Tag Archives: Diabetes

You Can’t Manage What You Don’t Measure

Posted on by
5

Testimonial by Fitdigits User Richard M.

I was a mess. My cholesterol and triglycerides were off the charts. My doctor told me that if I did not make a change to my lifestyle I was about become a diabetic. He upped my meds and told me come back in three months for a follow-up.

Richard working out with Kettlebells

Knowing I had to make a change I began to look for ways to change my diet and to begin some sort of physical fitness activity. I had at one time walked off a weight gain and considered it this time too, but it was December and I live in blizzard country. Ironically while thinking my options through when coming back from taking my dogs on a hike I drove past a new gym in my town that uses kettlebells. I stopped in, the trainer there told me that working with resistance was a great way to get fit. That working out with kettlebells, you get two workouts for the price of one, both resistance training and cardio. He also said the first one was free to I decided to try it out. I also cut all wheat out of my diet in order to get my carb intake and high triglyceride count under control. My goal was to have things on their way to “normal” for the three month follow-up.

I’m a business process guy in my professional life, and I decided that I would take a business process approach to my health and fitness. I believe that in business that “You Can’t Manage What You Don’t Measure.” So I started a food diary, bought a heart rate monitor, and downloaded Fitdigits and began tracking my heart rate and calorie burns during workouts. I quickly realized that a heart rate monitor without Fitdigits is just a strap across your chest. With the assistance of Fitdigits’s Advanced Cardio Assessment, I am confident that my heart rate and calorie burn are as accurate as possible. The ability to “see” my workouts and progress is amazing.

Here’s an example: This was a workout I did recently doing a kettlebell ladder, increasing a bell size each set after working for 8 minutes each with a 30 second rest between sets. Fitdigits captured this workout perfectly. As you can see at the load increased, so did my HRR. The last 10 minutes or so are of me rowing and then doing some cool down stretching.

As I said, you can’t manage what you don’t measure, and at the end of my initial three months of working out I had taken my triglyceride numbers from the upper stratosphere down to normal and off medication. My cholesterol numbers had dropped significantly too and my medication was halved and in another three months I would come off all meds. So within six months I went from a candidate for diabetes to having normal blood-work. Oh ya, and I lost 40 pounds and dropped my body fat percentage by 25%.

So take my advice and measure what you want to manage fitness-wise. They say that weight loss happens 70% in the kitchen and 30% in the gym. I can tell you that I am making the most out of my gym time thanks to Fitdigits.

53 and In The Best Shape of My Life

Posted on by

Hi I’m Greg and I’m 53 yrs old. I have 3 adult children and 5 Grand Kids with #6 due in September 2012! I am a Materials Manager, which lends itself to a very sedentary work environment, not only that but there have been many lunch and dinner opportunities as well. I bit too many…

In my early 30’s I was diagnosed with high blood pressure and was put on medications to control it. In my early 40’s I was told I was Insulin Intolerant and would need to start on medications for that condition as well! I tried modifying my diet somewhat and added cardio in the form of treadmill work, but still my numbers were not that good. I was headed down the wrong path and something needed to change. My Dad was Type I diabetic and suffered the consequences due to his poor management. I could see what lie in my future if I did not take steps to correct my behaviors.

In November of 2009 at 49 I started weightlifting again after 30 years. I was weak, out of shape and my body could not live up to my ego! During this time I started tracking my workouts, I was doing both weigh training and cardio to will my body back to health. But frankly, writing everything down in a journal was cumbersome to me. I wanted to see my progress, but it was very difficult to be consistent in notating everything I did.

I had switched phones to an iPhone and looked for an app that would help me. I had apps on my Droid based phone to track the exercises, but I wanted more! I found what I was looking for in Fitdigits iCardio and immediately upgraded to the “Pro” version. Using this app with the Garmin heart rate belt proved to me that my weight training sessions were indeed awesome cardio sessions! I was dropping fat and adding lean muscle! I knew I was indeed on the right path with the right tools!

10 weeks after I started my intense weight training, my dosages for my type-2 diabetic were cut in half! It seems by putting in the work, eating right, and using an awesome tool like Fitdigits, anyone can turn it around! The Fitdigits screens allow me to monitor my heart rate so I know I am getting the most out of my time.

I can say at 53 years old, I am in better shape than I have ever been! I competed in two Bodybuilding competitions, the Masters 40+ and Masters 50+, placed in the top 5 and brought home some hardware!

There is no activity I do that I don’t strap on the HR belt and record a workout! No matter if it’s simply out for a walk, a bike ride, cardio session or a full on heavy duty weight lifting session, I am always prepared with Fitdigits!

Fitdigits has helped me transform my body!

Type 2 Diabetes Won’t Stop Me From Running!

Posted on by
Reply

Testimonial by Fitdigits user Ron G.

I am 64, around 148 pounds, and a 20 year US Air Force retired Vietnam veteran. My journey to fitness really started many years ago, early adulthood to be exact. At that time I decided to live an active and healthy life and I began to run as a way to stay healthy. I ran anything from short 3 and 5 km runs to running 10 Ks in organized competitions. Because of my Air Force background, I had the opportunity to run in many states throughout the US, as well as throughout Germany where I was lucky to be stationed over two different assignments. While there I continued to run many organized events up to and including a marathon which was over the original route taken during the 1972 Munich Olympic Games. Damn near killed me, but I survived! Everything changed when I turned 50 and was diagnosed as a type 2 diabetic.

That diagnosis blew me away. As I stated earlier I always tried to maintain my health, was never overweight, and generally maintained a good diet. At that point, in order to help control my blood sugar at a near normal level, I continued to run. However, I started to lose even more weight and my doctor told me I should stop running, as it was becoming unhealthy for me to continue. So then I started walking to help control my blood sugar pretty much after every meal.

To make a long story short, two years ago I was put on Insulin and from that point on my weight stabilized. I have even been able to put on some weight! Diabetes is a disease that predisposes you to a host of other problems, namely high cholesterol and blood pressure, to name a few. With my weight under control, I decided to take my health into my own hands and started running again. I went on my first run in May of 2012, and I was excited to regain some control of my health, which had been in downward spiral since not being able to exercise because of my low weight.

Owning an iPad and iPod I could see all the apps that were available to help people take control of their health. I tried many running apps but they just seemed unable to do what I wanted. I did not see any that combined everything I needed all wrapped up into one app. With the purchase of an iPhone I gave Fitdigits iRunner a try and found that it did everything I wanted and more! The addition of a Wahoo Blue HR monitor completed the package. Now I was ready to go out and get serious about my training. I got voice and visual updates throughout my run that keep an eye on how my heart was responding to the stress level I was working out at.

Initially I just plugged in standard figures for heart rate based on age and it seemed like I was continually exceeding the top heart rate zone. That is when I contacted customer support and they had an answer for exactly what I was looking for. It was suggested I try some of the fitness assessments built into the app to see how my heart was responding to stress. I did the Beginner Cardio and Cooper running fitness assessments. Based on those results I was able to input different figures to my max heart rate and heart rate zones, and I have not looked back.

My doctor is happy I am exercising again and my blood pressure, which was starting to enter the mid to high hypertension range, has dropped back to near normal levels over the past two months. No other app includes fitness assessments, and I think that is what distinguishes this app from the competition. Initially I did not give them a go as I thought I had built up a base over the years with another tracking option, and even though I had not worked out for several years I could not switch now. Big mistake. Running and how to properly work out has changed over the years, and I found out that I did not keep pace with the advancements in the science that go into exercise. With this app I have complete peace of mind, completely aware of exactly how much intensity I can add to my workout and remain safe by not overdoing it.

I have Fitdigits to thank for the peace of mind I enjoy while exercising. The excellent customer service is second to none and I do not hesitate in recommending this app for use by anyone serious about their health. I do not go out for a run without first strapping up and activating Fitdigits iRunner. There is no other app that can do what this app does and provide the customer support to back it up. No hesitation whatsoever in giving this app my strongest recommendation!