“The magic is in the action” a coach of mine used to say. Awareness is the first step towards magic action. But where to start? Sound familiar? You feel tired yet you stay up late. Your workload is too heavy yet you don’t delegate. You have holes in your teeth yet you eat candy. You have no energy yet you don’t exercise. I’m guessing you have experienced the challenges of behaviour change.

Midlife is THE life-chapter to step into compassionate behavioural change, so you get your happy ending. This blog might just change the way you look at your health, energy levels, and weight management. I'll share my personal journey of wearing a continuous blood glucose monitor and the data driven changes I made along the way.  But before we dive in, let's cover some basics about blood glucose and why it matters to your health.

Blood Glucose: The Vital Link to Health, Energy, and Weight Management

Blood glucose, or blood sugar, is a measure of the sugar (glucose) in your bloodstream. It's a crucial indicator of your body's ability to regulate energy. When our blood glucose levels are stable, we feel energetic and in control of our cravings. However, spikes and crashes can lead to energy slumps, increased sugar consumption, and even weight gain.

Why Consider Monitoring Your Blood Glucose?

The democratisation of data! The most important data – yours! Monitoring your blood glucose levels can be a game-changer for your health and well-being. Here are a few reasons why you might want to consider it.

A Vital Step Towards Diabetes Prevention

Prediabetes is a condition where your blood glucose levels are higher than normal, but not yet high enough to be classified as type 2 diabetes. It's a crucial stage that offers an opportunity for prevention and early intervention.

Prediabetes is often a warning sign that your body is struggling to regulate blood sugar properly. It indicates an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes in the future. However, with the right lifestyle changes, you can reverse this condition and reduce your risk. Addressing prediabetes isn't just about preventing diabetes. It's about safeguarding your overall health.

Energy Enhancement

Understanding your blood glucose patterns can help you optimize your energy levels throughout the day.

Improved Eating Habits

It can guide you toward healthier eating habits, reducing the urge to reach for sugary snacks and excessive caffeine.

Weight Management

Stable blood glucose levels are key to effective weight management. Monitoring can help you make informed choices.

Let the data gathering begin!

First, I jumped online and ordered the monitor. Then I stuck it into my arm (slight pain but nothing serious). I downloaded the app and off I went. I have to scan with my phone (painless and easy) at least every 8 hours.

Now, let's explore some of what I learned during my blood glucose monitoring journey.

The Importance of Breakfast

Skipping breakfast (which I did about 50% of the week) left me with low blood glucose levels, impacting my energy for the day and causing me to consume more coffee and sugar later. If I exercised at intensity in the morning it was worse. If I walked or jogged my blood glucose remained stable. Processed carbs weren’t great as my waking blood glucose levels were sensitive to the sugar. Eggs, avocado and toast for example worked well. Savory over sweet. Coffee was AOK. Pancakes aren’t leaving the building just yet. I now eat breakfast every day and the early-afternoon slump has all but gone.

The Need for Regular Eating

My data confirmed my intuitive knowing on this one, but I was not giving my body what it needed. My blood glucose dropped at lunch, 3 pm, and 6 pm, leading to energy slumps. Eating smaller, balanced meals or snacks throughout the day helped maintain stable levels and avoid big dips. When travelling, busy or working in an office eating (healthily) often is touch unless you are super organised. Vending machines with nuts, carrots and hummus anyone? Replace the biscuit tin with fruit?

Here is a day of data from when I started monitoring. Notice the peaks and troughs!

Early Dinners for the Win

Eating dinner earlier in the evening allowed my body more time to process the food before bedtime, resulting in better blood glucose control. Later dinner meant my body had to digest good and regulate blood sugar all night instead of detoxing and repairing. What time I ate dinner and what I ate impacted sleep and blood sugar levels overnight.  

Understanding Food Impact

I discovered that different foods affect blood glucose differently. For example, trail mix caused the biggest spike so far while having a bit of chocolate after dinner was okay. It's about finding what works for your body. Eating the vege or salad before I ate carbs meant my blood sugar remained in range. The order in which you eat can make a significant difference.

Time of month and hormones affect blood glucose levels too. Check this out….

Normal blood sugar ranges can vary depending on whether you're measuring fasting blood sugar or blood sugar levels after eating. Here are some the general guidelines for normal blood sugar ranges. If you have concerns about your blood sugar levels or want to establish personalised target ranges, consult with a healthcare professional who can provide guidance tailored to your specific situation.

Fasting Blood Sugar (measured after at least 8 hours of fasting): Normal: 3.9-5.6 mmol/L

Post-Meal Blood Sugar (measured 1-2 hours after a meal): Normal: Less than 7.8 mmol/L

Additional Resources

If you're intrigued and want to explore blood glucose monitoring further, here are some resources to get you started:

1. Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) Devices: Consider trying a CGM device like Freestyle Libre (the one I used) or Dexcom to track your blood glucose levels continuously.

2. Nutrition and Wellness Apps: Apps like MyFitnessPal and Cronometer can help you log your meals and monitor their impact on your blood glucose.

3. Consult a Healthcare Professional: Reach out to a healthcare provider or registered dietitian for personalized guidance.

4. Research: Consider a book like this one by Jessie Inchauspe (Glucose Goddess)  

The Magic Is In The Action

I encourage you to act. Let’s engage in the democratisation of data to inform positive behaviour changes. Let’s raise awareness about the importance of blood glucose monitoring, especially for conditions like diabetes that affect many women.