Liveabetic Profile – Linnea Welander

As a healthcare provider, I have always been aware of my health and have pushed to achieve the highest level of health possible through things like eating a healthy diet and working out every day. After recently being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, I felt helpless. I now have a chronic health condition, despite maintaining a healthy lifestyle. As an ICU nurse, I know the potential co-morbidities that accompany diabetes very well. I care for patients struggling with these things daily. This could have been a very dismal picture, and in some ways, it was. But I know that I have a choice: I can choose to be angry about my condition, taking away my ability to enjoy life, or I can take control of my health and enjoy a long, full life.

I chose the latter. I set a goal for myself: to live the healthiest life possible with diabetes (though this is a great goal for those without diabetes as well). This requires education about the disease process as well as discipline in working towards a healthier lifestyle. I want to continue running ½ marathons, to complete a triathlon, and to have a healthy family. It is towards these things that I strive.

Liveabetic came at the perfect time for me! I am inspired reading about others striving for the same thing as me – a healthy lifestyle (with or without diabetes)! When I start to lose motivation, there is a sense of accountability set in place by reading Jeff and Missy’s stories and knowing that they too are pushing through the hard times to achieve a healthier lifestyle. Why? To enjoy life to its fullest!

Coach Greg’s [Game Plan] daily tracking sheets have aided me in striving for these goals. Achieving and maintaining a healthy lifestyle is the product of many elements falling into place… not just diet, not just exercise, not just sleep patterns or stress level… everything must work together to create a healthy picture. If one piece of the puzzle is missing, the picture will not be complete. That is where these tracking sheets come in. These sheets allow me to track my health trends in each of these areas on a daily and weekly basis. I can then analyze these and see my trends which prove to be quite motivating. For example, if I miss my run on Monday, my mood is down on Tuesday. If my stress level rises, so do my blood sugars. If my blood sugars rise, I don’t feel good and therefore I don’t feel like running. When I don’t run, I’m not motivated to eat healthy… and the cycle continues. Additionally, these sheets are my accountability. I know that I have to write down on paper what I do or do not do. Some days, I run simply because I need to get credit for it on my sheet. But that is fine because I still got my run in, taking a further step toward being healthier.

As a whole, this program has helped me obtain a more balanced life! I have been able to see the areas that are unbalanced and I strive to make them more balanced. Does it happen over night? Not at all! As Jeff says, it is all about trending healthiER! Making each day, each week, each month, a little bit healthier.

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GREAT Job Linnea! Keep up the great work with your health and in managing your diabetes! - Jeff