A multi-blue, after 8 sequence dress. Big shoulder pads and even bigger sparkle.
Every Friday we wear blue to support those affected by diabetes. It’s called Blue Fridays and it’s all the rage! Enjoy the blinding photos.
Have a look at the other thrift store dresses I tried on:
80’s secretary dress with pleated skirt
I’ll have some new Friday fashions next week.
What blue are you wearing this Friday? As sparkly as this?
J
“Instead of our usual coffee meet-up, do you want to hit the gym instead?”
That was the question I asked Shawn Shepheard aka. Sugar Free Shawn earlier this month and as the photo above proves, he was game!
Shawn is a friend, international speaker, motivator and diabetes advocate. Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending the launch of his new book, Life is Sweet.
During the event a few of Shawn’s friends went up to speak, and I was so happy to hear stories about how he has motivated others to reach their fitness goals.
His book is a collection of life stories that range from funny to heartfelt.
Running his first marathon? It’s in there. This guy is a 3 time marathoner, 7 time half-marathoner and a 5km/10km race pro.
Fitness Q&A with Shawn Shepheard
What is your current workout routine?
I currently play hockey twice a week and hit the gym 3 or 4 times a week.
Congrats Shawn on a successful book launch. You have quickly become such a great friend and supporter of mine. I’ve been very blessed to have met so many wonderful people along this journey, you being one of them.
Thanks for sharing your fitness story with us and see you at the gym!
J
I was reading through my Twitter feed this morning and saw that Diabetes Mine unearthed some interesting facts about Miss Manners.
Popular advice columnist “Miss Manners” directed diabetics to keep blood glucose testing to the bathroom in a Washington Post publication on February 14. “Her” response had many in the diabetes community showing their disagreement via e-mails, blog posts and tweets.
Bravo Diabetes Mine for researching and getting to the heart of it. Here’s a snippet from their article:
“Yes, the 75-year-old columnist and author is mom to 46-year old son Nicholas, a longtime T1 who was diagnosed in his 20s about two decades ago. And get this: he now shares the Miss Manners byline with his mom and sister, and actually penned this particular response about BG checks in public!”
I, too, disagree with her. So many of you within the DOC (Diabetes Online Community) have written your thoughts on the matter and have said what I would have but in a much more eloquent way.
When I first read it, I have to admit, I wasn’t upset. Annoyed, sure, but definitely not upset.
She 100 per cent needs to hear what we, as diabetics, have to say. Message definitely delivered. Whether it gets received is another story.
I have no idea what Miss Manners’ intentions were. There are a myriad of possibilities as to why she wrote what she did, and it could be something other than ignorance.
Let us not forget her work is seen by many before it is published, and that her opinion, right or wrong, is what she gets paid to dish out.
She heard us loud and clear. I say that with some amount of certainty because of the big response and conversation it has sparked. Hopefully the many replies has helped educate and brought to life what we deal with to stay healthy and alive, physically and mentally.
Testing on the treadmill at the gym, mid-run on the street, and at the side of the pool for all to see,
J
Blog responses to Miss Manners (please comment if I haven’t added your blog to the list)
BittersweetDiabetes: A Kernel of Truth
ChroniCarly: Medical Needs Don’t Mean You’re Rude
Country Girl Diabetic- No More Shame
Delightfully Diabetic- Miss Manners and the DOC
Diabetesaliciousness- Dearest Miss Manners: Me Thinks You Know “Jack” About Living With Diabetes
D-Mom Blog: Miss Manners Misses the Mark
Joy Benchmarks: Dear Miss Manners
Moments of Wonderful: Mutually Exclusive
Nachoblog: Dear Miss Manners, Where Are Your Manners?
Stacey Simms- Bad (Miss) Manners
Strangely Diabetic- I Wasn’t Being Polite, Miss Manners
The D-Log Cabin: Dear Miss Manners: It’s not the Hunger Games
It’s blue, silk, flows well and is perfect for an evening dinner. Paired with simple pumps, an up ‘do, and a sleek clutch and you’re ready for the night.
We wear blue each Friday to support those affected with diabetes.
This outfit is dedicated to your weekend out.
It’s the third thrift dress I found in my favourite Friday colour.
Take a look back at my other blue thrift store finds:
80’s secretary dress with pleated skirt
What blue are you wearing this Friday?
J
Who’s got Sochi fever? I certainly do.
When I hop on the bike or treadmill at the gym, I’m always watching to see who’s competing. In between stretches or while testing I’ll sneak a peak at who is up, giving it their all.
My gym has a great program going on, using the spirit of the Olympics to encourage people to reach for new heights.
A series of exercises acts as an Olympic sport. For example, alpine skiing will consist of 5 exercises that work the muscles of athletes who do that sport. Complete the workout and you get points depending on how much you were able to do. Reach a certain level of points and you win a gold, silver or bronze prize.
I’ve learned lots of new exercises and have been sweating up a storm taking part. This challenge has thrown my regular routine out of whack, so I’m testing more at the gym and being more diligent in having post-workout snacks at hand (carrying more than one, I’m a hungry bear!).
This feels like I get to be part of the magic in Sochi, even if it’s for fun.
Are you doing anything active to commemorate the Olympics? Wearing your country’s colours or maybe taking part in something like this?
Have a look at US skiier Kris Freeman’s Thank You blog post.
You can read my post “10 fun facts about Kris Freeman” here.
Whatever you are doing to stay active, give it your all and go for gold. Don’t give up. Keep pushing and believe in yourself.
Testing between sets,
J
Happy Valentine’s Day everyone,
It’s the second installment of my thrift store dresses in blue.
We wear blue every friday to support those affected by diabetes.
I’m not sure the origin of this dress but I feel like it has a Spanish flare to it. Spain is known for its passionate, romantic and ultra-sexy dance styles so for Valentine’s Day, I think this fits well.
Remember to use the hashtag #BlueFridays when you participate.
And since it’s love day, don’t forget about the Spare a Rose, Save a Child initiative. Help save a diabetic child’s life by donating, which will provide funds for much needed supplies like insulin, strips and access to doctors.
How are you wearing blue today?
J
Kris Freeman is set to race at 5 a.m. EST tomorrow.
As a newly diagnosed type 1 diabetic, I started doing some research on him. Here are 10 fun facts about this diathlete!
Click on the fact to see its source.
1. Kris was a high school runner.
2. His brother was a 2006 Olympian in cross-country skiing.
3. This sweatbetes pro listens to Motley Crue, Velvet Revolver and Guns n Roses.
4. The four time Olympian dblogs at krisfreeman.net and he has been updating from Sochi.
5. The Team USA member uses Omnipod and the One Touch Ultra.
6. At 2 years old, Kris was already skiing.
7. Sorry all, he’s taken. I included this tidbit because when searching, one of the top search results I found was “Kris Freeman girlfriend”.
8. This is the first photo that pops up if you Google image Kris Freeman.
9. Even he has dealt with insurance troubles.
Here’s a video from 2013 on Freeman via dLife.
Let’s all cheer him on tomorrow!
J
How many of us stare at our meter, then cringe and complain at our blood glucose reading?
We feel our hard fingertips and needle stings, grunt at error messages and faulty sites.
Although our frustrations shouldn’t be dismissed, they are definitely #firstworldproblems. Many in developing countries don’t have access to insulin, meters, strips or even doctors.
You can make a difference for someone living with diabetes. The difference between life and death.
This Valentine’s Day, consider donating to the International Diabetes Federation Life for a Child program. Spare a rose in your bouquet on love day and give hope to a child who needs it.
See the faces of those you are helping.
A full list of blogs and sites helping to promote Spare A Rose, Save a Child via Kerri Sparling’s Six Until Me
Sending love to diabetic children and their families around the world,
J
Thrift stores. The thrill of the hunt.
I was thinking of Blue Fridays (wearing blue every Friday to show support for those affected with diabetes) and I started grabbing all the blue I could find off the racks. Here’s the first of a handful of dresses I tried on.
A step back in time? Oh yes.
What are you wearing today for #BlueFridays?
J
How are you tackling 2014?
At the end of last year I took part in the Runner’s World Run Streak (#RWRunStreak), running 1 mile every day from American Thanksgiving to New Years Day. I did whatever it took to get it done. A few times I had to resort to jogging on the spot in a hotel room to make sure I got my mileage in, but I made it!
One mile doesn’t seem like a long distance, but I found carving out the time to do it challenging. Once I started to get into it, I was on a mission to best my time as well.
1 mile goal: under 9 minutes
Fastest 1 mile: 8:32
When all was said and done, I was proud to say I successfully completed it.
A few days before 2014 I saw that Nike + was hosting a challenge called #WeRun2014. 100 miles in the month of January.
100 miles in 31 days= 3.2 miles per day (5km)
There wasn’t the demand of pounding the pavement every day like #RWRunStreak but this was a big leap in distance. Miss a few days and you can really pay the price. What if I got sick? Injured?
I crossed my fingers and tried to spread out my mileage evenly. The most I took was one day off, making it up with a 6.4 mile (10km) run the following day.
My legs started to grow tired about 2.5 weeks in. I ached, I foam rolled until near tears, but I made sure to slow down my pace to make sure I hit my mark. Whenever I could I ran outside, but this crazy winter made that dangerous at times. Getting my #WeRun2014 on via treadmill was a real mental test. At first it was excruciating, so boring and I felt like a hamster.
Now I’m used to and actually don’t mind the dreadmill treadmill. It also makes me appreciate the outdoors that much more. Another bonus is that I’ve mastered using my meter on the treadmill. No flying test strips anymore!
I crossed the virtual finish line in 12th place and with a few days to spare. This challenge has definitely taught me that if you set your mind to something, you can achieve great things, things you never thought possible. A few years ago I wouldn’t have attempted this.
#WeRun2014 challenge highlights
I’m definitely going to sign up for more challenges. What fitness goals do you have for 2014? And how do you plan on reaching them?
As my cousin would say….Long May We Run
J
t1dactiveliving 