Joel A Levy » diabetes

Super Pre-Workout Snacks

Yvonne Levy — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 16:20:37 +0000

Greetings!

Most people who know me (Yvonne) know how much I love to create in the kitchen. I spend a great deal of time reading about how foods can make us feel better, give us energy, and recover from an intense (or even not so intense) workout.

Much of my knowledge is based on my research and experiences in preparing food for an insulin-dependent diabetic for over 15 years (in case you don’t know, it’s Joel). Everything that goes in a diabetic’s mouth affects them. We know this by how much insulin is needed and how each food effects Joel’s blood sugars (optimally we want our blood sugars to stay even throughout the day; no sudden spikes or drops).

So, I am going to “guest blog” here some of my ideas on how to effectively help fuel your body for a workout. If you have any allergies or further questions, feel free to post comments below.

Eat healthy, Feel great!

Update: More ideas/tips added!

Pre-Workout Snacks

Pre-workout you need to fuel the body with foods that will energize you for an hour (or longer) workout… complex carbs fit that bill. Why complex carbs? They help to keep the blood sugars level so you don’t get that instant surge of energy and then bottom out just before Shihan’s last conditioning set.

Be sure to get your calories in between 30-60 minutes prior to working out.

In the am your body may not be ready for a big meal, so try:

Yogurt- Greek yogurt tends to be lower in sugar than most others; or sweeten plain yogurt with stevia (try Purevia) or some agave nectar.
Small bowl of whole grain cereal. Check sugar content though. Stay away from cereals that have more than 6 grams of sugar per serving. Choose your milk carefully. Whole milk is heavy on the system so consider skim milk, rice milk, almond milk (unsweetened), or my new fav, coconut milk (unsweetend).
Whole grain bread with 1 tablespoon of nut butter- I bake gluten free breads and add things like flax seed and oat bran to increase the fiber content

For a workout later in the day you can have what I call a “half-meal”. I do this often with my kids. They get the carb and veggies and only some protein from dinner. After their class they are usually pretty hungry and will eat some more protein (more about post workout meals in the next email) and their “dessert”.

Pasta- read your packages… one serving is a lot less than you may realize and is all you need before a workout. I prefer whole grain pastas such as brown rice or corn (especially because my family are all gluten intolerant). When cooking any whole grain pasta make sure to use plenty of water and put 1 tablespoon of olive oil in the water and 1/2 tsp of sea salt. Rinse under cool water when the pasta is al dente. Combine the pasta with a salad or 1 cup of cooked green veggies like spinach or broccoli.
Half of a sandwich- choose your meat (not processed stuff, please), add some lettuce and tomato (on quality whole grain bread or pita) or a salad on the side and you have a good pre-workout meal.
Soup- Now I’m not talking about a brothy soup; I mean something with veggies, some beans, maybe even some rice or pasta tossed in for texture. (I’ll pass along some recipes in the next email)

Update: BONUS TIPS:

Before you go to bed, prepare for tomorrow by making your own mini bags of carrots, celery, popcorn, nuts. In the morning toss one in the kids’ lunch boxes and in your bag so no matter where you are you have a healthy snack.
Keep a bag of veggie sticks near-by (like on your desk at work or in an attractive bowl on your counter if you’re home during the day. Cut up cucumbers, carrots, celery, peppers or any other veggie that you will eat without dip. This is a great way to get your veggies in, and most of us do not get enough veggies each day (a salad at dinner is great, just not enough).
Eat Avocados. Add a little sea salt and lemon, Yummy! Avocados help keep your blood sugar level, help keep you feeling full, they contain lutein (great for the eyes), and pack in so many minerals and vitamins that could help keep your cholesterol in check.

I hope you find this information helpful. Let me know what cooking and nutrition information would be helpful for you and your family by posting comments below.

Recipe

OK here is one of our favorite omelets.

2 large eggs
1/4 cup store bought salsa (look for ones that are organic and have no preservatives)
1 teaspoon coconut oil
1-2 corn tortillas

Heat your pan with a teaspoon of coconut oil. Beat the eggs adding the salsa. Lay your tortilla in the pan and pour the egg mixture on top. When the egg starts to solidify and the tortilla is golden brown, flip it. cook until egg is not runny. ENJOY!

My Diabetic Mix Up

Joel Levy — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 15:44:08 +0000

You ever have one of those moments of instant realization that you just screwed up royally? Not only did you just screw up big time, but you can’t unscrew it, and you know you just have to ride out the consequences. Yup, I had a night like that last night.

I was at the karate school, and the last class of the evening was about to end, and my fight team was about to start their closed door training session. It was around 9pm. My blackberry was buzzing, and the alarm update reminded me that it was time to take my evening insulin injection. Knowing how forgetful I can be, I had my diabetic supplies already sitting on top of my desk, ready to be put to use.

I was also in the middle of a conversation with one of my staff members, and getting offline at the same time. I have done this routing thousands of times, so no reason at all to suspect what would happen next.

Let’s back up for just a second. I take two kinds of insulin. The first is Levemir, which is my long term insulin. It is supposed to be a once a day shot that gives you a 24 hour baseline of insulin, to mimic what a normal, healthy pancreas does. I said mimic, because it is far from a perfect science. Anyway, instead of taking it once a day, I divide it up into halves, and take it twice a day, about 12 hours apart for better control.

The other type of insulin I take is NovoLog, which is a short term insulin, designed to be taken with meals, according to the amount of carbohydrates I eat. This is called a bolus, and can also be used to knock down a random high blood sugar reading. I test my blood sugar about five or six times a day to be sure.

The company which manufactures the insulin makes it in a ‘disposable pen’ form, so the two different types of insulin come in the exact same shape and size. To insure that the diabetic purchasers do not mix up their shots, they make the Levemir with a bright aqua colored label and end cap, and the NovoLog with a bright orange colored label and end cap. Since I am only blind in one of my eyes, the other one should pick up which is which.

Now here’s the rub. I typically take 20 units of my long term insulin twice a day. When I take my short term insulin, either to cover a meal, or lower a high blood sugar, I usually take between 2 and 6 units. Big difference in volume. Do you see where I’m going here?

Taking too much of the fast acting could cause my blood sugar to drop dramatically. In a mild case, I eat something sweet and wait to recover. In an extreme case, a diabetic could drop so quickly and so far that they slip into a coma, or have a heart attack and die on the spot.

Here’s my big screw up. You guessed it – when it was time to take my 20 units of the long term, slow acting Levemir, I inadvertently took 20 units of the short term, fast acting NovoLog. To make matters worse, upon checking my blood sugar at that moment, I recognized, that it was at a reasonable level, and did not need any NovoLog at all. Ugggghhhh!!! Things were about to get real hairy real fast. I also knew I needed some of the longer term insulin, so I played doctor on myself, and decided to take half; in my case 10 units.

I had done this once before, but that was about 30 years ago. At that time, to make sure I didn’t slip away in the night, my parents and sister stayed up with me throughout the night, shoveling ice cream and canned pineapple down my throat at regular intervals. Some things you don’t forget. The difference is now I am a grown man in my forties, with a family of my own to look after.

Well, sticking around for fight team training was definitely out, because I didn’t want to drop on the mat, and I had to get to where the food was. Walking my dog was definitely out, because that would lower my blood sugar further – normally a good thing, but the last thing I needed at the moment. So get someone else to walk my dog, go home, get comfortable on the couch, see what sweet things there are in the house, and what’s on TV.

Although it may sound like fun, believe me, it is not. Try to stay up as long as possible, when every ounce of your being wants to sleep, repeatedly shove the next high carbohydrate item down your throat, which you really don’t want, and you know as a diabetic you will pay for the next day for sure.

Without going into the gory details of the crappy movies I watched, and how much food I ate, I woke up on my living room chair at around 4-something a.m. only to realize I had conked out. Thankfully I was still alive and coherent. I ate one more bowl of whatever cereal was in the cabinet, and went upstairs to bed.

My wife, Yvonne, told me the night before that she would get the kids to school in the morning, which is usually my job, so I knew I would be able to sleep a little later. By some miracle, I woke up only about an hour and a half late, and instantly checked my blood sugar. The second miracle of the morning was that my blood sugar was actually perfect, as if nothing had gone wrong the night before. While the rest of the day should be interesting, to say the least, I was happy that it started out well. It is still morning as I write this.

The moral of the story? Three morals actually. One: Pay attention to what you are doing. Two: READ THE LABELS ON YOUR MEDS BEFORE YOU TAKE THEM! And three: When you screw up in life (which you will), don’t panic. Settle in to the idea that you are going to have to change your plans for a little while, and calmly make the necessary adjustments.

Walking is Good for Diabetics

Joel Levy — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:02:00 +0000

As a type one diabetic for over 32 years, good circulation and respiratory health are things I think about. To keep these functions healthy, it is important to exercise in a way that is suitable to one’s lifestyle. I believe so strongly in this fact that I own a martial arts school in Highland Park, that promotes fitness among its top goals. In addition to staying in shape through the martial arts, one of my favorite ways to keep my circulation going is through walking. Walking appeals to me particularly as a diabetic because it directs blood flow towards my feet, which are the furthest extremity from my heart. It is also low impact and easy on my joints. In the mornings my wife and I enjoy walks together with our dog.

Living in a town like Highland Park, NJ is actually beneficial for someone like myself, who not only enjoys walking for time and distance, but who also does not always want to get in my car. Because of its design, it is common to see people walking around town nearly all of the time. I can walk to go to the supermarket, or to get my hair cut. Goodness knows people can walk to get their nails done in town! A great number of children walk to school in the morning. And many of my karate and kickboxing students prefer to walk to the dojo rather than drive.

Walking as a means of transportation is a great way to get your exercise without really doing it consciously. You don’t have to think, “now I am putting on my special exercise clothes to do my exercises, etc.” You can just walk out of your house, lock the door, and keep walking to where ever it is you are going in town.

The fact that there are so many sidewalks also promotes the idea of walking. Of course, it would be nice if the sidewalks were not so bumpy, but they are there to be walked on. Because so many people in Highland Park walk, you will also find it to be socially beneficial. There are plenty of folks who tend to walk at the same times every day. If you do too, you may find yourself meeting new people and making new friends.

So, whether you are diabetic like me, or just looking for something new in your life, take advantage of the fact that HP is a ‘walking town’, and put the car keys down. Begin walking to do your local errands instead. Your circulation will improve, your cardiovascular system will thank you, and your moods will even be better from getting outdoors and releasing some endorphins into your system. On top of that, you might even make a new friend.

Photo: kate at yr own risk

Pick It Up!

The Inner World of a Diabetic

Joel Levy — Thu, 21 May 2009 19:37:48 +0000

While I am typically known for other things, I am an insulin dependent (type 1) diabetic. I was first diagnosed at the age of ten back in 1977, although, looking back I realize that I had all the classic symptoms for years before I was ever diagnosed. I have long since taken for granted all of the things that go on inside of me in on a daily basis, and how I am constantly adjusting myself to them throughout each day. It’s just something I do automatically. However, it occurs to me that the average person really knows very little about the inner world of their diabetic friends and family members.

When I wake up in the morning the first thing I do is blink my eyes a few times to make sure I can still see. Most people probably don’t wake up this way, but I have had eighteen laser surgeries on my eyes combined to fight off diabetic retinopathy. On my left eye, I have had three vitrectomies, and retina re-attachments. Unfortunately, they did not take, and I have been left completely blind in that eye since I was in my late twenties. The reality that you may lose the vision in your eyes is probably not on the minds of most people, but every diabetic knows at some level, that this is a possibility.

Before I do anything further in the morning, I change the needle heads of my two different insulin pens, and the lancet in my blood sugar meter. Then I poke myself three times. Once to test my blood sugar, then to take my long term insulin, and finally to take my short term insulin to adjust to any high blood sugars, or to cover for whatever I will eat for breakfast. Sometimes it is ok, and other times it hurts like hell, because either I hit a nerve with the needle, or I hit the exact spot I used not too long ago. Although routines will vary slightly, your diabetic friends and family probably do something similar.

Throughout the day I must continually check my blood sugar. If you eat the wrong foods, you might get fat and feel guilty. If we diabetics eat the wrong foods, it may cause any number of nasty side effects, such as coma, blindness, amputation, heart disease, etcetera. The stakes are just a little higher.

Of course we can’t let the blood sugar get too low either, because then we ‘crash’ as I call it, or experience hypoglycemia. On a low level, you eat some candy, and you are pretty much wrecked for the next hour until you fully recover. Yes, the blood sugar may be back up in fifteen or twenty minutes, but after a good crash, you are just ‘out of it’ for a while. Of course there will be a rebound high within the next twenty four hours, so you will get a nice unexplained insanely high blood sugar for no apparent reason. No biggie; take another needle, and knock that blood sugar back down. Sure, you’ll have some serious mood swings on this blood sugar rollercoaster ride, but it is all a part of our day.

On the other hand, we also know that a serious enough blood sugar crash could just give us a heart attack and kill us on the spot. What? Are you serious? No, you are exaggerating, you might be thinking; but I’m not. What could cause this anyway? Well, some malfunction between the balances of the calculation of insulin to food; forgetting to eat (which does happen); sensitivity to exercise; and a number of other factors.

Remember, what your body does automatically, we must do externally, and it is never perfect. Trust me when I tell you it is on our minds all the time.

Every time we put anything in our mouth, we have to figure out if it is worth the bother of taking another needle over, and if so, how much insulin. Sometimes we just don’t bother, because we don’t feel like taking the needle. Or we eat and don’t take it, and just deal with the rotten mood and personal ineffectiveness that comes with high blood sugar.

Most diabetics can guesstimate the amount of carbs in just about anything. That is, of course, if we cooked it and know what is in it. Going out to a restaurant is like playing Russian roulette with the blood sugars. We don’t just look at the menu to see what’s good. We have to start doing math problems in our head to gauge how much insulin we think we need. Ready for another diabetic nightmare? You just finished ordering or even eating, and realize you forgot your insulin and tester at home, or in your other bag.

There have even been times when I was out of the country, and this has happened to me but worse. I once left my insulin, which was in a cooler pack, in a cab in Israel. If you know anything about Israel, you know that strange, unattended packages get blown up inside of a robot in case they are a bomb! In Mexico, on my honeymoon, I left it on a little cruise boat, and by the time I got back to my hotel, all the pharmacies were closed. I don’t know what magic my wife worked, but sometime that night, insulin appeared at the hotel. That was not the last time Yvonne would save my life, but we’ll save those stories for another day. Most recently, I left my insulin and tester on a restaurant table in England. One of the people I was with picked it up, and waited until I realized I had left it to tell me he had it. Of course we were already about twenty minutes away at that point, and he let me experience my temporary panic before telling me. I can only laugh.

To your diabetic loved ones, their insulin and glucose monitor are literally their lifelines. Without it, they will die. This simple fact has kept me, and I’m sure the people you know as well, from having any desire to stray too far from civilization as we know it. Not only that, but if I leave my insulin in my car or outside, and it gets too hot, it spoils, and I’m stuck. I must always be aware of where it is, and what the temperature is. We even have to remember not to leave it by the window because the sun can heat it up, and it will go bad. On the other hand, when left in the fridge, it hurts when you shoot it in cold, but it is a pain in the neck to warm it up; so you kind of try to keep it room temperature. Again, it is a delicate balance.

How then you must be asking, could a diabetic possibly leave it behind, if it is so important? Oh yes, there is another side effect of diabetes; memory loss. If you have a conversation with a diabetic, and their blood sugar is too high or too low at the time, there is a good chance they will not remember having that conversation with you. Just ask my wife or anyone else who lives with a diabetic. It must be very frustrating.

Finally before going to bed at night, we must make sure not to eat too much, because high blood sugar over time steals our health as well as our ability to heal. (In fact, we have to be more concerned about cuts and bruises than ‘normal’ people, because everything takes us about twice as long to heal as it does for a non-diabetic.) We also must not take too much insulin or overdo the exercise late at night because if our blood sugar crashes in the middle of the night, we may be too disoriented to deal with it ourselves, and our family members may not wake up with us. If it crashes really badly, we may not wake up at all.

It is not easy acknowledging all of the challenges that being diabetic presents. I am supposed to be a tough guy. Here’s what I think. Dealing with life’s challenges will either kill you or make you stronger, and I’m not dead yet. And I don’t have any such plans for a long time.

A typical day in my life as a diabetic

Joel Levy — Tue, 19 May 2009 21:45:09 +0000

I spent the entire day at my home office catching up on emails, and working on various writing projects. This is by far one of my favorite ways to spend my ‘working hours’. Laptop on my desk, mind clear, coffee, tea, water and food available, and my dog Mickey to keep me company. As a highly distractible individual, this is the perfect environment for focused, uninterrupted time – except for when I can’t sit anymore and turn into Hyper Joel. Of course, this too has its advantages as a diabetic. Impossible not to move the body.

First order of business, take Mickey out for a late morning walk. No need to test the blood sugar, I know it’s high. Honestly, I just don’t feel like testing, so I give myself a safe amount of Novolog insulin. Not so much that my sugar crashes in the middle of my walk, but enough to knock it down a few points, so I don’t feel so crappy.

The temperature outside is about 65 degrees. It is a sunny day, and perfect for a dog walk. Something about a good 45 minute walk on a perfect day, with a well disciplined dog… it just makes you feel good. Of course the added benefit is that I know it will keep the blood sugars stabilized in the ‘normal’ zone for hours to follow, as long as I don’t eat the wrong things. Today’s first walk was definitely a good one, so I was able to quickly get back to my laptop.

Of course, I find myself snacking throughout the day, but it’s mostly almonds, and salad type things, so no harm done. Suddenly hyper time hits me again, and I can’t concentrate on the screen for another second. I go upstairs to my bedroom, and grab my rotating pushup apparatus, and start cranking out alternating sets of pushup variations, and hindu squats (made popular by Matt Furey). Alternating between upper and lower body exercises makes the heart work a little harder, and since I am in pretty good shape, this is a good thing.

It’s hard to believe that I am approaching 42 years of age, and was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes over 30 years ago; and I still get hyper like a little kid. My remedy back then? Do lots of pushups, jump rope, hit the heavy bag. Although I have gone off the path in the past, it seems I always go back to the beginning. Now I basically do the same things to keep my mind calm and body relaxed. I guess the main difference is now I have my own home and family.

I got to wrap up my afternoon by receiving the kids off the bus. After the kids had a snack, it all really came full circle. I found myself in the front hallway with my son Moshe, giving him a boxing lesson. He borrowed his sister’s boxing gloves, and I held the mitts for him, calling out different punches and combinations. We both had a good time, and he got to get his energy out in a focused, skill building sort of way.

My name is Joel A Levy. I am a teacher, a mentor, and a coach.

Joel Levy — Fri, 02 Jan 2004 01:20:58 +0000

I’ve been an insulin-dependent diabetic for over 30 years. The journey has been a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs, and through it I have learned that sometimes adversity is our greatest teacher. By viewing adversity as opportunity, people can discover their true selves and reach their full potential in life. My name is Joel A Levy. I am a teacher, a mentor, and a coach.

As a lifetime martial artist, I simply can not imagine my life without the martial arts. I have always loved martial arts, even before I began to study it. I even remember the first book I ever bought on martial arts. I got it at my first grade book fair in the early 1970’s. Today I hold several ranks in the martial arts, and have been inducted into several Martial Arts Halls of Fame. I am a recognized Grandmaster of Kickboxing, American Freestyle Karate, and of Continuous Full Contact Karate. I also hold the rank of 6th Degree Black Belt in the Superfoot System under living legend, Bill ‘Superfoot’ Wallace. In addition, I am an internationally certified Executive Protection Specialist, and an instructor at a top bodyguard training camp.

I literally felt that without the martial arts I was going to die. I had to figure out a way to stay involved.

At the peak of my athleticism at the age of 27, due to severe diabetic retinopathy, I became blind in my left eye. This was a gradual process, which involved 18 laser surgeries, three vitrectomies to attempt to reattach a detached retina that just didn’t want to stay on, and one cataract surgery, just as a bonus. My physical prowess, and everything that I had worked for had become severely compromised. Because I could no longer see things coming from my left, I could no longer compete in the martial arts at the level to which I was accustomed. My whole world changed. I literally felt that without the martial arts I was going to die. I had to figure out a way to stay involved.

I realized that I was born to teach, mentor and coach others.

By that time in my life I had already earned a Masters Degree in education. I was a teacher in the New Jersey public school system. In the midst of my frustration over what I believed I had lost, suddenly my focus changed and I realized what I had gained. It was then that my ‘true self’ revealed itself to me. I realized that I was born to teach, mentor and coach others. I understood that for me, the expertise I had gained in the martial arts was only the preparation for what was to really be my path. I decided to open a martial arts school, and pass on what I had learned to others.

From that point forward all of my training and everything that I continued to develop on my own was no longer about me. It was about making my students live up to their own potential, and hopefully become better than me. I began thinking of ways to present information and material differently. I wasn’t just going to teach the way I was taught. I decided that I would continuously innovate new and creative ways to help my students become successful, and to show them the unlimited potential they had inside.

What I didn’t realize when I first opened my school was that it would be so much more than teaching physical skill. My new role, so much more important than being a competitive martial artist, was to be a Life-Coach to others. Martial Arts just happened to be a great vehicle.

There’s an expression in Japanese that kind of puts it in perspective. It states that a Sensei is a thousand fathers. It made me realize that I would become a Coach and a Mentor to many. In that role, I would teach that the martial arts aren’t just about technique, but the quality of your character. I knew I had the opportunity to have a positive impact on people’s lives. To help them discover their true selves and reach their true potential through their training.

After the doctors told me that my left eye would be permanently blind, and that I could no longer participate in any contact sports, I went through various stages of anger, and depression. When I was done feeling sorry for myself, I realized that to go forward, I had to find the advantage in my adversity. As soon as I began to search for what was good about my situation, I realized that if I just shifted my focus, I could pour all of my energy into teaching and do it my own way. Essentially I had to allow myself to die as an athlete in order to be completely reborn as a coach. The best part about doing that was, I knew that my gloves were hung up for good, so there was nothing more to prove. My new focus was to help as many other people as possible become the best that they could be through ongoing training in my academy. Deep inside, I knew that I could train other martial artists to be better than I was, and even better than I may have been. That became my new focus, and my new passion.

When viewed in the right perspective, adversity is often the turning point where people discover their true calling.

Make no mistake about it, adversity will come in everyone’s life. When viewed in the right perspective, this is often the turning point where people discover their true calling. For that transformation to take place, one has to decide that adversity equals opportunity. As strange as it may seem, to recognize that opportunity, one must be genuinely grateful for the adversity, with full faith that opportunity will appear.

Once you discover who you really are, and what your unique purpose is, you are ready to begin. Your job is to develop yourself to the best of your ability in the thing that you love to do and for which you are naturally inclined. That thing can become your particular area of genius, because nobody will do it quite like you.

To complete the circle, you must now use this talent in the form of useful service to others. If you are as lucky as I am, or make the conscious choice to do so, you can even make your living at it. The greatest thing is that through helping others, you will continuously improve yourself.