
Qigong Exercises and Diabetes Management and Control
VSCL = Valley Spirit Center Library, Red Bluff,
California
Yoga as Medicine: The Yogic Prescription for Health and Healing
You Can Cope with Peripheral Neuropathy: 365 Tips for Living a Full Life.
By Mims Cushing, and Norman Latov, MD. New York, Demos Health. 2009.
Index, bibliography, resources, 208 pages ISBN:19360376X. VSCL.
You: The Owner's Manual. An Insider's Guide to the Body that Will Make
You Healthier and Younger. By Michael F. Roizen, M.D., and Mehmet C. Oz,
M.D.. New York, Harper Collins, 2005. Index, 417 pages. ISBN:
0060765313. VSCL.
My Personal
Story
By Michael P. Garofalo
Why share my personal story? I hope that I can encourage others to improve their health, increase vitality, reverse or delay the negative impact on body and mind caused by diabetes, improve their life, and gain more confidence in their ability to change their habits. I welcome your feedback.
I was diagnosed with Type 2 adult onset diabetes and high blood pressure in 1996, when I was 50 years old. I weighed 305 pounds and was 6'6"tall. I did not exercise. I drank alcohol and smoked daily.
My father had diabetes from the age of 30, was very overweight, lost vision in one eye and had two toes removed because of diabetes, and died at the age of 82 from congestive heart failure after a long illness. He had a stroke about six years before he died, and showed many symptoms of dementia at the end of his life. My mother died of colorectal cancer at the age of 72.
As of January 2013, I am now 67 years of age. I now weight 258 pounds. I exercise every day. I do not smoke or drink alcohol. My normal average fasting blood sugar in the morning this past month has been 112. My last AIC was 6.1. I take three prescribed medicines daily for diabetes: metformin, glipizide, and hyzaar. I have high blood pressure, and take two prescribed medicines daily: atenolol and nifedipine. I have hypothyroidism, and take one prescribed medicine daily: levothhyroxine. I have severe diabetic neuropathy in both feet up to the ankles. In January 2012, I had had the end of my right middle toe amputated due to a diabetic ulcer and bone infection in the toe. I have no evidence of diabetic retinopathy.
Starting in January 2013:
My
Current Lifestyle Practices Each Week
January 2013 - July 2013
I will continue to engage myself with a more vigorous exercise, fitness, and bodybuilding program. I may not always achieve each one of these objectives every day because of fatigue levels, employment and social responsibilities, but I have a good target to aim towards and most often hit the target even if it is not a bulls-eye hit each day:
Follow the "Blood Sugar
Solution" Program of Mark Hyman, M.D. and coordinate with exercising.
Eat under 2,200 calories a day, and eat more salads and protein.
Don’t drink alcohol or smoke.
Sleep, nap, or rest 6 to 8 hours each day.
Lift weights for 30 minutes,
5 days a week.
Challenge myself to exercise harder and sweat more during exercise.
Teach a 60 minute yoga class at
TFFC 3 days each week.
Walk three days a week
for 3.6 miles each time (6 laps on my quiet country lane).
Attend one spin cycling class each week.
Start indoor rowing on Concept 2 machine at TFFC.
Practice Taijiquan Yang 24 form, Chen
18 form, and 36 Tsao cane form.
Get a 1 hour massage once a month.
Stay active with gardening and home chores.
Do home improvement projects.
Work 2 or 3 days each week for the CUESD.
Post to my blog on
Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday.
Take my medicines exactly on schedule.
Test my blood sugar every morning upon arising.
Test my blood pressure level and heartbeat rate every morning upon arising.
Follow up on all medical appointment recommendations.
For those of you who are trying to effectively manage your diabetes, the "Blood Sugar Solution" by Mark Hyman, MD, p. 241, states that "Ideally you should do a minimum of 30 minutes walking every day. More rigorous and sustained exercise is often needed to reverse severe diabesity [i.e., diabetes and obesity condition.] Exercise exercise for up to 60 minutes, 5-6 times a week is often necessary for getting diabesity under full control. A little is good; more is better." He also recommends strength training and stretching.
Study and follow the
exercise and diet advice in this book:
Challenge Yourself - Leanness, Fitness & Health - At Any Age
T'ai Chi Ch'uan, a Chinese internal martial arts exercise program, has also shown in numerous studies to be of some benefit for those with diabetes in effectively lowering blood pressure, improving balance, preventing falls, contributing to a sense of well being, and providing relaxation techniques. I would recommend learning and practicing daily the Standard Simplified 24 Movement Tai Chi Chuan Form.
Chi Kung (Qigong, Dao Yin, Nei Gong, Chinese Yoga), a Chinese fitness and health improvement method has also been of some benefit to persons with diabetes. I would recommend learning and practicing daily the Eight Section Brocade Form.
My Exercise, Fitness and Health Objectives 9/2012 - 7/2013
My objective is to
reduce my bodyweight from 265 pounds to 235 pounds.
Incline squat 10 repetitions x 2 sets with 360 pounds.
Regain strength and better lymphatic drainage (reduced edema) in my left leg.
Bench press 235 pounds 4 repetitions x 2 sets.
Establish rowing on Concept 2 machine goals.
Establish bodybuilding goals.
Lower my AIC test numbers to under 6.1.
2) Diet and Nutrition
I am using the following books as my guides,
The Blood Sugar Solution: The UltraHealthy Program for Losing Weight, Preventing Disease, and Feeling Great Now!
By Mark Hyman, M.D.. New York, Little Brown and Co., 2012.
Resources, notes, index, 423 pages. ISBN: 9780316127370. VSCL.
My cardiologist, Griesla Okonski, M.D., strongly recommended on 6/29/2012 that I
follow the recommendations in this book.
Challenge Yourself - Leanness, Fitness & Health - At Any Age
My primary physician, Nanette Chua, M.D., strongly recommended that I follow
a low-fat diet on 6/11/2012. Many aspects of the low-fat diet Dr. Chua
recommended for me are also found in the recommendations found in Dr. Hyman's
recent book.
Basically:
1) I will eat less at each meal and each day,
2) I will eat slowly and mindfully,
3) I will reduce my daily caloric intake to under 1,900 calories each day,
4) I will avoid fatty goods, salty foods, processed and preserved foods,
5) I will eat more
vegetables,
6) I will avoid dairy products, including cheeses,
7) I will avoid high glycemic sugary food,
8) I will reduce the quantity of meat that I eat,
9) I will avoid eating after 6 pm in the evening when I am not teaching
yoga at night.
These dietary changes and exercise program should result in a reduction of my bodyweight. My objective is to reduce my bodyweight from 283 pounds in April of 2012 to a much lighter 225 pounds by July of 2013. I want to loose 60 pounds of bodyweight in 17 months.
Bodyweight and Waist Measurement Report
February 1, 2013
Bodyweight = pounds Waistline =
inches Hips = inches
Average Morning Fasting Blood Sugar =
Average Morning Blood Pressure =
Average Morning Heartbeat =
December 2012
AIC Test = 6.1 Bodyweight = 260 pounds. Waistline
= 41 inches.
September 11, 2012 265 pounds Waistline Measurement = 42 inches AIC Test = 6.9
August 1, 2012 268 pounds Waistline Measurement = 43 inches
July 6, 2012 270 pounds
June 11, 2012 275 pounds Waistline Measurement = 44 inches
May 15, 2012 278 pounds
April 15, 2012 283 pounds Waistline Measurement = 45 inches
Suggested Yoga Program for Diabetics
Yoga as Medicine: The Yogic Prescription for Health and Healing
1. Kapalabhati Breathing
2. Alternate Nostril Breathing (Nadi Shodhana)
3. Mindfulness Meditation
4. Modified Sun Salutations
5. Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana)
6. Locust Pose (Salabasana)
7. Seated Forward Bend (Paschimottanasana)
8. Tree Pose (Vrksasana)
9. Triangle Pose (Trikonsasana)
10. Warrior I (Virabhadrasana I)
11. Warrior II (Virabhadrasana II)
12. Extended Side Angle Pose (Utthita Parsvakonasana)
13. Standing Twist (Marichyasana)
14. Bridge Pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana)
15. Seated Twist
16. Alligator Twist (Jathara Parivartasana)
17. Relaxation Pose (Savasana)
Practice Karma Yoga
Eating, Food
Bread of Life
One bread I would like to recommend is "Ezekiel 4:9." This is made by Food for Life, Corona, California. It is a flourless, low glycemic, complete protein, sprouted 100% whole grain bread. Each slice provides 80 calories, 15 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of protein, 1 gram of fat, 75 mg of sodium, and 80 mg of potassium. This bread is not gluten free. Ingredients: Organic sprouted wheat, filtered water, organic sprouted barley, organic sprouted millet, organic malted barley, organic sprouted lentils, organic sprouted soybeans, organic sprouted spelt, fresh yeast, organic wheat gluten, and sea salt. Refrigerate this bread after opening. This bread is brown, dense and chewy; and I prefer it toasted. The relevant quotation from the Old Testament, Ezekiel 4:9 is "Take unto thee Wheat, and Barley, and Beans, and Lentils, and Millet, and Spelt, and put them in one vessel, and make bread of it." Add 2 tablespoons of almond butter (200 calories) to 2 slices of Ezekiel bread for a total of 360 calories. Top it off with one apple at 120 calories. This makes a nice energy boosting lunch meal of 480 calories.
Valley Spirit Yoga
Yoga Practice, Education, and Research
© 2012, Green Way
Research, Red Bluff, California
Michael P. Garofalo, All Rights Reserved
Red Bluff, Tehama County, North Sacramento Valley, Northern California, U.S.A.
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This webpage was last modified or updated on January 23, 2013.