Adventure On

Adventure More, Worry Less, And Watch Your Diabetes Motivation Soar

HOW I GOT STARTED WITH ADVENTURING...

I was diagnosed with diabetes in 1996 in my sophomore year in college and I flourished during my honeymoon phase. Sure, I had my highs and lows, but I had few other responsibilities to drag away my attention.

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Fast forward twelve years. I now had a full time job, two kids under four, a husband, a house that always needed cleaning, and bills that always needed paying. And I had already fought this disease for twelve long, arduous years. I was burnt out and unmotivated to fix anything.

I would go entire days without testing, and when I finally did get around to testing, I was 400 and had no idea what caused the high or how long I had been that way. I knew there had to be a better way, I just didn’t know how to get there. All I knew was the burden of diabetes was too much for me to handle alone. It was time to ask for help.

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The first thing I did was to find Insulindependence, and it was there that I was introduced to the concept of adventure as a way to manage diabetes. I saw all of these amazing people finishing Ironman triathlons and 100-mile runs and so many of them finishing marathons. And I saw myself struggling to finish a 3 mile jog. I knew I could do more.

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So one day I got the idea to go on a sailing adventure 100 miles down the Florida Keys alone. It was something that my doctor told me I could never do alone because of my diabetes. That was reason enough for me. So I began to dream and plan and train. And the remarkable thing was, as I dreamed and planned and trained the motivation to take better care of my diabetes increased. Soon it wasn’t a burden anymore, but just one more part of my adventure prep.

Well, that sailing adventure turned into the book, Islands and Insulin. And two years later I was off on another adventure, this time to lead the first ever all type 1 team to complete the 12.5-mile Swim Around Key West. The following year, I led another team of type 1’s Stand Up Paddling 100 miles up the Intracoastal Waterway in South and North Carolina.  And each adventure brought that same dose of motivation.

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All of this has really given me a unique perspective on what it takes to become an adventurer with diabetes. Everything I am going to share with you in the Adventure Academy is the exact plan that I followed to find the motivation to care for my diabetes using adventure.

Have you run out of motivation to keep fighting this battle against diabetes?

Do the consequences of not taking care of your diabetes seem too far away to matter?

We all know what will happen if we don’t win this battle. The doctors have warned us. We may even know people who have had to deal with the consequences of this difficult disease.

Your kidney’s get worked. Your nerves get screwed. Your digestion stops working the way it should. Then comes the heart disease and heart attacks and strokes. And I don’t even want to talk about what happens when your blood sugars get way too far out of range. Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the US.

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We all know how dangerous this disease can be, but sometimes the consequences seem so far away that they are easy to ignore. One of the most powerful results of adventuring is that it brings the consequences of poor diabetes care into the here and now.

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Instead of worrying about what an extra serving of dessert will do to you when you’re 80, it becomes about the extra dessert ruining your blood sugars for your training session later that afternoon. Putting off testing won’t be about a complication in fifty years, it will be about having the best blood sugars so you can perform during your adventure. 

The consequences move closer.  And because they are closer, it is easier to be motivated to do your best with your diabetes care.

WHO IS ADVENTURE ON FOR?

ADVENTURE DREAMER

Does adventure lately seem like a walk to your mailbox? Maybe at one point in your life you were adventurous, but then life took over. Maybe you're not ready to take on Everest, but you are ready to add a dash more adventure to your life. Adventure On is for you.

ADVENTURE NEWBIE

Just getting started with adventure? Start off on the right foot with all the basics of adventuring covered well. Take the steps to start off right and you should be adventuring for a lifetime. Adventure On is for you.

ADVENTURE EXPERT

If you are well versed in adventure, it is time to learn why it works so well. You will learn how to build new habits quickly, and to maximize the things you already do. Adventure On is for you.

MOMS AND DADS- (the type 1 heroes in my book)

Do you want the best possible life for your child with type 1? One that is not limited or hampered by fear of diabetes? Read Adventure On for yourself and find ways to instill these values in your child. You'll also be surprised how much of this book will inspire you to add more adventure to your own life.  Adventure On is for you.

ANYONE

Even if you don't have diabetes, the prinicples within Adventure On will help you add advneture to your life, build better habits, and add more joy to your life. Adventure On is for you.