Diabetes Strong Sign Up Information

Hey Elizabeth,

Welcome to Diabetes Strong’s Fit with Diabetes Challenge!

I’m so excited that you have signed up and want to do this challenge with me. It’s going to be fun!

The challenge starts on January 6 and you can expect a lot of good information, fun exercises, meal plans, support, and community interactions – all directly in your inbox, on Diabetes Strong, and on Facebook (don't worry, you don't have to be on Facebook to participate).

Things to do right now

There are a few thing you should do before the challenge even starts:

• Join the Diabetes Strong Community on Facebook - this is where our community support will happen, where we cheer each other on, share stories and advice, and win awesome weekly prizes
• Invite others to join the challenge – the more the merrier!! By building a group around this challenge, we can create a support system where we help each other, give and seek support, and ensure that more people with diabetes have the tools to get fit with diabetes
• Make sure the challenge emails don’t get lost in your spam folder – If you don’t see any challenge emails, check your “spam” or “junk” folder.
• Learn more about challenge sponsor Eversense, the first 90-day CGM (180 days in Europe)

IMPORTANT!

If you are new to exercising or haven’t seen your medical team in a while, please ensure that you get a green light to start exercising before starting the challenge. It’s always a good idea to talk to your medical team before starting something new and perhaps get a quick health checkup.

I really look forward to doing this challenge with you! Keep an eye out for the next challenge email and remember to join the Facebook challenge group and like the Diabetes Strong Facebook page!

- Christel

Insulin Resistance: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment Options

Insulin resistance is at the center of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. People with type 1 diabetes can also develop significant insulin resistance. In this article, we’ll discuss the symptoms and causes of insulin resistance, and what you can do to improve it.

Read More

Hey Elizabeth,

Before we start the Fit With Diabetes Challenge on January 3, I would like to introduce you to Eversense. Their sponsorship is what makes this free challenge possible!

Eversense is the first and only implantable CGM that lasts for 90 days (180 in Europe). It is one of the most accurate CGM systems, especially when your sugar levels are low (which is when you need it the most).

Here are some short facts about the Eversense System:

• Implantable sensor
• Lasts up to 90 days (180 days in Europe)
• On-body vibration alerts (via the transmitter on your arm) when your sugar levels are low or high
• Smartphone app with real-time tracking
• Chargeable, water-resistant, removable transmitter (you can take it on and off whenever you like)

I love that this is another CGM option for people with diabetes and I highly encourage you to learn more about Eversense on their website. You will also get the chance to ask them questions directly in our Facebook group during the challenge.

CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE EVERSENSE WEBSITE

- Christel

Hi Elizabeth,

The Fit With Diabetes challenge starts today!

Are you ready to embark on a 3-week journey with me? I promise that it will be fun, sweaty, empowering, and educational, and all in the same positive and easy to understand tone you’ve gotten used to from Diabetes Strong.

You will get an email with the program for the following week every Thursday during the challenge so you can start planning your schedule. You will also get an email every evening (US Pacific time) with the next day’s challenge.

This week, we’re going to hit the ground running. We’ll start out by learning how to set realistic goals and find our positive motivation (what will keep us going in the long run), and the rest of the week is focused on weight management, food, and exercise. And don’t worry, we’ll also address how to exercise safely and effectively with diabetes.

We’ll be moving every day! Not doing a full workout every day, but just getting in the habit of doing something active for at least 20-30 minutes. A little movement can make a huge difference in your diabetes management.

Aside from the extra daily movement, we’ll also be doing structured workouts every week. This week, we’ll be doing a resistance training program (or your own routine if you already have one) Sunday and Wednesday. If this doesn’t fit your schedule, you are of course welcome to do the workouts on other days. Just try to get in the workouts every week (we’ll up it to 3 workouts weekly in weeks 2 and 3).

You’ll receive the challenge meal plan on Saturday. Whatever your health goal is, getting your nutrition dialed in is key. The meal plans can be used for weight management or you can add more food for muscle building. It’s all described in the plans.

What’s a little different from previous year's challenges is that you’ll only get one meal plan for this challenge. However, it covers a whole week of meals and snacks.

This year’s challenge is sponsored by Eversense Diabetes, the first and only 90-day Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) system. To learn more about how Eversense can help your diabetes care, please visit the Eversense website.

Here is a high-level overview of what we will be doing each day this week:

Friday - Goal Setting and Motivation + 20-30 min. movement

Saturday - Healthy Meal Plan + 20-30 min. movement

Sunday - One of the challenge workouts (or your exercise of choice)

Monday How to Find Your Formula for Food and Insulin Around Workouts (if you use insulin) OR How to Lower Your Blood Sugar When Not on Insulin (if you don’t use insulin) + 20-30 min. movement

Tuesday - How Resistance Training Affect Your Blood Sugar + 20-30 min. movement

Wednesday – How to Lose Weight When You Live With Diabetes + one of the challenge workouts (or your exercise of choice)

Thursday - How to Deal With Emotional Eating + 20-30 min. movement + weekly prize draw

This week’s prizes are 3 copies of my Fit With Diabetes Ebook. I will draw the 3 winners at random from everyone who has been active in the challenge Facebook group during the week.

Please be honest in defining your starting point and fitness level. Don’t go from nothing to hardcore boot camp classes overnight. Walking is an excellent choice for the daily movement challenges, or simply do something active that you love.

Let’s get this challenge started!

- Christel

How to Stop Binge-Eating During Low Blood Sugars

A habit of binge-eating during low blood sugars can wreak havoc on your blood sugar levels, your energy, your weight, and your daily life. In this article, we’ll discuss how to stop the cycle and habit of binge-eating during low blood sugars.

Read More

Hey Elizabeth,

The start of the Fit With Diabetes Challenge is quickly approaching, so why not link up with me and the other participants on social media?

Juts to be clear, you definitely don’t have to be on social media to take the challenge. Everything you need will be on Diabetes Strong and in the daily challenge emails, but connecting with other challenge participants on social media is a great way to get motivated, learn from other people with diabetes, and ask questions.

How to join the challenge on social media

• We have a very active and friendly Facebook group for challenge participants. Drop in and say hi and meet the other participants.
• Follow my main Facebook page. This is where I share diabetes news, advice, stories, and everything not directly related to the challenge.
• If you want to connect on Instagram, follow Diabetes Strong (@DiabetesStrong_IG) and tag me in your posts. You can also use the hashtag (#DiabetesStrong) to share your posts with the other challenge participants.
• Follow Diabetes Strong on Pinterest (@DiabetesStrong). It’s not really part of the challenge, but it’s a great place to find additional healthy recipes to make during the challenge.

I can’t wait to get started and I hope to see you on social media and get to know you!

- Christel

Hi Elizabeth,

Welcome to Day 1 of the Fit With Diabetes Challenge, I’m so excited that we’ll be starting this 3-week journey together today!

Today’s challenge is all about setting you up for success. Before you can make any meaningful changes to your health, fitness, and diabetes management, you need two things:

• Clear and realistic goals for what you want to achieve
• The (positive) motivation that will allow you to work towards your goals on a daily basis

Of course, your goals can change during the challenge as you learn more about healthy nutrition and exercise. That’s ok! If you have to revise your goals a few times, that just means that you have gotten a better idea about what you want and what’s possible.

During the challenge, I encourage you to use a pedometer (can be the one on your phone) to track your activity as well as a journal to keep track of your progress. Studies show that doing this can increase weekly activity and keep your motivation up.

Today’s Challenges are

Read: How to set Realistic Fitness and Diabetes Goals and Find Your Positive Motivation

Do: Write down your diabetes and fitness goals and your positive motivation (you can use the printout in the article). Try to create a 1-week goal, a 3-week goal, and a 6-month goal (You don’t have to finish your long-term goals today. Spend the time you need to think about them).

Sweat: Be active for at least 20-30 minutes. Do any type of recreational movement; go for a walk, hike, yoga, stretching or do something else that's fun (put on some music and dance!)

When you have decided on your goals and motivation, share them with the challenge Facebook group (only if you want to. It’s NOT a requirement) and spend a little time reading other people’s goals as well for inspiration and motivation. I will create a post in the group where we all can share our goals, so please look for that.

I really look forward to reading about your goals and motivation!

- Christel

The challenge is sponsored by Eversense Diabetes, the first and only 90-day Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) system. To learn more about how Eversense can help your diabetes care, please visit the Eversense Diabetes website.

Hi Elizabeth,

No matter if you are trying to lose weight, gain muscle mass or just be healthy living with diabetes, nutrition is 80% of the road to success. You can’t outrun a bad diet. That’s why we will focus on healthy nutrition and meal planning right from the start!

I know that healthy nutrition (and especially how many carbs to eat) is a topic that causes a great deal of discussion in the diabetes community. I make no claim that the approach I describe in today’s challenge is the only right way to do it, but it’s what works for me and the clients I work with. If you are doing something different that works for you, definitely keep doing it!

This meal plan covers a whole week of main meals and snacks. If you follow the plan, you’ll be eating 1,600 calories a day. That is, of course, not the amount everyone wants to eat so I have included instructions on how to calculate your daily calorie needs (with a step-by-step guide).

Today’s Challenges are

Read: 7 -Day Diabetes Meal Plan

Do: Calculate your daily calorie equilibrium and use that to adjust the meal plan with the right calorie level for you and your goals.

Optional challenge: It can be a great eye-opener to track exactly what you eat for just a few days to get a better understanding of your current nutrition. Do you know how many calories you are eating today? Apps like MyFitnessPal are great free resources for tracking food.

Sweat: The exercise goal for today is to do something active for 20-30 minutes (like a walk during lunch break or a dance class). You will get the first challenge workout tomorrow.

If you have any questions about how to calculate your calorie need or about the meal plan, please ask them in the Facebook group so everyone can see the questions and answers.

- Christel

The challenge is sponsored by Eversense Diabetes, the first and only 90-day Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) system. To learn more about how Eversense can help your diabetes care, please visit the Eversense website.

Hi Elizabeth,

Today’s post is an important one if you have weight loss as one of your goals for this challenge. The numbers on the scale can give you important information about your progress, but if you’re not careful, those numbers can also lead to a downward spiral of negative thoughts and emotions.

I am not an expert in mental health, so I have asked Diabetes Psychologist Mark Heyman to write a post about “How to Lose Weight in an Emotionally Safe Way”.

Besides being a Diabetes Psychologist and Certified Diabetes Educator, Mark is also the Founder and Director of the Center for Diabetes and Mental Health.

Today’s Challenges are

Read: How to Lose Weight in an Emotionally Safe Way

Sweat: Do something active for at least 20-30 minutes

- Christel

The challenge is sponsored by Eversense Diabetes, the first and only 90-day Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) system. To learn more about how Eversense can help your diabetes care, please visit the Eversense website.

Hi Elizabeth,

Few of us live in a bubble where every day is the same and we never receive a curve ball of some sort. Life tends to mess with even the best-laid plans!

When you live with diabetes, this is even truer. A “normal” day can suddenly become a challenge if you have to deal with unexpectedly high or low blood sugars.

In today’s post, I focus on how to mentally and practically handle situations where we can’t necessarily eat what we planned to, or we have to skip a workout.

Today’s Challenges are

Read: What to Do When Life Gets in the Way of Your Health Journey

Sweat: Do something active for at least 20-30 minutes

- Christel

The challenge is sponsored by Eversense Diabetes, the first and only 90-day Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) system. To learn more about how Eversense can help your diabetes care, please visit the Eversense website.

Hi Elizabeth,

Diabetes burnout is a very real thing for many people living with diabetes, and I’m happy to see that it’s finally receiving more attention and being taken seriously throughout the diabetes community.

Since diabetes burnout is not a specialty of mine, I’m thrilled that this expert article by Ginger Vieira explains what diabetes burnout is and gives her advice on how it’s possible to work through it. She is a true diabetes warrior and, among many other things, the author of “Dealing with Diabetes Burnout”.

Today’s Challenges are

Read: Diabetes Burnout: Why It Might Not Be What You Think It Is (And How to Work Through It!)

Do: Reflect on Ginger’s post and think about what you can do for yourself and those around you.

Sweat: Complete one of the challenge workouts or your own routine.

If you want to share your story of diabetes burnout in the Facebook group, please do it in the comments to today’s post (it’s pinned to the top of the group). Having all the stories and comments in one place so we can read them could be very powerful for us all!

- Christel

The challenge is sponsored by Eversense Diabetes, the first and only 90-day Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) system. To learn more about how Eversense can help your diabetes care, please visit the Eversense website.

Hi Elizabeth,

Oh, glorious sleep! Although, if you’re not getting enough shuteye, sleep might be something you think of with dread.

Getting the right amount of quality sleep can do wonders for your diabetes management so it’s worth the time to focus on your sleep and remove any barriers you might encounter to getting a good night's sleep.

So let’s dive into today's article and learn more about sleep, how it can impact blood sugars, what might be hindering you getting enough good sleep, and what you can do to improve your sleep.

Today’s Challenges are

Read:Diabetes and Sleep Problems

Do: If sleep quality is an issue for you, identify at least one thing that you can change to start improving it.

Sweat: Complete one of the challenge workouts or your own routine.

- Christel

The challenge is sponsored by Eversense Diabetes, the first and only 90-day Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) system. To learn more about how Eversense can help your diabetes care, please visit the Eversense website.

Hi Elizabeth,

You most likely have been told that you have to drink “enough water”. But why? And what is “enough?”

Today, we’ll learn more about the important role water can play in our diabetes management and how to determine what enough water means for you.

Today’s Challenges are

Read: Water and Diabetes Are You Drinking Enough Water

Do: Think of how you can ensure that you stay adequately hydrated.

Sweat: Be active for at least 20-30 minutes.

Please share how you plan on staying hydrated with us all in the Facebook group and what your experience is with dehydration and blood sugar management

- Christel

The challenge is sponsored by Eversense Diabetes, the first and only 90-day Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) system. To learn more about how Eversense can help your diabetes care, please visit the Eversense website.

Hi Elizabeth,

We’re already through week 2 of the Fit With Diabetes Challenge and you’re still hanging in there. Awesome job!

Since it’s the end of week 2, let’s end it on a sweet note by discussing blood sugar friendly sweeteners. I often hear people express a lot of confusion about what sweeteners will impact blood sugars so let’s get the facts straight.

I also encourage you to reflect on the tools we have learned and discussed this week. Now could be a good time to pull out your journal if you’re using that as a tool for motivation during the challenge.

Because this is the last day of week 2, I will also draw the 3 winners of my Diabetes Strong Cookbook.

I will draw the winners at random from everyone who has been active in the Facebook group and have signed up for the challenge. If you want to make sure that you are in the draw, please leave a comment on this post and let me know you will like to win the giveaway (or just let Eversense know that they are awesome for sponsoring the challenge)

Today’s Challenges are

Read: The Best Sweeteners for People with Diabetes

Do: Think about what you learned in week 2 and how it can help you reach your goals

Sweat: Be active for at least 20-30 minutes.

If you feel like sharing how you plan on using the knowledge you’ve gained this week to reach your goals, or just tell us about your favorite sweetener and how you use, we’d love to hear it in the Facebook group

- Christel

The challenge is sponsored by Eversense Diabetes, the first and only 90-day Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) system. To learn more about how Eversense can help your diabetes care, please visit the Eversense website.

Hi Elizabeth,

Welcome to week 2 of the Fit With Diabetes Challenge. Wow, that first week went by fast!

This week we’re focusing on polishing our diabetes management skills and adding to our diabetes management toolbox. So we’ll start out with a heavy hitter, working on our A1c (a measure for our average blood sugars over the last 3 months).

We are always told that having a low A1c is an important goal in our diabetes management, but do you know why? Do you know what a good A1c target is, how to lower your A1c, and how quickly you can lower your A1c safely?

In today’s post, I will try to answer all of those questions!

Today’s Challenges are

Read: How to Lower Your A1c

Do: Consider what tips from the article you can include in your diabetes management practice to improve your A1c and time-in-range

Sweat: Do something active for at least 20-30 minutes

- Christel

The challenge is sponsored by Eversense Diabetes, the first and only 90-day Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) system. To learn more about how Eversense can help your diabetes care, please visit the Eversense website.

Hi Elizabeth,

Can you believe we’re already kicking off week 3 of the Fit With Diabetes challenge?

It’s the last week of the challenge, but that doesn’t mean that we are slowing down. In fact, we have saved some of the most important posts for last.

This week is all about continuing the journey we have started together. We’ll focus on mental health and how to handle weight management in an emotionally safe way, so I am really excited about this week’s guest posts from diabetes experts Ginger Vieira (author of "Dealing with Diabetes Burnout) and Mark Heyman (Diabetes Psychologist)!

We will also look at how to make “Fit With Diabetes” a lifestyle and what to do if life gets in the way of our carefully laid plans.

Of course, we will also find the winner of our final challenge prize – Two Diabetes Strong T-shirt or hoodies.

Here is a high-level overview of what we will be doing each day this week:

Friday – Diabetes, Self-Care and Self-Love +20-30 min. movement

Saturday – Diabetes Burnout – What it is and how to work through it+ one of the challenge workouts or your own routine

Sunday – How to Lose Weight in an Emotionally Safe Way + 20-30 min. movement + Eversense Q&A

Monday – How To Stick To Your Diet And Workout Routine + one of the challenge workouts or your own routine

Tuesday – What to Do When Life Gets in the Way of Your Health Journey + 20-30 min. movement

Wednesday – How to Make “Fit With Diabetes” a Lifestyle + + one of the challenge workouts or your own routine

Thursday – Draw of the final challenge prize – a Diabetes Strong T-shirt or hoodie.

Let’s finish this challenge together!

- Christel

You asked for it and we listened!

This is a collecting of 50 of our most popular recipes from the Diabetes Strong recipe library, all ready to be downloaded and put to use.

This collection of recipes will show you that cooking with diabetes doesn’t mean that you have to give up on great flavor. Each recipe has been tested and approved by the Diabetes Strong team and the more than 1 million people who visit the website every month.

The book includes reader favorites like:

• Cottage cheese breakfast pancakes
• Chicken breast stuffed with cheese, basil, and sundried tomatoes
• The best oven-baked pork chops
• Great vegan recipes like our peanut butter fat bombs and strawberry smoothie bowl

All the recipes are fairly easy to make and it’s clearly marked if they are gluten-free, dairy-free or vegan so you know if they fit your dietary requirements. They all have less than 20 grams of net carbs per serving, and many of them are keto-friendly as well.

Hi Elizabeth,

Are you ready to kick off week 2 of the Fit With Diabetes challenge?

This week is all about sharpening our diabetes management skills and expanding our diabetes management toolbox.

You’ll learn practical tips you can implement to improve your daily management and make sure you reach your fitness and health goals, whatever they might be. Because if we don’t have the basics down for managing our diabetes everything else won’t fall into place. So let’s get practical!

Of course, we’ll also continue to move every day and focus on our nutrition! A minimum of 20-30 minutes of movement is still the target and this week we’re also doing three structured workouts (the one I sent you last week or your own routine).

This year’s challenge is sponsored by Eversense Diabetes, the first and only 90-day Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) system. To learn more about how Eversense can help your diabetes care, please visit the Eversense website.

Here is a high-level overview of what we will be doing each day this week:

Friday - How to Lower Your A1c + 20-30 min. movement

Saturday - Coffee and Diabetes: How Coffee Affects Blood Sugar + one of the challenge workouts (or your exercise of choice)

Sunday – How to Improve Your Insulin Sensitivity + 20-30 min. movement

Monday - How to Avoid High Morning Blood Sugars + one of the challenge workouts (or your exercise of choice)

Tuesday – Are You Drinking Enough Water? + 20-30 min. movement

Wednesday - Diabetes and Sleep Problems + one of the challenge workouts (or your exercise of choice)

Thursday – The best sweeteners for people with diabetes + 20-30 min. movement + weekly prize draw

This week’s prizes are 3 copies of my Diabetes Strong Cookbook.

I will draw the five winners at random from everyone who has been active in the challenge Facebook group during the week.

- Christel

Hi Elizabeth,

Can you believe that this is the last day of the 2020 Fit With Diabetes challenge?

Thank you for joining me on this 3-week journey. I hope it has been a learning experience, and that it has opened your eyes to how much you can actively do for your physical and mental health.

I’ve been amazed and incredibly proud to read about your progress (and struggles) in the Facebook group and on Diabetes Strong. I know it has been challenging for many of you, but that’s ok, trying something new and pushing yourself a little outside your comfort zone should be challenging. That’s how we learn and grow.

Today’s post focuses on how you can take many of the things we have discussed and convert them from challenges to habits. How you can make them part of your everyday routine.

We’ll keep the Facebook group open and active so you can continue to find peer support and ask questions, even after the challenge is over. And, of course, we’ll continue to bring you great content on Diabetes Strong.

Thank you so much for doing this challenge with me!

Oh, and we still have the final giveaway tomorrow so don’t stop checking your email just yet…

Today’s Challenges are

Read: How to Make “Fit With Diabetes” a Lifestyle

Do: Identify at least one thing from the challenge that you’d like to become a habit and make a short and long-term plan for that to happen.

Sweat: Complete one of the challenge workouts or your own routine.

See you on Diabetes Strong, in our Facebook group, and when we do the next Fit With Diabetes Challenge!

- Christel

Hi Elizabeth,

We are almost through week 1 of the challenge and I hope you are enjoying it as much as I am. I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to see how active and supportive of each other you are in the challenge Facebook group. Keep being awesome!

If you haven’t done all the daily challenges or read all the posts on Diabetes Strong, please don’t worry about it. You are definitely not alone. There are a lot of people who do the challenge at their own pace or only do parts of it. As long as you are learning something new, finding motivation, or implementing just one new healthy habit, you are doing the challenge successfully.

And if you don’t have time to do all the challenges right now, you can always come back to them later. The post on Diabetes Strong and the Facebook group aren’t going anywhere.

As for today’s topic, raise your hand if you prefer not to be bothered by your diabetes while working out! Yes, right?

Having to stop a workout because of a low/high blood sugar is the WORST, so let’s take a look at how resistance training can affect your blood sugar and what you can do to keep it in line during and after your workout.

This post is relevant for you if you treat your diabetes with insulin or certain type 2 drugs (like Amaryl and Prandin) and are tired of seeing your blood sugars be all over the place when exercising.

Today’s Challenges are

Read: How Resistance Training Affect Your Blood Sugar

Do: Think about how your blood sugar normally reacts to resistance training and if there is anything you should change in your pre and post-workout routine.

Sweat: Be active for at least 20-30 minutes.

- Christel

The challenge is sponsored by Eversense Diabetes, the first and only 90-day Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) system. To learn more about how Eversense can help your diabetes care, please visit the Eversense website.

Hi Elizabeth,

Probably one of the most infuriating things when living with diabetes is to watch your blood sugars rise in the morning before you even eat anything. Or maybe even before you get out of bed.

It happens because our bodies are trying to be helpful by releasing a kick of glucose to help us get the day started. But as much as it’s trying to be helpful, it most often isn’t for us living with diabetes.

In today’s post, you’ll learn why this happens and what you can do proactively to reduce those morning highs

Today’s Challenges are

Read: How to Avoid High Morning Blood Sugars

Sweat: Complete one of the challenge workouts or your own routine.

Please share your experience with high morning blood sugars in the Facebook group and what you are doing to limit them

- Christel

The challenge is sponsored by Eversense Diabetes, the first and only 90-day Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) system. To learn more about how Eversense can help your diabetes care, please visit the Eversense website.

Hi Elizabeth,

I hope you are enjoying your Saturday. Maybe you’re even curled up in front of the computer with a hot cup of delicious coffee?

Talking about coffee, did you know that coffee is the most popular beverage in the world, with more than 400 billion cups consumed each year? And did you know that for some people, coffee impacts their blood sugar significantly?

I’m not telling you to stop drinking coffee, but it’s important you know how it can impact your blood sugar and what you can do about it.

Today’s read is fairly light, so this is also a chance to catch up on anything you may have missed from week 1 of the challenge. I know that week 1 was pretty intense with new meal plans, workouts, and a lot of reading, so today is your chance to catch up if needed.

It’s also a great opportunity to spend some time journaling your thoughts and progress. Remember that journaling (maybe even combined with a pedometer) is a great way to increase your activity and make you stick with it.

Today’s Challenges are

Read: Coffee and Diabetes: How Coffee Affect Blood Sugar + any posts you might have missed from week 1

Do: Think about coffee impacts your blood sugar if at all and what you’d like to do about it

Sweat: Complete one of the challenge workouts or your own routine.

If you feel like sharing your thoughts on today’s post or your experiences with coffee in the Facebook group, I would love to hear them

- Christel

The challenge is sponsored by Eversense Diabetes, the first and only 90-day Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) system. To learn more about how Eversense can help your diabetes care, please visit the Eversense website.

Hi Elizabeth,

It’s January, which means that most people’s challenge goals include which way they would like their weight to move over the next 3 weeks. That’s why we focus on healthy nutrition and meal planning right from the start!

Today’s post is called “How to Lose Weight with Type 1 Diabetes” but it works just as well if you live with another type of diabetes. It covers some of the topics we have already discussed (like how to find your daily calorie need) plus a lot more.

If weight management is something you struggle with, then I really suggest you bookmark today’s post (or keep this email) so you can go back and read it whenever you like. It will still be available on Diabetes Strong after the challenge is over.

Today’s Challenges are

Read: How to Lose Weight When You Live with Diabetes

Sweat: Complete one of the challenge workouts or your own routine.

If you have any questions about weight management, please ask them in the Facebook group.

- Christel

The challenge is sponsored by Eversense Diabetes, the first and only 90-day Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) system. To learn more about how Eversense can help your diabetes care, please visit the Eversense website.

Hi Elizabeth,

It’s time to get our sweat on! Today’s challenge introduces the challenge workouts.

The workouts have been created with improving insulin sensitivity in mind. That means that we’ll be doing resistance training in this challenge. By using your muscles, you can improve how well your body utilizing the insulin you produce or inject, without adding any more medication.

So for us living with (any type of) diabetes, resistance training can really be the golden key to great diabetes management.

You’ll find a bodyweight home workout, a resistance band workout, a dumbbell home workout, and a gym workout in today's post.

If you already have your own workout routine that you love doing, I suggest you stick with it. But if you need a new routine, these workouts are for you.

Today’s Challenges are

Sweat: Complete one of the challenge workouts or your own routine.

If you have questions about today’s posts or want to share your workout, please join the conversation in the challenge Facebook group. Everything is easier if we help and support each other.

- Christel

The challenge is sponsored by Eversense Diabetes, the first and only 90-day Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) system. To learn more about how Eversense can help your diabetes care, please visit the Eversense website.

Hi Elizabeth,

Yesterday was the last day of the Fit With Diabetes Challenge, but we still have the draw for the main prize left!

2 lucky winners will get the opportunity to show off their diabetes strength in any of our T-shirt designs. What I love about wearing a Strong With Diabetes T-shirt or hoodie is that not only is it a conversation starter, it’s also an empowering statement.

Yes, I am strong and Yes, I do live with diabetes. That’s part of who I am, and I’m not ashamed to say that out (very) loud.

I hope you can embrace your diabetes as well. I really believe it’s the main pathway to living successfully with diabetes.

I will draw the winners at random from everyone who has been active in the Facebook group and have signed up for the challenge. If you want to make sure that you are in the draw, please leave a comment on this post and let me know you will like to win the giveaway (or just let Eversense know that they are awesome for sponsoring the challenge)

Thank you for a great start to 2020 and for rocking this year's Fit With Diabetes Challenge.

Good luck!

- Christel

Hi Elizabeth,

Time to get smart about exercise and diabetes. Today’s challenge has two different posts – one for people who use insulin and one for people who don’t.

The question I am asked most often by people who treat their diabetes with insulin is: “How do I figure out what to eat and how much insulin to take so that I can exercise without worrying about my blood sugar?”

I have used cardio workouts as an example in today’s post, but you can apply the exact same methodology to resistance training. The post even has a printout you can use to track what you do so you can start finding your formula for food and insulin around workouts and set yourself up for long-term success.

If you don’t use insulin, please read my post about how you can use exercise to lower your blood sugar – both as a quick fix to bring down a high blood sugar and as a way to permanently improve your insulin sensitivity.

Today’s Challenges are

Read: How to Find Your Formula for Insulin and Food Around Workouts (if you use insulin)

Read: How to Lower Your Blood Sugar With Exercise (If you don’t use Insulin)

Sweat: Be active for at least 20-30 minutes and pay attention to your blood sugars when you exercise.

If you have questions about today’s posts or want to share your tricks to managing food and insulin around workouts, please join the conversation in the challenge Facebook group. Everything is easier if we help and support each other.

- Christel

The challenge is sponsored by Eversense Diabetes, the first and only 90-day Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) system. To learn more about how Eversense can help your diabetes care, please visit the Eversense website.

Hi Elizabeth,

One of the key things to focus on when living with diabetes is to keep your insulin sensitivity top tuned.

If you are incorporating resistance training into your routine, you are already taking a good first step, but do you know all the other ways you can improve your insulin sensitivity and why it’s so beneficial?

Regardless of the type of diabetes you live with, this article is for you.

Today’s Challenges are

Read: How to Improve Your Insulin Sensitivity

Do: Think of ways that you can start to work on your insulin sensitivity based on the recommendations in the article.

Sweat: Be active for at least 20-30 minutes.

- Christel

The challenge is sponsored by Eversense Diabetes, the first and only 90-day Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) system. To learn more about how Eversense can help your diabetes care, please visit the Eversense website.

Hi Elizabeth,

Starting a new diet or workout routine is easy. Sticking to it is hard! The initial excitement has a tendency to wear off rather quickly unless you find a way to stay motivated and hold yourself accountable.

Some of you are already using a pedometer to track your activity and maybe also a journal to stay motivated, and in today’s post, I want to share some of the tips and trick that I use to stick to my diet and workout plans. I developed them when I trained for my first fitness competition several years ago and I still use them today.

Today’s Challenges are

Read: How to Stick to Your Diet and Workout Routine

Sweat: Complete one of the challenge workouts or your own routine.

I would love to hear what you do to stick to your diet and workout routine. If you have a method that works for you, please share it in the Facebook group.

- Christel

The challenge is sponsored by Eversense Diabetes, the first and only 90-day Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) system. To learn more about how Eversense can help your diabetes care, please visit the Eversense Diabetes.

Everything You Need to Know About Walmart Insulin

The cost of insulin is a serious problem for many people who live with insulin-dependent diabetes in the United States. That’s why some people turn to Walmart’s ReliOn Insulin and other over-the-counter insulins. In this article, we’ll discuss what kinds of insulin are available from Walmart’s “ReliOn” brand, what they cost, how they work, and if they are a good option for you.

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Hi Elizabeth,

As we go into this last week of the challenge, I want you to really focus on YOU!

“Smile in the mirror. Do that every morning and you'll start to see a big difference in your life.” Yoko Ono

Let me add to this quote: Don’t just smile, smile because you love the reflection looking back at you. Not necessarily because you love the way you look, but because you genuinely love the person you are. And if you don’t, let’s talk about how we can change that.

Today, I want to focus on the foundation of each of us, which is our own self-worth. We tend to get so tangled up in our diabetes care, or taking care of others, that we sometimes forget about the “I”. We forget to care for and love ourselves.

So, let’s change that! Are you with me?

Today’s Challenges are

Read: Diabetes, Self-Care and Self-Love

Do: Give yourself a mental hug and tell yourself that you love you!

Sweat: Be active for at least 20-30 minutes

Today’s challenge can be a very hard one. Please use the Facebook group for support as much as you like!

- Christel

The challenge is sponsored by Eversense Diabetes, the first and only 90-day Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) system. To learn more about how Eversense can help your diabetes care, please visit the eversense website.

Insulin Types: Their Peak Times and Durations

Insulin is a hormone every living mammal needs in order to stay alive. In those of us with diabetes, insulin is either something we don’t produce at all or something we struggle to produce enough of. Let’s take a closer look at insulin, how it works, and the many options available today for people with diabetes.

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Insulin Types: Their Peak Times and Durations

Insulin is a hormone every living mammal needs in order to stay alive. In those of us with diabetes, insulin is either something we don’t produce at all or something we struggle to produce enough of. Let’s take a closer look at insulin, how it works, and the many options available today for people with diabetes.

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Hi Elizabeth,

The purpose of the challenge was to give you a more comprehensive toolkit when it comes to being Fit With Diabetes. I really hope that you enjoyed the challenge and feel that you have learned (and implemented) new diabetes, nutrition, and exercise skills.

If you want to continue your journey after the challenge, I have collected all the main learnings in my Fit With Diabetes eBook.

I have tried to summarize everything we have covered in all the 7 challenges we have done on Diabetes Strong in the past 4 years into one eBook (it’s over 80 pages long) to make it the ultimate guide on how to be Fit With Diabetes.

The eBook is priced at $15 but you can use the coupon CHALLENGE and get 20% off until the end of February!

CLICK HERE TO GET THE EBOOK

- Christel

Hi Elizabeth,

Welcome to the last day of week 1 of the Fit With Diabetes Challenge!

I think most of us struggle with emotional eating at different times in our lives and to different degrees. I’ve used food as an escape before when I’ve felt helpless, unfairly treated or frustrated. It has taken me a long time to not (as often) fall into the trap of eating instead of dealing with what’s going on in my life.

That’s why I’m incredibly happy to introduce you to my good friend and Diabetes Strong Editor Ginger Vieira. Not only because I think she’s pretty fantastic, but also because she writes about emotional eating and how to overcome it. Ginger has written a whole book about emotional eating and diabetes and she really knows her stuff.

Today’s challenge is one I have been looking forward to myself, so please join me in learning how to change those destructive habits and develop a healthy relationship with food.

Aside from today’s challenge, let’s also take the time today to reflect on what we learned so far. If you are journaling the challenge, spend some time to go over your notes for the week.

Look at the goals you set for yourself at the beginning of the challenge and write down 3 things you will do to reach those goals. It doesn’t have to be big changes, it can also be small things that you can incorporate into your daily routines.

Because this is the last day of week 1, I will also draw the 3 winners of my Fit With Diabetes Ebook.

I will draw the winners at random from everyone who has been active in the Facebook group and have signed up for the challenge. If you want to make sure that you are in the draw, please leave a comment on this post and let me know you will like to win the giveaway (or just let Eversense know that they are awesome for sponsoring the challenge).

Today’s Challenges are

Read: Habits that Lead to Emotional Eating & Over-Eating

Do: Think about what you learned in week 1 and how it can help you reach your goals

Sweat: Be active for at least 20-30 minutes.

If you feel like sharing your thoughts on today’s post or your experiences with emotional eating in the Facebook group, or your updated goals, I would love to hear them. I know that this can be a very personal subject, so please only share if you feel like it!

- Christel

The challenge is sponsored by Eversense Diabetes, the first and only 90-day Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) system. To learn more about how Eversense can help your diabetes care, please visit the Eversense website.

GVOKE - a New Option to Treat Severe Hypoglycemia

Hypoglycemia or low blood sugar is a common and scary side-effect of insulin diabetes management. In this article, I'll discuss severe hypoglycemia and how it can be treated by using GVOKE, a recently FDA approved glucagon product

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A High-Carb Plant-Based Diet For Diabetes Management

There are many different approaches to nutrition and blood sugar management for people living with diabetes. Today, we will take a look at the very interesting high-carb, plant-based approach from the newly released book Mastering Diabetes

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How to Save Money on Insulin with Copay Cards

If you live with insulin-dependent diabetes in the US, you know how expensive insulin can be, even if you have insurance. But did you know that most insulin manufacturers have copay cards that can significantly reduce your co-pay? Or in some cases even eliminate it completely?

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Hey, Elizabeth!

Just checking in because I noticed you hadn''t been as engaged with my newsletters lately. That''s perfectly ok! We all get a lot of emails and I am happy to take you off the email list if you no longer want the newsletters.

If the past month has just been busy though and you''re ready to start up again, just click here to keep receiving emails from me!

If not, thanks so much for allowing me to share Diabetes Strong with you over the past several weeks and months. I will send you one last email to make absolutely sure you no longer want the newsletters and then take you off the list.

Just let me know in the future if you''d like to hop back in!

Take care,

Christel

Inhaled Insulin: My Experience Using Afrezza

Afrezza has been a part of my diabetes toolbox for a few years now and in this article, I'll give you an overview of what inhaled insulin is, how it works, and why I have chosen to use it.

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