Christiana is a Fitness Muscle & Glamour (FMG) pro athlete with a passion for coaching Type 1 Diabetics to build muscle and insulin sensitivity. Christiana is a T1D herself of 20 years and has found a well rounded approach to fitness, nutrition and wellness key to managing chronic illness. Christiana unveils the rigorous yet rewarding path of thriving with diabetes. Her family's multigenerational success with the condition serves as a backdrop to this episode, where we traverse topics like hormonal variances, the impact of diet on blood sugar levels, competing and training for the stage with diabetes, and the importance of a strong support system.
Christiana's Resources:
Instagram
1on1 Coaching
Back to Basics: the Ultimate 101 Guide to Nutrition, Exercise & Wellness
Amazon Store
My Diabetes Resources:
Website: www.simplifyingdiabetes.com
Newsletter Sign Up
"More Than A1C" - My Signature Coaching Program
The Diabetes Nutrition Master Course
The Free 5-Pillars Of Diabetes Success - Give Away
Don't forget to check out Ancient Bliss an herbal supplement company.
Use Discount Code KEN20 for 20% off at check out.
Have a question, send me a DM or email. I'd love to connect and answer any questions you have.
You can find the show on any platform you listen to your podcasts!
Don't forget to click on that subscribe button and leave a 5-star review, so you're notified when new episode drop every week.
Questions about diabetes, don't hesitate to reach out:
Podcast Disclaimer: Nothing that you hear on The Healthy Diabetic Podcast should be considered medical advice or otherwise; please always consult your medical TEAM before making any changes to your diabetes management
Christiana is a Fitness Muscle & Glamour (FMG) pro athlete with a passion for coaching Type 1 Diabetics to build muscle and insulin sensitivity. Christiana is a T1D herself of 20 years and has found a well rounded approach to fitness, nutrition and wellness key to managing chronic illness. Christiana unveils the rigorous yet rewarding path of thriving with diabetes. Her family's multigenerational success with the condition serves as a backdrop to this episode, where we traverse topics like hormonal variances, the impact of diet on blood sugar levels, competing and training for the stage with diabetes, and the importance of a strong support system.
Christiana's Resources:
Instagram
1on1 Coaching
Back to Basics: the Ultimate 101 Guide to Nutrition, Exercise & Wellness
Amazon Store
My Diabetes Resources:
Website: www.simplifyingdiabetes.com
Newsletter Sign Up
"More Than A1C" - My Signature Coaching Program
The Diabetes Nutrition Master Course
The Free 5-Pillars Of Diabetes Success - Give Away
Don't forget to check out Ancient Bliss an herbal supplement company.
Use Discount Code KEN20 for 20% off at check out.
Have a question, send me a DM or email. I'd love to connect and answer any questions you have.
You can find the show on any platform you listen to your podcasts!
Don't forget to click on that subscribe button and leave a 5-star review, so you're notified when new episode drop every week.
Questions about diabetes, don't hesitate to reach out:
Podcast Disclaimer: Nothing that you hear on The Healthy Diabetic Podcast should be considered medical advice or otherwise; please always consult your medical TEAM before making any changes to your diabetes management
I think what's really helped me is honestly the way I was raised and just with the background of being an athlete and active all the time, when I was diagnosed I actually didn't have to change anything as far as my exercise and diet went. So I was diagnosed officially at 11 years old. So I've had it for about 20 years now. My grandmother is type one, my dad's type one, my brother's type one. So if you really want to screw up your metabolism and your system, then yeah, cut out all carbs and go on a low carb diet.
Speaker 2:Welcome back to the Healthy Diabetic Podcast. Got a great, great show for you today Incredible guests. But before we get with our guests today, let me remind you that nothing that you hear on this podcast should be considered medical advice or otherwise. Please always consult your medical team before making any changes to your diabetes management. Also, please make sure that you like subscribe to the show. Please leave a five star review. If you're listening to the show on Apple Podcast, please leave a written review. I believe Apple Podcast is the only platform right now that you can actually leave a written review. It really helps the show grow. So thank you again to everyone that continues to listen every single week. If you're brand new to the show, welcome. I know you're going to absolutely enjoy this episode.
Speaker 2:In this episode I sat down with Cristiana, a fitness coach, nutrition coach and a type one diabetic. This conversation went in a direction I was not expecting, which was incredible. We talked a lot about her diagnosis, her whole family being diagnosed or being type one her dad's type one, her brother's type one, her grime house type one. So we talked through a lot of like growing up in a family with type ones and how impactful that was and how much that kind of accelerated her understanding and learning of the disease at diagnosis. And we also talked a lot about her coaching philosophy and her values and how she's been able to instill the values that she's learned in coaching and the values that she instills in herself into her coaching clients and we kind of went on a couple rabbit holes, which was really really cool to do with her.
Speaker 2:Not very often do I get to go on really cool rabbit holes about nutrition and fitness outside of the people that I'm engaged with, my colleagues at the gym, so it was a really cool to go down these rabbit holes with Cristiana. And then, finally, we talked a lot about her competing at a very high level as a high school track athlete, as a college track athlete and now in fitness competitions. So lots of stuff to unpack here with Cristiana just a fabulous individual. I'm really excited that I got to finally connect with her and have this incredible conversation. So, without further ado, let's get with Cristiana. So how do you actually pronounce your name, because I think I put your like chatting back and forth to you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no worries, it's Cristiana. There's an extra A in there, okay Okay cool, cristiana yeah.
Speaker 2:So I'm so pumped about this. I've been watching your feed and watching all the amazing things that you're doing coaching wise, competing wise over the past year and I'm so excited that we got to connect finally and I got to get you on the show. If you can, can you just kind of give the listeners kind of a name to face, introduce yourself, talk about when you were diagnosed? We can start there. How was that process? How was your diagnosis? All that type of stuff.
Speaker 1:Okay, well, thank you for having me on. This is actually my first like fully type one diabetic subject podcast that I've been on, so yeah, so excited to talk about that. So I was diagnosed officially at 11 years old. So I've had it for about 20 years now. I actually was running high blood sugars when I was two years old and hospitalized with pneumonia. Oh wow, yeah. And so my grandmother is type one, my dad's type one, my brother's type one. Okay, so this is coming to the surface now.
Speaker 2:Okay, yeah, so it's interesting because I really only knew family members with it.
Speaker 1:I didn't know anyone outside the family with it, but I also. It was kind of normal to me because, again, you know multiple generations having it. I kind of grew up with it and watched it. So, yeah, I was running high blood sugars at two years old in the hospital with pneumonia they because my dad was a type one they allegedly did, and the only way my parents could kind of describe it was they tested my genes for it and I didn't have the genes for it. I don't know what test that would have been Because that was the early 90s and I don't think they had anything for that. So I don't know what they were actually looking for. They didn't put me through like a glucose tolerance test or any of that kind of stuff at that point.
Speaker 2:And that wouldn't have been a CPeptide test, no so yeah.
Speaker 1:So I don't know what that test was, but they chopped it up to me being under stress with pneumonia and let me go home. So then fast forward. And I was always a very active kid. I mean my dad, my dad was a college athlete. He was actually diagnosed in college because he couldn't gain weight and he was running track at the University of South Carolina and they were like feeding him, feeding him, feeding him 1000 calories a day, trying to put weight on him, and they couldn't gain weight. So he was diagnosed a little older, at, I think, around 21.
Speaker 1:But anyway, so I and then another thing I kind of want to talk about, this too, is kind of how the hormonal aspect of male versus female plays into all this. Because I was diagnosed the youngest in my family, okay, and it actually came down to I was 11 years old. I knew my body was going through changes, actually trying to start puberty, and I couldn't. And then I was sick for a full year and anyway I was always active, always playing sports and everything, and I just became very lethargic. I wasn't as quick or like athletic as I, you know, was my entire childhood anymore.
Speaker 1:So my dad noticed that was like something's weird there and then, of course, I had, like, all of the signs and symptoms of it. So I was waking up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. Multiple times I was, you know, the snack wells like the. They're like those vanilla cookies with the cream in the middle. Oh yeah, I was eating a box of those today and losing weight. Losing weight, yeah, so yeah, and it was just kind of interesting because it's like you know, my parents were already heightened about type one being in the family and everything, and I think they thought that, because the doctors cleared them when I was two, that we were good and that was not something they were going to have to worry about with me, which is understandable. So even when I was having all those signs and symptoms, we kind of pushed them off for four to six months at least, and now, thinking back on it, I see where I was sick for probably a full year and then this all started because you were diagnosed at 11, right?
Speaker 2:So you said and this all started like around 10, when you were 10 ish.
Speaker 1:Probably like 10 and a half 11, I would say it started because it was towards I was right about to turn 12. Okay, so probably like 10 and a half. 11 is when this started. Gotcha, yeah, because it was right before my birthday. I'm actually coming up on the anniversary of it and it's funny because people ask me if I celebrate my dive die of versus or whatever. I don't. It was pretty traumatic.
Speaker 1:So, um, and it was actually we found out on officially on my grandmother's birthday. It was type one and so it was interesting because, again, I was a kid and I knew I was sick and I knew things weren't making sense, and so when I found out it was type one, I was kind of initially like, oh, my God, I get to be like dad. This is so cool Because dad had a normal life, and not even normal, I mean a very successful life and athletics and his career and all that kind of stuff. So that's all I knew. And so I was like, oh, this is cool, I'm just like dad and my, needless to say, my dad my grandma did not find it cool.
Speaker 1:So now I understand why which is the other funny thing too is I was the kid that, like when I had to get an immunization, I remember back when I was like five years old, I would be at the doctor's office and I would run out of the doctor's office into the parking lot like whatever I could to get away from the needle coming at me. So I'm terrified of needles. And just got diagnosed type one and then was like poked and prodded to figure out what was going on with me. So, needless to say, I definitely have a healthy dose of white coat syndrome when I go to doctors and everything from now on.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah.
Speaker 1:Big time. Yeah. So it's funny because I've worn, like you know, whoops and the Apple Watch and like all that kind of stuff and in a little bit history of athletics with me, I was mainly a sprinter and ran track, did that all the way through high school. I got hurt my last year in high school so I wasn't really able to do too much with it after that. But I was a sprinter.
Speaker 1:My dad was sprinted at the University of South Carolina so we did 100, 200, four by 100 long jump for our events. But yeah, so I kind of had that background in athletics and when you know that kind of I will never forget this I actually came in dead last in a race and my dad goes there's something wrong. I was like right before I got diagnosed and my mom, I was in the backseat of the car coming back from a track meet, I believe my mom turned around and grabbed my leg and there was like nothing there because my body had just eaten the muscle, yeah. So anyway, that's how. Yeah, that's kind of how we found out and then fast forward. I was a, I was actually able to start puberty and then I gained 20 pounds in a month and I like had the stretch marks prove it too, so I'm very proud of that.
Speaker 2:I'm sure that was a very stressful time, especially being a female starting that process and now gaining 20 pounds because your hormones are getting regulated the way they're supposed to be.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Exactly, oh, but what I was saying about you know doctors, offices and that kind of stuff, being an athlete, so I have monitored my heart rate and all that kind of stuff my entire life and I know where it runs. And so anyway, when I go to the doctor's office I will and I'll warn them about it because I'll show them my whoop and like where my heart rate normally runs, which is like in the high 50s, early 60s rage, it skyrockets over 100. And I just have panic attack. And I remember the first panic attack I ever had officially was in college and I actually went to the hospital for it and thought I was dying. But I was not.
Speaker 1:I was just having a panic attack. So I've worked through that's a whole nother bag of issues with being a type one that I'm happy to get into, just the stress of it all and you know the anxiety that comes with it. But yeah, I mean so you know, let's just say it's. I've been used to it because it's been in the family and I'm around it and everything. But also it has brought its own host of issues that I probably never thought I really had until recently, until I was an adult and like able to look back on everything hindsight in 2020.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so yeah, so wow, lots to unpeel here. My first question is with the anxiety piece, because I think this is a really important piece, especially the time that the time and the age that you were diagnosed and going through what you were going through as a young female, yeah, do you feel like it would have been different if the condition wasn't in your family?
Speaker 1:Yeah, 100%.
Speaker 1:I can't imagine.
Speaker 1:Honestly, I've talked to so when I started my page again, like I said, I didn't know really any type ones outside of my family and since then I've been able to meet hundreds and talk to lots of people who are also type one and hear their stories and everything.
Speaker 1:And a lot of them most of them are the only ones in their family who have it and I do feel like I approach it differently because of that and I am very interested more and I'm grateful that my dad was so in tune with this disease and how to manage it and that I wasn't getting straight advice solely from a healthcare provider, if that makes sense, because I have seen the difference of individuals who all they have to rely on are their healthcare provider and when you're having to fight a disease, literally 24 seven I say this all the time. I don't know of another disease that is a daily science experiment, Like I've tried to find one. I don't know of another one where you can do the exact same thing and it doesn't make sense, like sometimes it just doesn't make sense.
Speaker 2:It doesn't work, I send this on the way, yeah.
Speaker 1:Right, yeah, now of course there's the basics and we know what to do. And then when you get advanced, more advanced on the road and the disease, you understand and the watch patterns, not kind of stuff. But you're never going to be 100%, you're never going to be perfect at it. And that's because I think insulin injections or the pump are a treatment at best. That's not certainly not a cure. And again, I say treatment at best, just because there is no like single dose that you take and you're good every single day. It's not like something else where they're like take 500 milligrams of this and you're each morning before breakfast and you're good.
Speaker 1:So yeah, I mean that's a little different side of it, because I did kind of watch and I'm not saying you know my dad's way of doing it or my grandma's way of doing it was perfect, but I would say it was a little more. I don't want to say less a day's a call, because that's not the word, but my dad was told when he was diagnosed by his doctor he said pay attention, don't obsess over it, don't let it consume you and take over you. So my dad's always approached it that way and I feel like that's how he kind of trained me with it and I think that was very beneficial for me. I can, yeah, so, to answer your question, I cannot imagine being the only one in my family with it, but I also cannot imagine having a child under the age of 10 with it. So even though I was the youngest in the family, I think it was a little bit of a blessing. But I was 11 and I was starting to become a little more self-sufficient, not kind of stuff.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah. I think the one thing I love that you're bringing up is the fact that you had this foundation of understanding from the other family members in your family to help you overcome some of the things that it takes us, some of us, years to figure out, and I think that's a big piece of this. And I also think the really important piece of this is for those of us who don't have that support or don't have that those people in our family don't have that foundation of support. It's so important to understand that our diabetes community is exponentially growing, by the hundreds of thousands every single year. We can have a whole separate conversation of the reasons for that, but it is a powerful thing and I know for myself because I'm the only one in my family that has type one. I was diagnosed at 25, right out of college. Oh, wow, okay.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I was diagnosed at 23 years because I didn't have that foundation of support and the medical team wasn't there. They couldn't be there. I wasn't there with them, 24 seven. So I hadn't. I had no other friends I had. I had nobody. I didn't know that I could get on social media and find people like social media was just coming about and the way it is now so it's. I'm grateful that you had that, because it's one thing that I am constantly preaching about, of trying to find that those individuals are improved, that inner circle of that you know, your, your diabetes inner circle, because it really can help save years off of your life 100%.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I am noticing that a lot more individuals in their 20s and even 30s are starting to get diagnosed later on and everyone does think of it as a juvenile disease, and even I did, even though my, you know, father was still 21,. My grandmother was 17 when she got diagnosed. Father was 21,. My brother was 16, I believe.
Speaker 1:So yeah, when I started hearing about like mid 20s, late 20s, even early 30s and just I feel like I hear about it more now, minus the fact of me starting this page and everything and like actually just talking to the community a little bit more, even before then I kind of started to notice an uptick of hearing about someone's you know, friend or family member or whatever who was diagnosed with it in their 30s or late 20s or whatever. And that was kind of mind blowing to me a little bit because, you know, when I was diagnosed I went to a children's hospital. They explained to us that, you know, in our family this is like the traditional juvenile type one hereditary disease. So yeah, I have noticed that lately as being an uptick and I again I think we could do a whole nother episode on the reasons behind that in theories, absolutely, absolutely, absolutely, and especially from two coaches too.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Definitely yes.
Speaker 2:Cool. So I don't know. I want to dive into something else, because you're a coach yourself and what I would love to know is what has been the biggest impactful thing from the time you were diagnosed to now today that you have learned and able to put into your management style that has really helped keep your blood sugars where you want them.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Okay, so there's a lot there to unpack a little bit, but I have been grateful for having pretty great control throughout the whole process. So I think what's really helped me is honestly the way I was raised and just with the background of being an athlete and active all the time when I was diagnosed, I actually didn't have to change anything as far as my exercise and diet went. The one thing I did have to change was I was going low all the time and my parents were getting frustrated and then they went back to the doctor again a little bit at first. My dad. He was pretty good at I don't want to talk about self-medicating, but he was very good at telling me how to adjust doses and everything, not following exactly what the doctor told me I need to be, taking, at certain times of the day, all the time.
Speaker 2:He realized this is and that's a beautiful point. I'm so glad you brought that up, because I love that you brought that up, because a lot of people that are first diagnosed or a lot of people that are trying to figure this condition out don't realize that they have 100% ability to change their ratios as needed. You don't have to wait six months going to the doctor to change ratios. You can experiment yourself.
Speaker 1:I see it a lot and it makes me sad, because that was 100% my dad teaching me that that was not through a healthcare professional. I didn't have my dad to teach me that I would have never known, I would have probably just suffered honestly.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, they went back to the doctor and they said, okay, she's going low all the time, what do we do about this? And the doctor and, to his credit, very good doctor I was diagnosed in Tampa, florida, at one of the best children's hospitals down there, so I was actually very lucky with that too. He knew exactly what was going on. Immediately there was no. He was like no, I didn't get sent for all these tests. He was just like nope, you're type one, here's the medicine. He was basically like we don't even need to see. You give yourself a shot. If your father can do it, you're allowed to leave. So I didn't spend one night in the hospital, which was a blessing. My dad spent, I think, an entire week in the hospital when he was diagnosed, so I was very fortunate in that regard.
Speaker 1:But, yeah, so back to figuring out your own doses and that kind of stuff. I was definitely taught that at a young age. When we went back to the doctor, he said, oh, she needs to just enjoy a Snickers when that happens. And my parents were like we don't know, that's not how we parent, that's not how we eat in that house. So my background actually, I'm Italian. My grandma immigrated here from Italy so she was diagnosed after she immigrated here, which again whole nother reason on why autoimmune diseases happen and everything. But definitely think that the stress from immigrating from Italy to America after World War II and going through a World War over there was probably a trigger for the autoimmune disease. So she's the first known family member in the family to ever have type one.
Speaker 2:But anyway, do you think food from coming from Italy over to America? Do you think food had some play?
Speaker 1:maybe into that as well.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So it was interesting her diagnosis story when she was 17,. She, I believe she just went for it physical to go to college or something, and they said you're spilling ketones or whatever tests they had then or sugar and urine basically and they asked if she had had anything sweet. She goes yeah, I have a Sunday for lunch. I have a Sunday for lunch every day. So she went from eating this perfect Mediterranean diet to she moves to America and is having an ice cream Sunday for lunch every day and they're like, okay, well, don't eat the Sunday tomorrow and come back and we'll check it again. And sure enough, she still was.
Speaker 1:So she was diagnosed type one, yeah, and back then the only thing she knew about it was it was basically a death sentence and she thought she was going to lose an arm or a leg or she was freaking out because of that. So, yeah, she actually went on. They put her on a pill I don't know which medication it was. It's actually one of the only ones that type ones can have, so it's not metformin or anything like that. So they put her on that and then got her diet real strict and so she's actually always been very regimented. So she is, she just doesn't eat a lot of carbs, and so that's how she's done it her entire life, which that's a whole. Nother discussion, too, which we can get into, because I don't think that that is the right way to handle type one.
Speaker 2:Well, I just, but I think that I think it is. It's cool because I think we should like take a quick pause on this and like visit this, because this is something that I think that people don't understand, especially those who have been diagnosed in the past, even five to 10 years, because back then there was no regulation of being able to have all this amazing technology at your fingertips when she's diagnosed, so they didn't know any other way. And I would say that because the thing that irritates me is like I have these conversations with people and even today it's like oh, low carb, low carb, low carb. And it's like hold on a second, let's pause for a second. This isn't just low carb, it's not the carb. The carbohydrate is not the problem. It's the quality of the carbohydrates and the quantity at the specific sitting that we're having issues with. So let's change how, let's reframe how we're talking about this.
Speaker 1:Yeah, 100%. So full disclosure. I mean, when I was diagnosed we kind of always it was a Mediterranean diet. When growing up my mom always cooked, she cooked Italian. I had great food growing up, so when I was diagnosed and the doctors like eat a Snickers, that just was. It was foreign to us, that didn't make any sense and we would have a little bit of bread. And when I say bread, I'm talking like my grandma and great-grandmother used to make bread from scratch every single week and they made pasta from scratch every single week and it's very different. I've actually lived in Italy for a year as well, so I can attest that the carbs over there are much different and food in general is just much different, much better quality than it is here in the United States, and your body will react differently to it.
Speaker 1:It just does and I haven't met a person who has said otherwise that has been there for a long period of time and eaten their food and then tried to come back to America.
Speaker 2:And we won't find something. I could say no.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, cutting out carbs is not the answer. So I think, also something that I try to educate on and not to demonize one or the other, but just to say that you know, I actually had a coach reach out to me the other day and say, okay, they don't teach this and your certification or anything. What is the difference between type one and type two? And can you treat a type two diabetic the same way you treat a type one diabetic and training a nutrition? The answer is no, you cannot, because type one is an autoimmune disease. Obviously, as you know, where our beta cells are attacked, we cannot produce insulin or produce very little insulin.
Speaker 1:Type two is an insulin resistance disease and so if we want to get into the conversation of processed food and carbs and what that means, now that is something that 100% will contribute to insulin resistance, and I think that there is a grave misunderstanding in the general population, especially in America, that non-diabetics thinking that type ones can't have carbs or can't have sugar. Really, we're still stuck in that conversation. Yes, that we can't have sugar. It has nothing to do with sugar. It has to do with the carbohydrate load and the actual foods and then how those foods break down in your system. So we can have that conversation about the processed foods and everything for type two is because they have insulin resistance. They actually make insulin, it's just stuck in their system and it's not released properly. And a lot of times that is due to either poor diet, no exercise, lack of understanding around carbs and how much you should be eating.
Speaker 1:I hear people all the time non-diabetics say, oh, I'm going on this low carb diet and I'll challenge them and be like okay, let's talk about that for a minute. How long are you going on this low carb diet? What does that consist of? What are the exact macros? Are you just trying to cut out carbs altogether? Because carbs are not bad for you? They will actually create metabolic disease which will lead to type two diabetes down the road. So if you really want to screw up your metabolism and your system, then yeah, cut out all carbs, then go on a low carb diet.
Speaker 1:I'm not a fan. I have been on multiple different. I'm not even going to call them diets, I'll call them nutrition plans to achieve different athletic goals or personal goals. Not even they don't even have to be athletic, but just personal goals, and I have done a keto-like diet. I think that's thrown around a lot. It was funny. A friend educated me on it. He was like you know, people think that they're on a keto diet. He goes you don't realize how little carbs you have to eat for your body to actually go into ketosis.
Speaker 2:So I'll just call it a higher fat diet. People are jumping on these fad diets. It's exactly right. It's like we're jumping on these fad diets without having any understanding of what the purpose of it is.
Speaker 1:Just like intermittent fasting.
Speaker 2:Intermittent fasting has pluses and minuses. It's like anything. It's incredible how naive people are on the thought processes and jumping on these different fads.
Speaker 1:And to take it as and to go backwards a little bit on the carb topic. So I did cut out carbs for a long time and I was severely under eating my entire life. Now that I look back and I know how much especially a very active person should be consuming, I was under eating, incredibly. So not only am I a type one diabetic via an autoimmune disease that I have no control over, but now and the other thing people don't understand is you can also develop insulin resistance when you're a type one diabetic. So now I am under eating, messing up my metabolic health even further because I'm under eating and avoiding carbs.
Speaker 1:And I would go to the doctor and they rarely asked me about my diet. They just didn't. They were more concerned about my weight, which that's a whole other topic but I don't look at when I'm coaching a client. I rarely look at weight as a marker, unless it's a glaring issue. But I'd much rather see body recomposition, which I knew nothing about when I started this whole journey. I knew nothing about the nutrition in order to get there and achieve that. I knew nothing of how to fuel my body, just in general. I mean I did a post the other day and a lot of people ask me. You know I'm kind of getting off topic a tad, but it'll come back. You know people ask me what do you have to do differently? As a type one diabetic, I hate that question.
Speaker 2:I hate it, yes. I hate it, yes, because I'm like actually yeah.
Speaker 1:I'm like, besides being my own pancreas, which is a full time job and a big seat, don't give me wrong, so I'm not knocking that but besides being my own full time pancreas, nothing, absolutely nothing. The way I live is the way that everyone should live.
Speaker 2:I had three rules. Yes, I love that you just feel your body.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, it's true, and my dad taught me that too at a very young age. I didn't know what that meant back then because, again, I wasn't educated on nutrition and all that kind of stuff. I mean, even you know high school coaches. It was funny because it's like we did do strength training and I actually stopped lifting weights after I finished sprinting in high school because I didn't want to be bulky anymore, which is not the whole other conversation too. So I successfully went down the path for 10 years of, like reducing all my muscle, which I greatly regretted later on for multiple reasons, and the main one being help. But yeah, so I went down that path because the Coaches they just were trying to and my brother put it to me this way he was like they were trying to make you beast, like they were trying to make sure that your fast twitch muscles were firing. They did not care what you looked like, they just wanted to make sure that you were training to be the best possible athlete To help the team win at the end of the day. Like that was it. There was no, you know.
Speaker 1:Now you can get into the art of sculpting your body, for, for you know, competing reasons or not, or just being healthy, and there are different methods for all that. But I bring that up. I'm going back to you know, the three things I tell people is move, I don't care what it is, just move your body. I prefer that you do some sort of resistance training because it's been proven now and we all know that the more muscle you have, the more insulin sensitive you are, the more Metabolically healthy you are. So you know, that's that's another conversation. But if you enjoy yoga or running or biking or whatever that may be, just move. My second point is nutrition. Just fuel your body, whether that means that. You know, sometimes and that means different things to different people for me, I was under, I was severely under eating, but I was over eating the wrong things. So you can be under eating and under fueling your body, but over eating the wrong foods and putting the wrong food.
Speaker 1:Yeah body Now, and then you know, on the other side of that, you can be also over eating the wrong foods and just overeating in general when it comes down to core breakdown and everything. So Second point is feel your body, know the basics of nutrition, know the basics of the macro breakdowns and you're already like ahead of 99% of the population. And then the third point yeah, and then the third point is just, you know your lifestyle and stress management and reduction and Recovery. I knew nothing about any of that either. It's funny because I'll see memes too and it's like I think the one the other day said you know, have a good night's sleep or whatever, and really type ones at night, just wide awake. That was me my whole life before I was diagnosed. Yeah, yeah. So add an anxiety ridden type A personality into that and it doesn't mix well. So that's one area I've really had to work on. But yeah, I mean those three things are the basics that any person should be doing and Anyone should know how to do and it's not taught. It's not taught in school, it's not taught by Healthcare providers in general.
Speaker 1:I mean there are some good ones that do approach, you know, a well-rounded approach to everything, especially being a type one diabetic.
Speaker 1:My dad used to say it's it's diet first, then exercise, then insulin, you know, but I think that's also true for non-diabetics it's diet first, exercise and then medication. And I think we kind of have it a little bit backwards and people don't understand, because it was overwhelming for me, having been an athlete, having been raised healthy, compared to, you know, the general population. It was overwhelming for me to learn all this when I started competing, and really it was a little bit before then when I really started weightlifting again and training and Actually, you know, just learning the basics of not only Working out to look and feel good, but also that you can manipulate your macros to help you know different marker, like blood work markers. Oh, this is another thing. Too Many people I talked to and a lot of my friends are like I don't remember the last time I got blood work done. That is mind-boggling to me. I don't understand it because for my entire life I've been getting blood work done at least once a year.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I was about to say that. I was about to say that is that is. Is that mind-boggling? Because we get blood work done every Six months to a year? Yeah right, it's. You know, most people, if they're seeing even just a family Practition, they typically are getting blood work done once a once a year. But yeah we, as type ones like we're getting blood work done. Sometimes people are doing it every four months. So yeah, I can totally get that hundred percent.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and that's where I am honestly right now is about the average four months mark, not for being a type one, but just for, you know, also Competing and just want to know where my body is and and what levels are changed, especially being female and watching in the hormonal panel Change and all that kind of stuff which I mean. Again, I didn't know anything about that until maybe five years ago. Really, three years ago is when, yes, I guess what I'm saying is just someone who is well versed in that and who can had have the background of being an athlete or focusing on their health or educating themselves. Still, they still don't have all the tools that are out there, and it's really Not.
Speaker 1:And I think the I have a big problem with the fitness industry as far as Fad diets and fad exercise programs and all that kind of stuff that has jerked people around for the past Half a century. Basically, there's always some new fad diet to try, there's all always some new Exercise to try, and it's really the stuff that we've known for the past century still holds true when it comes to, you know, just basic nutrition, exercise and moving your body, and they've made it so complicated that people feel like they can't figure it out themselves, and even I felt that way. And then, once you actually sit down and are educated properly and A coach takes you through it and you see the changes for yourself and your own body, you're like, wow, that wasn't as complicated as they made it out to be, and so I want to preface this with like it really isn't rocket science. I fully believe you should have a coach. I have a coach. I'm a coach who has a coach.
Speaker 1:I Definitely believe in that guidance because you know, sometimes it's hard to you know, step outside of yourself and see those full picture. And it's nice to have guidance, um, but I want people to also know that it's really not rocket science and they can educate themselves pretty quickly and understand the basics of what they need to be doing in order to live a long, healthy life. So, yeah, I guess that's a very long answer to say that I don't think there should be much difference Between non-diabetics and diabetics on how they approach their health and wellness.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I love that. I mean, that's it. That was a lot to unpack and I'm glad you went that deep into it, because I don't think people Think that deeply into this nutrition thought process and and I think the other really cool thing that you mentioned there Was this thought process of and I think you were alluding to it but the thought process of your relationship with food and that. That for me, that's like the very first place I'm always starting.
Speaker 2:If I have, if I have to have a conversation with someone About nutrition, about food, that's the first place we have to start because we have to understand Mentally not just knowledge wise of what you understand or know about nutrition or food, but mentally, how are you comprehending it? Like, are you using food as an escape? All these, all these different questions that we can ask someone to To really dive into that. Because once we understand that now we can hit the ground running and we can start really educating on the quality of the food. Now we can look at what your macros are and we can break all that stuff down. And yeah, that was beautiful. I love that. Well, and it's interesting you brought that up too, because I no.
Speaker 1:when someone first starts working with me, I actually, you know, they're all excited. I like okay, what's my workout plan? I'm like hold on, pause, pause, we're gonna talk about this later.
Speaker 2:First, yeah, I'm like here's what you're gonna do.
Speaker 1:You're gonna download my fitness pal, you're gonna track everything you put into your mouth for an entire week and I don't want you changing anything. I want to know exactly how you eat for an entire week and then we will go from there.
Speaker 2:So the big question there is. How many times have you gotten in front of a client and they've tracked for a week and you're like, is this really what you've been, what you eat all the time? Are you just changing it? Because I'm looking at it now, so actually they've been well because I haven't given them.
Speaker 1:I don't give them any guidance at all. I don't like tell them what I'm looking for or anything like that. So I don't. I'm sure they probably do, because I'm sure I did. My coach Made me do that because she was actually the. She was the first coach that made me do something like that.
Speaker 1:And then I Actually take a look at how I was originally eating, like we just wanted to figure out again when is your starting point. And a lot of times it's that you know. You do get a lot out of having a conversation with someone and kind of asking about their eating habits and you know, but a lot of times the person isn't aware. I wasn't aware of, you know, I was Generally aware of how I ate. I had no clothes under eating, definitely not. I had no clue. I thought I ate a high protein diet, had no clue that I was severely under eating protein. So, yeah, it's that. So that's why I like that exercise, because I feel like people can Can think that they eat a certain way, but they really don't know until they see it for themselves.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it sheds a lot of light on what's actually going on compared to what you perceive that's going on.
Speaker 1:Yeah, exactly yeah, yeah, and.
Speaker 1:I mean data doesn't really matter, and I mean, data doesn't lie and you know my a lot of times I feel like I don't know with these different. I mean, the first one that comes to mind is, like you know the old weight watchers commercials and like all that kind of stuff Like, did we really even know what the breakdown was like, what exactly they we were eating? We were just told you could you just eat this For this meal, and it's like, okay, why, what's the macronutrient breakdown here? Also, if you're not seeing results and you are in fact eating less than eating less and expending more energy Then, and you're not losing weight, that's a whole nother issue and that's a whole different conversation of where I'm going to be. Like, okay, wait a second.
Speaker 1:When was the last time you got blood work? Have you talked to your healthcare provider recently? Do we know what's going on on a hormonal level or on with your thyroid? Or you know and I also had no clue before I got into competing and actually started doing full blood panels every four months that I had a hypo thyroid.
Speaker 1:No one told me that. Hmm, because you don't see the doctor. Why would they?
Speaker 2:Yeah, it just yeah.
Speaker 1:Oh, I had, and it was funny because now looking back, it was like I had the symptoms.
Speaker 2:I was a totally different person. I had no clue, though, yeah.
Speaker 1:I just thought I'm an adult, I'm type one, I'm exhausted. This is what being an adult is like. I guess I'm just tired all the time. You know, and I didn't know that. That's why maybe I was holding weight in certain areas versus others. So, anyway, or I shouldn't say weight, but body fat in certain areas versus others. And so anyway, when we got that figured out, I mean I noticed a difference in two weeks. I was a totally different person, totally different person. I had energy for the first time that I could remember. I started, I noticed I started metabolizing my calories better, I was performing better.
Speaker 1:The doctor explained to me she's it, and you know that's kind of frustrating too. It's like when you're in and out of doctors offices for your entire life and no one sat you down and explained that to you. And I and you know I'm a pretty inquisitive person and was as a kid as well. So I would ask my doctor okay, what are my results? Because I didn't hear back from you and he was like they're normal, you're all. Your results are normal. What's considered normal? Because that's a whole nother conversation as well.
Speaker 2:The range are so crazy, why it's insane yeah, it's insane how wide these ranges are and it's like oh you're, you're at the top of the range. Oh, you're normal. Oh, really, this looks like that I'm like on the precipice of being out of normal, Like. So what do you mean? I'm normal.
Speaker 1:So on. That's a good point to actually, because now I always ask, if they say you're normal, I say, okay, am I optimal? I don't want normal anymore, I want optimal. Because you know, I don't even know for how long my that my thyroid was like literally point a one off of being considered hypothyroidism, but it was normal. And I also didn't know that type one diabetics are more prone to having hypothyroidism and I didn't know that type ones are have a harder time producing HDLs. I also didn't know that when your blood sugars are mismanaged or out of range, that your liver is producing LDLs. No one ever explained any of this to me.
Speaker 1:So you know it was something I had to kind of find out on my own and that's why I am such a staunch believer and like, okay, let's, let's address the for everyone. Let's address the nutrition and the type of exercise that you're doing first, and then let's dive into your blood work and your levels, because there's so much information out there with tests now that it's kind of a no brainer for me. I mean, I tell all my friends all the time they're concerned about something or they think that they're doing everything correctly and they don't understand why they're not getting the results they want. I'm like you know, go ask your provider to do a full blood panel for, and there's also resources that I've linked on my pages and stuff. Now I do like this movement of the fitness industry is in, where I do feel like the general population is, you know, outside of the bodybuilding and athlete circles are finally being educated on these fad diets and you know just the basics of nutrition and exercise.
Speaker 1:And so now there's there's concierge doctors out there that have deals with, you know, lab cores or quest diagnostics those types of folks who can get a full blood panel done without having to go through insurance and pay absorbent and amounts for a full blood panel. Because that's the other thing that people don't realize. They think that when they go to their primary care doctor, that they are getting a full blood panel and it's giving them the full picture, and they don't realize that a lot of times you know they're not. They're actually not doing a full blood panel and they won't unless your basic blood work comes back out of whack. And then they have to, you know, classify that as a, and a lot of times a specialist will have to call it in, so not even your primary care doctor in order to get insurance to cover it.
Speaker 2:That's a whole nother discussion. I hate it. I can't stay in the medical system and all this red tape. Like it's. Like I should be able to go to my provider, whoever that might be, and request something, have a really good conversation with that provider of the why behind it. I should have those questions and and then like, just go, go, do it Like it's. I don't understand why it's so difficult for us to get the support we need if we don't have symptoms.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I remember. And going back to the blood work discussion, to like again, I said I didn't know I had I have no clue Prior to going to this specific doctor who finally did a full blood panel on me and explained what everything meant. I have no clue. If my thyroid was even checked Probably it was I don't know. I have no clue what the ranges were. So I would have like love to see that whole picture of the time I was diagnosed, through high school and my early 20s and my late 20s, to see how that was changing and if I, if it was always kind of, you know, borderline, yeah. So, and the other thing I remember asking for in high school was a full. This is, and I, my brain just kind of operates this way, but I don't even know why I decided to ask for this. But I was in my doctor's office. He's like everything's normal, great job with the management, which that's a whole nother discussion too because he thought that, you know, as long as you're below seven, you're good. Yeah.
Speaker 2:Don't get me started, girl. Do not get me started on that. Yes.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but I just for whatever reason. One day I was like, can you run a full hormone panel? And he was like, why? Like, are you having issues? Like is your cycle irregular? You know whatever? I was like, no, I just want to know what my hormones are. And he was like, okay, I'll run it. So he runs the the test, which I think was I don't know how he had to classify that again.
Speaker 1:that's the whole insurance conversation and why it wasn't included in the original blood panel that he ran for me, being a type one diabetic, it was not included. He ran that separately. It came back and he told me oh normal, and I didn't know what the ranges were at that time so I didn't know to ask well, what are they exactly? Like break it down for me? So I didn't know to ask those questions, but I do remember asking for that test to be run and you know cause they're like normal.
Speaker 2:And then when I started this is, you're talking about tests when you were first diagnosed or like or like recently.
Speaker 1:No, this was high school, Okay, okay cool, this was high school.
Speaker 2:I had asked for this. Yeah, okay.
Speaker 1:I don't know why I had got the inkling to ask, but I just had my primary care doctor after having a a, so my primary care through high school and college actually managed my type one for me. So I remember having a type one checkup with him and going over my A1C and all that stuff, and I asked him to run my hormones and he was like why? And I was like I just want to know where they're at. And so he was like okay, I'll run it and then I just get. I remember getting a call from his office and they were like they're normal and I'm like, okay, I don't really know any other questions to ask at this point, so I'll just take that yeah.
Speaker 2:The interesting piece to that yeah, the interesting piece to that too is like back in, you know, when you were in high school was like things like my chart around and in the. The interesting piece is like when, when people get these blank in its statements from their doctors of like, yeah, everything's normal, it's like we still have the ability to log into our my charts or log into our stuff. Now, because of the way technology works and look ourselves, you might not know 100% what you're seeing, but if you see some regularities you know now you can go back in with some questions.
Speaker 1:Yeah, exactly, and now I think even LabCorp has it so that you could try. You can see a chart of how your levels are changing for different things between lab work and all that kind of stuff which yeah, we definitely didn't have.
Speaker 1:Back then I again, I had no clue what my levels actually were, because I didn't see it. I was just relying on the nurse from the doctor's office calling me and telling me that my levels were normal. And then, you know, fast forward, I start competing and I start getting blood work done every four months and I find out that my testosterone is non-existent.
Speaker 2:What yeah Wow?
Speaker 1:It was 16. Wow, and you know, at least my doctor for optimal for a female athlete, they want you between 50 and 70. Yeah, and so the cutoff was 13. And so I'm sitting there thinking, okay, so all the way back, for as long as I could remember was my doctor telling me that my testosterone levels were normal? And they were really.
Speaker 2:Whoa.
Speaker 1:Barely hanging on.
Speaker 2:Barely even registering. Oh my gosh yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so between getting that fixed and that I was even able to do holistically, I mean through diet and just certain tweaks in there. So I was able to do that off of supplements, diets and our diet and you know, just understanding the breakdown, but I had no clue. Also, that type ones have that problem as well, where their testosterone tends to run lower.
Speaker 2:No one would have explained that. I'm curious what supplements you were taking to increase your testosterone.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So they put me on DHEA initially. So I took that for a little bit and then I was already eating my body weight and grams of protein, but I really focused more on the quality of that protein and then added a little bit more. So, yeah, that's what I think. You know. There's a lot of information out there on that too. I think a gram of protein per pound of body weight is definitely a good rule, but I think there's also more to it than that when you start to break it down, depending on the person as well. So that's why I think that understanding your blood work and how that all comes into play is important too.
Speaker 1:I don't take. I have naturally high creatinine levels and I always knew that. I had it in high school as well. Now all of my doctors have pretty and it doesn't really deviate from where it is. It's just usually on the higher end of normal. So you know and all my doctors from that have been pretty consistent and while you're weight training, you're breaking down muscle fibers, you're eating high protein diet just don't take creatine. I was like, okay, that's fine with me, so I do not take creatine. And so, yeah, between the DHEA and just focusing more on the quality of protein that I was consuming and the amount of protein I was consuming. I was actually able to get it In a four month period, I think I went from 16 up to 40.
Speaker 2:Nice.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Nice so Cool.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I think also, if I had to guess, I fixed the testosterone issue when I fixed my thyroid and I don't really know the literature behind that. But I do wonder if the two are correlated at all.
Speaker 2:Now, when you fixed your thyroid, was that medication and diet, or just diet Like how yeah?
Speaker 1:It was medication as well, cause we looked at the breakdown of my diet and at that point I had been training for a couple of years already and pretty tuned in to my macro breakdown in my diet, and so I had that pretty solidified. So we were kind of like, okay, well, this is showing that maybe you do need a little bit of help. So I am actually on armor thyroid. It's the one that is the pure tissue, so it's not the synthetic drug the thyroid medication that most people go on.
Speaker 1:And I'm on the very, very low dose, like the lowest dose.
Speaker 2:Have you used both before or have you always just used this?
Speaker 1:I've always just used this and it wasn't enough to fix it, and I haven't had to increase the dose, yeah, yeah, I was just curious on, like using this compared to synthetic, like what are the you know?
Speaker 2:do you have, was there a lot of like you know, different feelings and that type of stuff make you feel differently. And because I know that's always a question for people, like because we're getting put on synthetic medications compared to more natural medications, and that's always like a thing that I love to kind of bring light to.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we can talk about that with insulin too. But yeah, the thyroid medication I was, so I did a lot of. I don't know if doctors love me or if they're annoyed by me, because I sit there and ask a thousand questions before I take anything.
Speaker 2:They're like here's our recommendation.
Speaker 1:I'm like they're like here's my recommendation. I trust my doctors, you know, incredibly. But they're like here's what we recommend. I was like, and they're like here's, you know the prescription for it, go get it filled, whatever. And I was like hold on. I was like let me research this, I'm going to come back. I'll probably have a bunch of questions. So I did.
Speaker 1:I went and researched the different recommendations they had made and I came back and I said, okay, from what I can find, I've found that, you know, the side effects are X, y and Z, or the benefits are X, y and Z. Is there anything I'm missing? You know, whatever they're like nope, that sounds right. And I'm like okay, well, based off of that, I'd prefer to start here. I'm also not one to throw like a bunch of medications and supplements at a problem. Even. That goes especially for supplements, because I know people will, you know, back in the day they used to like go to GNC and they'd walk out with like two bags full of supplements. And then I remember even my dad and brother like taking mounds of vitamins and throwing them in their mouth and just like guzzling on what the gallon of water looks like yeah, thinking that's going to fix everything.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, so and I? The only reason I didn't do it is because I hated swallowing pills, I suppose. So I still suffer with the like Omega horse pills for oh man yeah for Omega threes, which that's one thing I will say. If you're a type one diabetic, you probably want to be on Omega's really anyone, but especially type ones. Yeah, megan I would look at.
Speaker 2:I know for me I have a lot of success when I'm on a. I mean I take extra dose of Omega three and vitamin D and it's like those are like two supplements that, like I can, I will not miss to say I know, every single day, omega three. Extra serving of Omega three and vitamin D for me for sure.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely, Because a lot of people don't realize that just general population is low on vitamin D. When you're in type one, I think that factors in even more. So, yeah, those two are definitely important. I agree, those are the ones I don't miss. But yeah, so they. So they came back with, you know, their recommendations and everything. And the reason I did go with the Armour Thyroid over synthetic is because once you're on synthetic it's very hard to get off of it, Whereas if you're on pure the pure, you know, tissue based thyroid medication it's easier to come off of it in the future If you think that your body has caught up and can, you know, normalize and reach that equivalent barium on its own when it comes to your thyroid.
Speaker 2:Now, is it the same? Is it the same thought process when you're talking about regulating and deregulating your dose In terms of it's easier to? It's easier to regulate or regulate and deregulate your dose on the non-synthetic compared to synthetic?
Speaker 1:I actually don't know the answer to that question, cause I really don't have any experience with yeah, I don't have any experience with synthetic.
Speaker 1:That was just when I did my own research and then talked to the doctor and verified it with my doctor. Those were the two major differences is like, once you go and my grandmother actually is on the synthetic and she's always said don't go on it. Once you go on it you can't come off. And so I that was another reason I had gone back to my doctor and I said what is this stuff? And she was like this is not synthetic. We don't prescribe synthetic here. So that was why I agreed to do it and I was glad that I did because again, it's fixed a lot of my issues with my blood work and just being in balance there, that nutrition and stuff wasn't cutting it for me.
Speaker 1:But, I also want people to understand too that once you have taken the correct steps with nutrition and exercise and you're still having issues, there are healthcare providers out there that understand the holistic and the whole body approach who can look at, and they ask all those questions first before they start talking to you about blood work or supplements or medication. And so I would just say, especially being a type one, you gotta interview your healthcare providers. You can't just say, oh, my insurance covers this guy, so I'm gonna go see him and that's my doctor. I mean you can, but it's not gonna give you yeah, it's just not gonna give you the best.
Speaker 1:You're not setting yourself up for success, if anything might be setting yourself up for failure and frustration when it comes to managing a disease, especially like this. But I will again preface that, diabetic or not, I think you're still setting yourself up for success or failure, based off of the type of healthcare you seek out. But people don't have to ask those questions.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I just yeah. And it's the same concept that we went we go back to is like being able to regulate our own dosages. You have the ability to interview, you have the ability to ask questions, you have the ability to heck, experiment, like I've went to an endo and just like, hey, this person sounds really good, I like what I'm hearing. I've asked them, I've gone through my whole questioning process. I'm gonna give this person how this works over the next 30 to 60 days and it didn't work out. So okay, I'm going to someone else. You have that ability to be able to do that. And the other thing I like to preface, with this one too, is in a world where telehealth now is a real thing, you can literally have a doctor that you see, holistic endo, whoever it might be on the other side of the country, you know. So I think that is a very important thing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's perfect. It's an important piece that people have to understand, because I hear that all the time on social people ask me questions like what don't have an endo in my area? So like let's research and find out who you're gonna be aligned with and figure out how we can make this work.
Speaker 1:Yeah, 100%. Yeah, and I again, I have had some great endocrinologists and I have one. I do have one locally that I see once a year. She actually loves my concierge doctor who's my primary care provider. I do telehealth with her. She does all my blood work every four months and she does a full panel and her practice has an agreement with LabCorp that makes it affordable for us to be able to do a full panel every four months without having to deal with insurance. So and I'm happy to I think I might even have them linked in my link tree and my profile, but if I don't, I will add it. But yeah, so my endocrinologist loves looking at that panel. She's like a kid in a candy shop when she gets to look at it, because that's not what she gets to call in all the time. That's awesome, unless you're having symptoms or there's a reason for her as a specialist to call it in and get it covered by insurance. It's just a little harder for them to be able to do that stuff. So, yeah, that's kind of how I operate.
Speaker 1:I see my endocrinologist once a year and I get my blood work done every four months through my GP, who is 100% telehealth, and then I also get my biometrics done every four months when I go in there. So it's not like we're just going in for blood work and that's it. They do my blood pressure, height, weight. I think they've measured my waistline, so they monitor all that kind of stuff as well. Yeah, so I mean that's, generally speaking, enough for them to go off of, unless they see something wacky in your blood work that they need to dig further on. And that's why I like them as well, because, say, something does come back a little bit wacky on one of my readings, then they'll call in, you know, an even further blood panel. And it's really simple. I just walk into LabCorp, I hand them the sheet and they're like, oh great, come right on back, it's already taken care of. I don't have to give them my insurance information, all that kind of stuff, and I get the results back in like two days, which is great.
Speaker 2:That's awesome. Yeah, usually it takes like seven to 10 days or something like that to get your blood work back.
Speaker 1:Oh, I get it back before my doctor and the nice thing is with this practice they actually have LabCorp send it straight to you so you don't have to wait for the doctor to see the blood work. And then they probably love me as a patient because I'll see something and I'll be like, oh my God, this is not in my optimal range that I wanted, and so I'm texting them going. We need to get on a call immediately and they're like you're fine.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's funny.
Speaker 2:Don't be me, but yeah, I love that Cool, so I wanna take a pivot here. We've talked a lot about nutrition, medicine, the way you think about it. I would love to hear about your career right now in terms of how you're working to get ready for competitions, like how that is with regulating your blood sugars, cause I think that that will really align with a lot of the listeners, especially the listeners that are thinking about going into competitions or performing at a high level in whatever sport it might be, and even to the young females that wanna get more into weightlifting and stuff like that.
Speaker 1:Absolutely yeah. So I got into competing. I think my first show was 2022 and I did about like a year and a half prep for that, and before that I had probably been weightlifting again for about three years, cause, like I said, after high school I kind of went on. I guess the athlete background in me had to be working towards something all the time, so I would go run like half marathons or I think right before I had actually started weightlifting again. I was about to start training for a marathon. What I'm gonna tell you two different things. Yeah, 100% so, and not to knock anyone who does marathons, cause that is no joke, half marathons are no joke. But yeah, I don't know why, I think I just thought that was the next step and then I kind of snapped out of it.
Speaker 1:I was like okay, I'm gonna yeah, and I remember going to my brother who he had actually competed in a bodybuilding competition when he was in college and he's a coach and so he's had the background in strength training and coaching athletes and also lifestyle clients as well, but anyway.
Speaker 1:So he had done his show and I remember telling him I'm never gonna do that. And then fast forward I'm about to start training for a marathon. And I call him and I'm like I don't know what to do anymore. I said, you know, I started this running thing because it cleared my mind, it was very good for me therapeutically, yeah, and I said, and then, because I had to work towards something, I started just signing up for these half marathons. And the next thing, you know, it's like, okay, might as well do a full marathon.
Speaker 1:And I said but I don't feel good anymore and I don't, I'm not comfortable with the way my body looks and I just feel like I've I might've steered myself wrong here, trying to lose and reduce all of the muscle I had built from doing high school and college sports. So he was like lift weights. And I was like no, I don't wanna be bulky, I'm not doing that. And so, again, like I said, he had to sit me down and be like they were trying to make you perform, not trying to sculpt your body. There's a difference. And he said, not to mention that you're gonna hurt yourself without muscle. And he said also you know, the salads you're eating are not enough to sustain the amount of cardio you're doing right now. So I was on that salad kick and I have nothing against salads, except for the fact I don't really eat them that much anymore. I mean, if you wanna eat them, that's great, just make sure there's some macronutrients in that salad. So I knew nothing about that and I just started picking up weights again, and at first I didn't really have a training program. I didn't have a coach, nothing. I would like look up programs and workouts online and just do those in my gym and actually. So take another step back.
Speaker 1:My entire career, from college on, was actually in digital advertising, so it wasn't even competing or doing anything like that to begin with, and so I noticed that when I started doing that, it was like, yeah, it wasn't as easy for me to maybe go just throw my running shoes on and take off and run and not have to think about a workout program or anything, which is another reason I fully support finding a good coach that you drive with, because they can take the thinking out of it for you. But yeah, so I just started picking up weights again and I noticed, probably within four weeks, a huge change in my energy levels and I mean even my body composition, and I guess I started to realize the art of resistance training and the fact that you can do it just to look and feel good or you can do it to completely sculpt your body, and I think that's what I kind of became obsessed with. I was like, wow, okay. So previously weightlifting, I thought this was just the workout I had to do because a strength coach told me to. Now I'm understanding the science behind it and the different looks that people might be after and how to create that, and, again, I guess, just the science behind it as well. So I became obsessed.
Speaker 1:Needless to say, that was probably back in 2016. And then I started considering doing a show. I probably went another year or two without telling my brother that I was even thinking about that. I was like, no, there's no way I'm doing this Like it would come. It's happened to my mind. I'd be like no, and then actually I started to look into a little bit of the bodybuilding community more and found some of the type one athletes who have been Mr Olympia and have been very successful in the sport, and I was like, okay, well, now I guess this is what I'm working towards. Instead of running a marathon, I'm gonna do my first show.
Speaker 1:So at around the same time, my coach had just gotten her pro status in WBFF and she had done NPC prior, actually Was very successful in NPC, and she had coached athletes her entire career as well.
Speaker 1:So she got a pro status in WBFF and the wellness category and I remember seeing her physique and being like, okay, that's what I most resonate with, because I think that's important as well.
Speaker 1:People go into competing and they'll just do whatever their coach tells them to do, and I think the ones that are most successful at it build a body that they're comfortable with, not one that they think is gonna win on stage.
Speaker 1:There's a very big difference between that or trying to fit into a division. So for those who don't know, there's at least in WBFF, there's bikini wellness and then you go to fitness figure and then, if you wanna pursue straight bodybuilding after that, there's ways to do that as well, but those are the kind of more bikini figure categories that are available and that just means bikini. They wanna see that you're proportionate in your upper body and lower body Wellness. They wanna see you a little more developed on your lower body than upper body. Because of my background well, because of my genetics, but also my athletic background running track and being a sprinter and everything I had always had a little bit more over development in my lower body compared to my upper body. So I actually compete in both cause I am on that line, but I did end up getting my pro status and wellness as well.
Speaker 1:And so thank you, but yeah, so, but when it comes to I guess that's kind of what I love about bodybuilding is when it comes to looking and feeling good, I do. Now I will preface this to say there definitely is in everything, I think, an unhealthy aspect, so it's very important to be aware of what those are if you're going down the path of competing, and that's why having a coach that is very well versed and knows what you're comfortable with and knows the end goal for yourself, that's very important. It's very important to have an open line of communication with your coach, make sure you're all on the same page, because there is definitely, as in anything, there's an unhealthy aspect to it. But I think the way I've always approached it and my primary focus is on being healthy, not trying to again put a certain cat it's primarily being healthy. Secondly, being happy in my own skin, my own body, and then the competing aspect comes after that, and I think the ones who approach it that way are, I would say, probably more successful in the sport.
Speaker 2:What like when you, what is your, what's your philosophy or what do you kind of do like during the whole process and managing your blood sugar? Is there any like things specific that you feel like has helped you with being able to do this on a high level but then also keep your blood sugars in check?
Speaker 1:Yeah, so, with my career being in digital advertising primarily, I actually was traveling every week when I first started competing. I remember telling my coach that and she was like okay, it's like we'll see how that works out.
Speaker 1:For you, but we'll roll with it at first, yeah, I think, because I had already somewhat managed or paid attention to the way I was eating and exercising on the road, I was able to adapt to it a little bit better than maybe some other people. Again, this goes back to, like personal preference and just, I think, what you're used to and the routine you have. And if you're able to carry that routine, you know, and on the road with you, or traveling or whatever it may be, even just through, I mean, some people have careers where it's like they've got to be, they've got a clock in for 12 hours a day, and it's like when you balance the exercise and making sure you're getting your nutrition and everything, there is a way to do it. I believe that, no matter what your life is like and then again, yeah, on top of that, the other part of the just diabetes management and I tried I could probably do a better job at this, but I try to post things about how I travel and exercise and while managing my blood sugar levels and I think, honestly, it goes back to I've noticed and this goes back to how I coached just everyone in general I've noticed that when you can be as consistent as possible, you're gonna have the most success and that's with everything. And consistency doesn't mean falling off and throwing in the towel. And consistency doesn't mean not managing your blood sugar levels as well for a week and then just being like this isn't working out, we're just gonna forget it. It doesn't mean following your macro breakdown for a few days and then getting knocked off for a few days and saying, all right, this isn't working, we're just gonna forget it.
Speaker 1:So I noticed when I became consistent and that just meant I consistently followed a nutrition plan that was tailored to my goals and me personally, and when I went off of that the next day I just got back on it. I consistently dosed the same. So I'm on multiple daily injections, so I do long acting and short acting. So when I realized that I was taking my long acting at the same time, every day, consistently at the same dose, and not changing that dose based off of a feeling or a whim, but changing it off of actual data and seeing how my body was reacting to certain things, I had more success then. So I don't know if that's, I don't know if that really answers the question, but yeah, I guess just when I was more consistent with my type one management is when I saw the best results and had better control. I guess I'll put it that way, but I think a lot of people think that, oh I I'm always talking about, like the consistency.
Speaker 2:Missed my workout today, what we're doing and having good consistency can really help drive your diabetes management and help with insulin sensitivity and help with all the things that are going on in our daily life is like. Being consistent is so important as a diabetic.
Speaker 1:Yeah, 100%, and I think that following, I actually think that nutrition and an exercise program are good for type ones, because if you're not as consistent personally, it teaches you to be, and if you are, you're only gonna reap the benefits from it.
Speaker 2:So yeah, I love that.
Speaker 1:And it's gonna transcend in every aspect of your life. I do believe that If you can be consistent at diet, exercise and your wellbeing, it's literally going to follow you into every aspect of your life and I have noticed that 100%.
Speaker 1:But yeah, I mean, I'll see. I guess what I see most as individuals they'll get on a routine. They'll start taking a certain dose of something, whether it be long acting, fast acting, and they'll have their ratios dialed in and then something will happen where they missed an exercise one day, so maybe they're not as insulin sensitive now. They'll not follow their macros exactly, so now their carb count is knocked off and then I'll see them kind of just spiral out of control from there and instead of and I'm guilty of this too instead of the next day just getting back onto your regular schedule. So I mean, in my mind it's like I know that maybe for 12 hours or 24 hours yeah, I'm gonna be a little bit off on my management, but instead of, I kind of see a good both ways over correcting to the point where now you're on this roller coaster and kick it off, or I don't know if I should call, I guess like kind of this throwing in the towel type thing of well, I guess I'm just going to be riding in the 300s for the next 24 hours and it's like, okay, there's a happy medium there. The sooner you can get back to just being consistent and getting back on a routine and schedule. I think that's the best answer to managing everything. But I mean really, when it comes down to competing and all that kind of stuff, I feel like I'm actually able to have better control because I am on such strict macros all the time and I'm not one to say that you need to count every single calorie that you put into your mouth. I mean when you're competing yes, that's part of it, but just for lifestyle in general.
Speaker 1:I don't think that I'm not saying you have to count absolutely everything and that you can't intuitively eat. However, I will say that if you're having issues managing your blood sugars, I would highly suggest getting a coach who knows what they're doing when it comes to nutrition and putting you on correct macros because, if anything, it's going to teach you how to eat intuitively. Because before I started doing that, I didn't know what 150 grams of protein a day looked like. I didn't know I could guess carbs because I was taught that early on. But I mean, even there, I think we can all be a little bit better on that. I still can, because I definitely saw it in my days where I'm like definitely need four units for that. It's like no, you need eight.
Speaker 1:So yeah, I'm not saying that you need to be strict and count every single thing that you put in your mouth for the rest of your life, but I do think having that understanding of basic nutrition, what a healthy fat is, what a I don't want to say healthy carb, I'll say what a complex carb versus you know and what you know four ounces of chicken looks like versus what four ounces of beef looks like. I think that's important for everyone to know, and I've just found that counting macros is the best way to do it, and I've also found that when you do that, you do have more control, no matter what you're pursuing, if it's an athletic goal or just your day to day life, or if you have to travel a lot for a living. I just think it makes everything easier to manage because you know what you're dealing with. It's not a guessing game, and I think so many people with type one kind of just play this guessing game because they don't have they haven't been taught the tools available when it comes to nutrition and exercise.
Speaker 2:You know, like even with my own body, I know that if I lift weights on Monday, I'm going to be more insulin sensitive for the next three days and I know that about my body versus when, which is awesome, because a lot of people can't say that with further insulin sensitivity, a lot of people can say, oh, I'm going to be insulin sensitive for the next 10 hours or the next 24 hours.
Speaker 1:Yeah, exactly, and that brings another point too, when it comes down to cardio and other types of exercise. I also know that cardio so like riding a bike or walking or running is going to get my blood sugar down immediately, but it's not going to keep it there, like resistance training does. I just know that about my body and there's also science behind it. But I mean, knowing those little things about your body and just being in tune helps management so significantly. No matter what you're doing and I will say, with you know, competing with type one, there's a whole another level of, I guess, detail you have to pay attention to, because you are cutting weight and then you're gaining weight back. My first show I dropped 20 pounds for and I came out of it and ended up in the hospital because I did not reverse properly out of the cut. So there's that as well. That's why I say you know, I think for anyone, whether you're competing or not, hire a coach that knows what they're talking about when it comes to nutrition, so that they can get it tailored towards you. And that was just because I had a severe hypo, because I tried to take insulin that I would have taken when I was 20 pounds heavier and I was intuitively eating after the show and had no clue what I was putting into my body and it did not end well for me. So now and after the last you know a couple of shows when I've reversed out of it.
Speaker 1:We've been very strict about how I come out of that reverse. There's no, you know, I enjoy myself, I'll have like whatever treat I'm craving right after the show and I will go out and eat and enjoy my family and friends and everything. But there's no more. Take a week off and just eat whatever you want, like maybe some other competitors get to do. But I mean honestly, that's not and I guess we're going back to the non diabetic versus diabetic thing. But that's not healthy for anyone. I know a lot of folks now who compete who do not have type one. They are very in control and specific with the way they reverse out of it.
Speaker 2:And I like that too, because it's also there's something to be said too. It's part of your values, right? It's part?
Speaker 2:of like your values as part of your management style. It's part of how you want to live your life, and I think that that is another thing that people don't necessarily understand a grasp with this whole value concept. And I talk about values with like our personal values, but also our values with food. Like what do we actually value when it comes to food? Because some people don't value quality, some people value price, some people value other things and and it's important for people to understand that thought process of like what do you actually value compared to what the perception is, because your perception could be warped based off of you don't understand what your value is, so you're just.
Speaker 2:your perception is warped based off of what social media is telling you, what your doctor is telling you, whoever's what I'm telling you what you're telling you, so it doesn't. It doesn't? It's important to understand that thought process.
Speaker 1:Oh, I went through a phase of the why me, you know thought process and it was almost self sabotage against my body. And it was mainly in college where I was like this is ridiculous. I've been an athlete my entire life. I have trained, I have eaten healthy, I've done all the right things. Why, why do I have to pay this much attention?
Speaker 1:And I kind of took it for granted because you know a lot of I mean and this is the other thing too like people look at type ones and they think I feel like those who don't have it will say like, oh, chronic illness, you're just sick all the time. I mean, I really don't know what people think without it, but I think there's kind of that. Just there's like a stigma because they don't really understand it. They don't understand type one versus type two, they don't understand that we can in fact eat carbs and sugar or whatever it may be, as long as we are taking the proper decision to insulin, and they don't understand that the way we live is the way that everyone should be living regardless.
Speaker 1:So that was very hard for me, because I'm sitting there, you know, surrounded in college, you know out with my friends and everything, and we're all partying and I'm like why do I have to pay this much attention? And I remember like looking at other people going like this person hasn't picked up a weight or gone on a run and like their entire life and I do everything right, why is this happening to me? So I did go down that and it was almost self sabotage because then I was like, screw it, I'm going to eat whatever I want. And so I did go through that phase and then I've gone through the. I'm not dealing with the carbs, so I'm just cutting them out altogether, going low carb. So I've been through all of those phases and I guess, yeah, the conversation for me because I feel like there's not tips and tricks I can really throw out there, that's blanket, like this is how you manage your, your control. The best one I can give you is consistency.
Speaker 1:That's the best thing I can get, because, yeah, we can go from one extreme to the other. I think that's normal for our head to go there. But when you finally hunker down and realize what consistency means for you and that can mean like you were saying it's like what are your values, what do you care about? That can mean different things to a lot of different people and there's really no right or wrong answer when it comes to consistency. I would just say, the more anyone can be educated on proper nutrition and exercise, and you know, and again, when it comes to exercise, just move. But also please look into resistance training, some sort of resistance training, because especially for type one diabetics, but diabetic or not, I think that it can benefit most every human. And so, especially with the type ones, I will just say, taking someone who maybe had done, you know, other forms of exercise previously and just who just got into a resistance training program, they do notice that increase in insulin sensitivity pretty quickly.
Speaker 2:Yeah, 100% yeah, yeah, as as we kind of move in, move. At the end of this I want to just say that this has just been a an honor to talk to you, just fabulous to be able to connect with you and and just hear your expertise and get your expertise. We talked about it a lot today and anybody listening to this anybody who's listening to this.
Speaker 2:I really want you to take a second and reach out to this amazing woman because she has so much knowledge. If you're an inspiring female competitor, she can help you. She can answer questions. She could, you know, guide you in the right direction. Please reach out to this individual because she's she's just incredible. It's just been such an amazing conversation. I appreciate it so much.
Speaker 1:Thank you. I feel like we covered so much today. We did cover so much.
Speaker 2:We're going to have to take you on again to talk, even in more depth and stuff, because I I, I mean the whole, the whole conversation. I'm like just like having all of these amazing things go through my head. Ooh, we need to talk about this, we need to talk about this. So, yeah, definitely we'll. We'll get you back on for sure.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and please reach out to either of us on details for any of that. Yeah Again, I know that was a lot yeah.
Speaker 2:There's a lot, lots of information. So, um, this is probably definitely one that I will listen to multiple times as it comes out, because I want to go back and listen to some of this stuff too. So, um, yeah, thank you so much, girl, for coming and being on the show. It was an absolute pleasure to have you on again. Everyone, please make sure to reach out to her. Um, what, what is your social handle? Just so everyone knows. I will put everything in the show notes, all of her contact information. So please look at the show notes too, but just so we have it on kind of audio form. Here is like you know what are your socials and how can people reach out to you?
Speaker 1:Yeah, my um Instagram handle is christianafitness and christiana is spelt like Christian with an A at the end, so christianafitness is where you can find me. Um, I've got uh resources and everything in my link tree and the link in bio. Um, and yeah, feel free to send me a message or ask me any questions. Um, happy to help in any way I can.
Speaker 2:Yeah, thank you very much, girl. This was awesome.
Speaker 1:Thanks. This was a blast. That's awesome, thank you. Thanks for presenting thank you ceremony. I implement a call-outs here around the field, so my login is extra helpful. Address, speak or call. Just past this تلك التو ب 수. Receive a message or call you.