One way I am learning to manage my health since becoming chronically ill/disabled is to break things down into smaller chunks or easier steps. Rather than becoming overwhelmed by tasks that I no longer have the mental, physical, or emotional energy to complete, I am very slowly learning to accept that I must alter my expectations and adapt my mindset and my behaviors.
This has been and continues to be a very difficult adjustment for me. People I respect advise that pacing oneself is one of the most important techniques for managing chronic illness, but I am finding it very difficult to accept and implement. As an Abstainer, all-or-nothing has always been much easier for me than moderation. So I have been struggling with the idea of moderating my behavior and with finding ways to pace myself.
So last month when I was talking to My Boomer Parent and they mentioned reading that a ten-minute walk was sufficient to help control/reduce blood sugar [glucose], I was intrigued, if skeptical.
Spousal Unit & I do not have diabetes, but many of our relatives do, so I decided to dig into the research. What I found was that My Boomer Parent was right: a 10 minute walk after eating helps regulate blood sugar. In fact, according to one study conducted by researchers at the University of Otago, New Zealand:
“When the participants walked for 10 minutes after each meal, their blood sugar levels were an average of 12% lower than when they took a single 30-minute walk each day.”
Diane Fennell, diabetesselfmanagement.com
The idea of ten-minute walks was a lightbulb moment for me. I have been struggling to get sufficient exercise that won’t be counterproductive by aggravating my health conditions. For example, I used to love to run when I was young. When I could no longer run, I began walking. I would walk for a minimum of 45 minutes to an hour, at a brisk pace, and found that to be a great stress-releaser.
But now my joints just can’t handle that. Since moving to Florida, I have been walking about a 1 mile loop, and then my knees and SI joint are so sore and inflamed that I have to ice my knees and put a heating pad on my back, and it makes me less able to do things for a couple of days, which is not only counterproductive, but also frustrating and embarrassing.
But ten minutes? I can walk for ten minutes! And if it doesn’t inflame my knees, then I can even do it regularly. In fact, I might be able to work up to doing it several times a day.
Research shows that it’s beneficial to walk for ten minutes after each meal. But it also shows that the most important time to walk might be after dinner.
Taking a short walk after dinner showed the greatest benefit on blood glucose, particularly when the meal contained a lot of carbohydrate, lowering blood sugar levels by 22% compared to taking a single daily walk.
Diabetes Self Management, 21 OCT 2016
So I started out with a ten minute walk after dinner. And my knees didn’t hurt. (My SI joint was already out of position, so I considered it a wash that it was a little sore afterward.)
My initial plan was to walk after dinner every night for two weeks, and then to evaluate whether I could add a walk after breakfast. Lunch might be difficult, as we’re headed into Summer here in the Northern Hemisphere and I don’t do well with heat. But we’ll see how it goes. Perhaps I can handle ten minutes’ worth of heat.
Update: I’ve been walking for a month now. It has become a streak, and is well on its way to becoming a habit pattern. Ten minute walks after dinner are working really well for me. I set an alarm for 30 minutes after dinner, because the Otago study stated that “undertaking activity after waiting for 30 min following eating might be optimal in modifying the glycemic response.”
I find that ten minute walks are both physically *and* psychologically easier than longer walks. I don’t have to change into exercise clothes. I don’t have to carve out a large block of time. I seldom have to apply ice or heat afterward. Even on days when I’m very fatigued or my symptoms are flaring, I can manage a 10 minute walk.
Previously, I often had days when I did not feel well enough to do a 1 mile walk. And what do you do when you get halfway through a walk and don’t feel well enough to get home? But now I have a route that extends a little way past my home in both directions, so I am never very far from home. If I *really* wasn’t feeling well, I could just turn around and get home quickly.
It may sound ridiculous to able-bodied people. It might sound ludicrous to the veterans with whom I served, most of whom are still running marathons and doing triathlons. But 10 minute walks are what I am capable of, and they are what works for me.
Rather than feel bad that I can no longer run 10Ks, I choose to feel good that I have found an exercise that is working for me and has scientific evidence of efficacy. Instead of focusing on all the things I can no longer do, I choose to focus on the things that I can still do to manage my health.
Crew Dog, onesickvet.com
After one month, I have not added a second daily walk yet. Instead, I am working on adding home physical therapy to my daily routine. Right now, I am very inconsistently trying to do 10 minutes of exercise ball core strengthening exercises per day. I think I need to establish a set time to do these exercises in order for it to become a successful habit, in the same way that the walks are consistently 30 minutes after dinner every night. I don’t forget to do the walks, because there is a set time for them every day.
I also find the “streak” aspect very motivational. Some days I really don’t feel like going for a walk, but I don’t want to break the streak. So I go.
In summary, I am finding the idea of “only” doing something for ten minute at a time to be very powerful and productive. We have 1,440 minutes in a day. Surely I can take ten of those to do something healthy for myself? And then I can take another ten minutes somewhere else in the day to do something else healthy for myself, and gradually I can build healthy habits that are small and easy enough that I can consistently accomplish them.
And so I am using the power of ten minute time chunks to manage my limited energy. I don’t have to run a marathon – I just have to walk for ten minutes after dinner. I don’t have to climb El Capitan – I just have to do ten minutes of core strengthening after I wake up each morning.
And so it goes. I am taking positive actions for my physical and mental health, ten minutes at a time. And I think this could work for almost anyone. Able-bodied but working a frantic schedule? Carve out ten minutes for your health. Stay at Home parent? Find ten minutes for your health.
You know what? Some people are more disabled than I am. Maybe ten minute chunks won’t work for them. That’s ok – break it into smaller chunks. One minute of isometric exercises in your bed. Whatever works for you.
I am sensitive to peoples’ varying needs and abilities – if you can’t do anything, then don’t. The objective is to take care of oneself. I’m just sharing a technique that was a breakthrough for me.
BOTTOMLINE: Using ten minute micro walks, I have gone from walking once or twice a month to walking every night. My average mileage has increased, and I’m getting consistent daily exercise. I am literally and figuratively learning to pace myself. I am now using the ten minute technique to add additional healthy habits to my life.