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Getting Lean with Diabetes

Diabetes is an auto-immune disease and therefore makes it a bit more difficult for us to build muscle, but it can be done, as long as you take take the right steps.  Throughout my years of training and having diabetes I have gathered a lot of information about building muscle and staying lean. Of course I don't know all there is to know, but over time, through countless trial and error I have come up with some key tips to help diabetics (and people without) train effectively, build muscle and stay lean, all while keeping blood glucose levels within range (no need to worry about this if you're not diabetic, your body will take care of itself). Don't rub it in. 1) Check blood glucose . This has to be my first tip. I really can't emphasise enough how important it is to frequently check your blood sugar levels. Apart from leading to serious long term complications such as blindness, loss of limbs, alzheimer's disease and even putting a dint in your life expe
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My Diabetes Diagnoses

I have had diabetes for about 4/5 years now. When I first heard the news it obviously came as a huge shock to my family and me. With little to no knowledge (basically nothing) about the condition and wondering why I had even got it in the first place, I really believed my life was going to change. It has, but I've made those changes work for me. Type 1 Diabetes is a fast approaching condition, it almost comes out of nowhere!  It was during the Christmas period in 2012 when it all became clear. For a month or so previous to this I had been experiencing some abnormalities within myself and my behaviour but didn't treat it as if it was anything too serious. I was constantly thirsty, I remember standing by my kitchen sink, drinking glass after glass of water but couldn't relieve the thirst. I had almost no appetite, which was strange for me because I've always made short work of any dinner put in front of me. I had no energy and felt constantly fatigued, any time I

Diabetic Myths

Throughout my years of living with Type 1 Diabetes I have been asked a number of different questions, heard different stories and listened to some pretty ridiculous myths about the condition. Here are a few of the most widespread myths being busted…..  1) Eating too much sugar causes diabetes There are two main types of diabetes - Type 1 and Type 2. With Type 1 diabetes,  the insulin producing cells in your pancreas are destroyed by your immune system (autoimmune disease). No amount of sugar in your diet or lack of exercise can result in this. With Type 2 diabetes we know that sugar doesn't directly cause it, but your chances of developing type 2 diabetes are certainly increased if you are overweight. I'm sure we all know that you gain weight when you are consuming more calories than your body needs (caloric surplus), and sugary foods and drinks contain a lot of calories. So you can see that if sugar is making you put on weight you are much more at risk of developi

My Top 10 Tips for Living With Diabetes

I thought I'd share some of my top tips from my own experience of living with Type 1 Diabetes to help you live a healthy life with the condition. There are hundreds I could write but these are the ones I've narrowed it down to and have found most helpful. If you have any additional tips please comment them down below for others to read. 1) Always test. If you are ever in doubt about how you feel or what your sugars are at, TEST! 2) Have back up at all times. Back up insulin, back up testing strips, back up glucose sweets, back up needles. You never know when you might need them. 3) Reduce carbs and sugars at night. What I've learned to do and what I've found has been hugely beneficial is reducing carbs at night time. I know this can't always be done because we may be out with friends or at an evening dinner but try to when you can. I generally don't eat carbs after 10pm. This lets my sugars settle before bed and it reduces the risk of a hypo or high blo