It’s an exciting time of year in the Northern Hemisphere. Darkness is becoming light! Winter is becoming spring! And I am changing from a board treasurer to a vice president!
Do you get more perks with that?
Absolutely not, 9, but I get to hand off an impressive volume of binders and other treasurer paraphernalia that has lived in my office for the past three years:
Changeover: The inheritance of the new treasurer. . .
The election and installation of new officers for PEO* Chapter CN happens this afternoon! I am delighted to say the successor treasurer is highly capable and completely up to speed. She’s already planning to streamline the job with some nifty technological tools, and, with my very limited coaching, processed the online annual reports that we sent to the state chapter earlier this week, six days ahead of the due date!
I’m surprised you’re not doing a victory dance.
I probably would be, Lily, but my usual energy is a tad low as I’m getting over a cold and/or fighting off an allergy (hard to distinguish one from the other at this time of year). The energy I have is reserved for workouts, 8 hours a week whether I need it or not, which brings me to another change: dealing with an out-of-range A1C.
Is that a grade of some sort?
No, it’s a blood test- –
Ew! I hate needles!
Don’t stress about it, 9, you’ll get over it. The A1C test captures average glucose levels (aka blood sugar) over the past 2 or 3 months. I did a lab for A1C on Wednesday. A year ago my blood sugar level was at the very bottom of the pre-diabetic range. Both the endocrinologist and my GP were surprised by this, as I don’t fit the standard risk profile, except for being over 45 years old. Both of them wondered if I might have been dehydrated for the first lab, which causes a higher concentration of blood sugar.
Stop saying blood!
Okay, okay! This time I made sure I was adequately hydrated. I drank 80 ounces of water before I re-tested. The new result shows a slight increase in blood glucose levels, though not in the red flag/dangerous range.
Why do you think that is?
There are a few factors that could be causing this. It could be heredity (some people on Dad’s side of the family were diabetic, though he wasn’t). It could be hormones. It could be I’m consuming too much dairy in my quest to get the daily 1800 mg of calcium the endocrinologist recommends as part of my bone density improvement regime. It’s also possible too many starches that are white-flour based have crept into my diet- -pasta, bread, that sort of thing. I eat lots of fruit and vegetables, legumes, nuts and lean protein, so I’ve got a good base to work with.
The Mediterranean Diet pops up in a lot of posts about managing pre-diabetes. I’ve looked at the food lists and it looks do-able. Extra virgin olive oil for the main source of healthy fats. Substitute alternate milks for dairy (and of course read the label first to make sure there’s no added sugar). Use alternate pastas (red lentil rotini is a favorite of mine and cooks well without getting mushy). Quinoa is a good option, too, and I just happen to have some in the pantry.
One article (possibly Mayo Clinic?) advised making one or two dietary changes for a few weeks, then making one or two more. This idea appeals to me tremendously. As noted in Aesop’s fable “The Tortoise and the Hare,” slow and steady wins the race!
Within 48 hours I’ve gone from feeling bummed out to being re-energized. A pro-active eating plan is the best tool in my toolbox, so why let moss grow when I can start improving my health right now?
Speaking of moss, the wet spring weather is really bringing it on:
Changeover: Here comes the moss!
Plus the annual changeover from dead vegetation to blooming bulbs:
The happiest changeover of all: Winter to Spring!
That’s three changeovers already.
All of them good, 9, plus (drum roll, please!) Daylight Savings Time arrives on Sunday! It won’t be sundown here in Walla Walla until 7 P!
I plan to enjoy it all, and I wish the same for you.
In the meantime, pass the quinoa. . .
*What’s PEO? Look here: https://www.peointernational.org/
