*DISCLAIMER - Please note in this article I am purely referring to my Type 1 Diabetes. Remember Your Doses May Vary and all information found in this blog post is my opinion and what works for me ONLY and is not indented as medical advice. Please consult the relevant health care professionals if you feel the need to make a change to your treatment plan after reading this post*
The Fairy tale of Me
Once upon a time there was a female, with Diabetes who after an ankle injury and transitioning to an insulin pump and a kidney operation she woke up from her daydream with a thud! She then had to face reality of just how unfit and out of the routine of exercising she really was! The End
Well, not quite the end...just the end of me ignoring the situation and hoping for a fairy tale ending with no effort on my part!
So after spending a few months hibernating, pretending that it will go away and generally putting it off until tomorrow, I decided to take control of my life, health, fitness and diabetes and in fact signed-up to working with DavidJohn Stanway, the Founder of My Diabetic Journey who has developed a range of Nutritional, Fitness and Support Programs.
Most importantly for me, he has personal knowledge of life with diabetes and the effects that exercise and nutrition can have on blood glucose control and general health and wellbeing.
Key to his approach is support being the main feature of his programs and where everything begins. Everyone has regular contact with him and he welcomes feedback, questions and any concerns to be raised with him whatever the time, day or night.
As someone who is currently very much 'out-of-practice' when it comes to the exercise part of fitness, I was able to speak to DJ at length and to ask numerous questions (apologies DJ!) about his approach, adjustments needed due to my injury as well as talking through any worries about ability.
Ultimately, after talking to him, I realised that there was nothing really holding me back from taking the first step, apart from me! Kindly, DJ did not challenge me on this, instead he encourages me to reflect on my personal goals in terms of what I want to achieve and then discussed the best path for this.
So today is the first day for me signed-up to the Elite Program as a Diabetic Warrior.
Needless to say, I do feel a sense of nervousness, but overwhelmingly I am excited and feel in control of my health and fitness and the plans for the next few months. By putting this on my Blog, I am of course a bit concerned about failure, however with the support of all the Diabetes Online Community (DOC), as well as the encouragement and motivations form the other Diabetic Warriors and DJ himself, I am sure this is not a realistic concern!
If you take nothing else from this post, please just realise that it is never too late to start improving your fitness, with nutrition being a big part of this. I am not looking to run marathons in the future, although I know many T1D's who do, however I am looking to have more energy, be generally healthier and to have the best diabetes control i can. The hardest step of all of this has been the one I've just made...stepping out of my comfort zone, admitting to myself that I need to do something and signing myself up to a programme of change!
Aptly, DJ posted the motivational quote below on the group page this morning - I couldn't have put it better myself...especially today!
Please take the time to visit DJ's page or to read other sources of information on the important part exercise plays in controlling diabetes, whether Type 1 or Type 2 such as DiabetesUK, JDRF or Diabetes.co.uk amongst many others available online or through your local diabetes clinic or GP.
Whether looking to climb a mountain, join a gym/ fitness class or have a walk along the seaside, the most important part is to keep moving and ensure that exercise in whatever form is a regular part of your daily life, whether you have diabetes or not!
Of course, I would, as always state that ‘Your Doses May Vary (YDMV)’ especially pre and post-exercise and that you should seek the help of your Health Care Professional if you have any medical or dosing questions.
Until next time, keep injecting 💉 or pumping 📟 insulin!
Ros x
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