More Stress Management for Diabetics: Yogic Breath

As previously discussed in my post "Diabetics Managing Stress" stress can have a big impact on your blood sugars.  For me it's a huge factor because at times I feel like I live in a stress box that I must open and escape.  Please tell me I'm not the only one to feel this way!

My efforts to escape are most often than not successful.  Even though I mostly succeed, this up and down can have a negative impact on my health in physical ways, not just emotional or psychological.  So, as I continue on a path toward a stress free life and a life lived in harmony with my diabetes, my research into new ways to help goes on.

Yogic Breath
I have been in love with Yoga for years, an old boyfriend got me into Kundalini back in Boston in the mid-1980's.  Then in the 1990's I turned to Hatha for a while when I was dancing semi-professionally and teaching.  While both of these Yoga practices are quite different, they have one important thing in common, breath.

Almost all styles of Yoga have some element involving breath.
An inner ear problem keeps me from practicing yoga now, but the breath can be done lying down, sitting, or even standing.  I've been practicing this now and I find it's very helpful.

Simple Yogic Breath
As always, I have some links for you to places that have more information from experts.  I found a simple version of Yogic Breath from Yogic Breathing for Dummies.  This article explains a simpler form of Yogic Breath that can be a great starting place.



Full Yogic Breath
MindBodyGreen.com has a very good article on Mastering the Full Yogic Breath.  Don't let the title intimidate you.  You don't need to practice yoga to practice and benefit from Full Yogic Breath.  This article gives a simple, clear, set-by-step explanation with a few helpful pictures.  This breath is a bit more involved than the basic Yogic Breath in the Dummies article.



Pranayama
Okay, I know that the word Pranayama is probaly not in your vocabulary and you're thinking to yourself, "How is this pronounced?"  Well it's prana + yama.  It looks harder than it is.

Your next thought is undoubtedly, "What the heck is that, anyway!" The answer is a bit more complicated and requires a bit more explanation of Yoga and it's origins.  The article in Yoga Journal Breath Easy: Relax With Pranayama gives a very clear explanation of what Pranayama is, it's origins, how to practice it, and it's many benefits.

Benfits I've Experienced
You don't have to have any experience with Yoga or Yogic Breath to get some great benefits from either or both.  You may already know that the mere fact that you are doing something that does not cause stress can help you rid of some unwanted tension and anxiety.

For me, Yoga was something I practiced for body tone and control in my dancing.  I developed body awareness and knowledge through my daily practice. Eventually, I realized that it helped me to focus my mind and center my thoughts on what my body was doing. This focus gave me the confidence to push myself a bit further with each practice.

What I failed to realize for years was that my Yoga practice, which took my full focus to my body and breath, was the perfect stress relief management tool for me.  Now that I can no longer practice Yoga, the breathing techniques have become essential to my current stress management plan.

While Yoga and Yogic Breath isn't for everyone, it's worth a try.  Breathing is a natrual part of our everyday existence.  There's nothing more natural than practicing techniques with breath that can help you relax and take your mind off your troubles for a few minutes here and there.  Maybe you should give it a try!

If you decide to take a jump on the Yoga or Yogic Breathing bandwagon with me, drop me a note to let me know how it works for you.  I'd love to hear from you.  Happy Breathing! :)

Diabetic on a Budget

Now-a-days it seems that most people are worried about the time it takes to do things and how they can maximize their time.  Yet, many people are more concerned about the costs involved in living.  There will always be time to do things, but money goes such a short way now, more than it did for our parents and our parents' parents.

If you're like me and many others, you plan your budget carefully and stick to it so that nothing bounces or gets paid late.  When you live like this, buying groceries starts to become a skill or talent and to many may even be an art form in itself.  Getting the most bang for your buck is tough when milk is over $3 a gallon and ground chuck is over $6 per pound.  There is a very good reason why people joke that college students live on Ramen noodles.  You can get one pack for as little at $.15.  This means that one or two dollars can provide a noodle lunch or dinner for almost two straight weeks.

So what does this mean for a diabetic?  Well, it means that buying low-sugar or special diabetic foods can be out of your budgetary reach.

Are there some good solutions?  Yes.  If you're willing to exercise some self-control and do a little more work, you can still get your meals and snacks in each day and stay on a budget.

Be More Selective
One solution to incorporate is to get foods that have more carbs or sugars and read those labels very carefully.  Check on the serving size and the total carbs, fiber and fats per serving.  Then determine how much of the product you can actually have within your diabetic guidelines.

Sometimes having smaller amounts of something is better than paying twice as much to have a little bit more of it at a time.  The regular products on the shelf, or generic/store brand products are often less expensive than brand names, even with a coupon.

This same principle goes for foods your make yourself.  Having smaller amounts when its high in fat or carbs is better than not having any.  There aren't always affordable or good alternatives for diabetics.

Cook Your Own Food
The other solution is to put in a little more work.  What I mean is that you can make more things yourself and not rely on expensive brand name and/or prepackaged foods for meals and snacks.

Some Ideas
1. Make your own snacks, rolls, breads, muffins, etc.  Granola bars and granola can be made easily enough.  Muffins and such can be made and frozen.
2. Make your meals from scratch.  Boneless, skinless chicken breast in a light sauce with vegetables and a small amount of starch, like brown rice or potatoes, is healthier than expensive prepackaged items.  You can find some great recipes on Diabetic Living Online or Everyday Diabetic Recipes.
3. Alter favorite recipes to make them more diabetic friendly.  For instance, muffins can be made with bran flour or oatmeal for more fiber and you can try a sugar substitute or applesauce for sweetness.  The American Diabetes Association website has great recipes to try and even a meal planner. Substitution examples include agave for honey, sugar substitute for white sugar and whole grains for processed flour.  Diabetic Living online has some great ideas for flour substitutes.
4. Get lots of fresh fruits and veggies in your kitchen.  Be careful to buy smaller amounts and buy them more often so they stay fresh til you eat them, but they will usually be less expensive than buying cans or frozen.

Shop carefully for substitutes.  Don't just go out an buy a bunch of different flours or sugar substitutes.  Buy one and give it a try.  Then, when you run out, try another and see how it works.  Once you find some things that you like and can do a lot with, stick to those.

So even if you're on a budget, you can get what you need and not break the bank.  Use your noggin and be creative.  Carve out more time to plan your meals and do your own cooking.  Read labels and make plans.  Buy things you can use to create wonderful, tasty healthy dishes.  No junk food or empty calorie foods.

I bet you'll find that doing your own meal planning and cooking is fun and not that much of a chore when you see your financial picture change.  Let me know in the comments what you do to stretch your food dollars and still eat healthy.  In the words of the inimitable Julia Child, "Bon Appetit!"

Links:
http://www.diabeticlivingonline.com/diabetic-recipes
http://www.everydaydiabeticrecipes.com/
http://www.diabetes.org/?loc=bb-dorg
http://www.diabeticlivingonline.com/food-to-eat/nutrition/healthy-baking-flour-substitutes