Gaining the most advantage over our diabetes with nutrition and activity used together with our medication is how we move away from the mindset that we need to manage and survive with diabetes, and towards the truth that being diabetic is often the very reason we are more able to thrive in this life compared to the rest of those that are so busy taking their health and wellness for granted.
Don’t get me wrong, one thing better than being a happy & confident diabetic is most certainly being a confident and happy non-diabetic, but we’re all given challenges in life and how we rise and perceive these challenges is how we thrive in life, and that is exactly what this 4 part article in diabetes and exercise is all about.
Exercise for diabetics can be tricky and is often not as “easy” for us, as it is for others. We don’t just have the common objection of motivation, time and know-how to contend with and often being the common excuse used not to exercise… we have the extra ‘hassle’ of needing to make sure we can exercise and still maintain good glucose levels and a mindset to match.
I’m sure we as diabetics can all relate to this and the fact that it’s a whole new beast to tame. On the one side of the coin, we know that exercise or activity is a must, and on the other side of that coin, activity is also a common cause for tons of overwhelm and frustration with diabetes.
How many of us can relate to the overwhelm we feel at some point where we exercise and have an outcome with our sugar levels that we just can’t understand? Most of you will know this feeling very well, and you’ll likely agree that it caused you to have less of love and more of a hate relationship with a powerful tool for diabetics – a tool called activity/exercise.
Although exercise has long been considered a cornerstone of diabetes management, many of us living with this condition don’t have adequate knowledge or experience or training to get the most out of it.
In addition, some diabetes healthcare professionals don’t understand the underlying physiology of exercise, and MANY fitness professionals aren’t aware of the complexities people living with diabetes face when it comes to exercise.
There is only so much a YouTube trainer and a textbook can do. I have 2 Doctors on my programs, one is a type 1 diabetic and the other found me while looking for a coach for her newly diagnosed type 1 diabetic son (18 years old).
Their feedback and in their own words: “Yes we studied and understand what diabetes is, but managing it and the hundreds of decisions made each day, especially around exercise, is not in our scope of practice”
So in this Diabetes and Exercise Top Tips series, I am going to turn that all around and provide you with some actionable steps and insider information from a life-long type 1 diabetic, certified strength and conditioning coach, who has been working in the fitness industry as a competitive athlete and with diabetics from all over the globe on this topic since 2011.
Hello, I’m Nicholas Caracandas.
By definition and practice, I’m a lifelong type 1 diabetic and lifestyle transformation coach specialising in exercise, nutrition & improved type 1 diabetic management.
My sole purpose is to transform the lifestyle of a diabetic from surviving to thriving while being the guide to take you from a place of struggle, confusion, isolation, and overwhelm, towards a life filled with confidence, freedom, impact, and control with the least amount of stress and anxiety that is often so closely linked with diabetes.
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