Beach Please

Ah, the ocean, the waves, the sun, the sand! The beach is one of my special places and where the saying “saltwater heals” holds true in my heart. Typically my beach bag consists of a towel, water, an adult beverage, sunscreen, cool shades, and a hat….. oh and a snack for my potential lows, low carb snacks to keep my blood glucose level, my testing kit, insulin, a cooler for my insulin, cgm swiper, and alcohol wipes. So much for packing light…. Per usual, diabetes has made even the simplest outings more complicated.

Now, I don’t know about you but when I go to the beach I want to be in the sun as much as possible. No shade, no way! With that, though, comes a lot of sweating which could lead to elevated blood sugars due to dehydration. So, if you share my love for the sun make sure you stay hydrated and no, I am not talking solely about Corona Lights. Besides water, and Corona Lights, I really enjoy Club Soda with Mio (blue crush and tropical specifically) which adds the bubbles and tropical flavors without the added calories or carbs!

Another thing to be aware of is what type of activities you are going to be doing. Now, if you plan on being a bronzed goddess only flipping every 30 minutes for the perfect tan then you don’t have to be as concerned but if you want to act like Flipper jumping in the waves, make sure you check your numbers before! The last thing you need is to go low and have to make your way back to shore with little energy.

Speaking of knowing your numbers, I have been curious to see how my cgm would hold up at the beach and in the ocean. I am starting to train for a triathlon and doing open water swims which inevitably makes me very nervous for multiple reasons (blog to come about that) but I am happy to say that it is sticking on like a champ! However, for the days that your stuff just won’t stay stuck there are a lot of different options. Some of the stickiest go to’s are Tegaderm, RockaDex (my fav name), Rock Tape, and Grif Grips. You really cant go wrong as long as your cgm stays put.

As I said, the beach has and always will be very special to me. I definitely will not let something like diabetes change that! So, add that extra cooler, plan a little bit more, and enjoy yourself!