A few months ago I was having lunch with my family, mom, dad, my brother and my girlfriend. We were talking about many things and my mom said: you know if I could have any wish come true I will wish that you will be cured of your type 1 diabetes. I looked at her and in my mind I thought: this is the wish of any mom whose son is diabetic and I know she will do anything for this to happen. I love you mom. Unfortunately, there is no cure for diabetes yet.
My mom took me to the gym for the first time when I was 14 years old and ever since that day I’ve been working out. In this post I’m going to explain how diabetes has added positive things to my life and how it has changed my life for the better. In all aspects…
Why am I writing about this ? Because I’ve been reading in different communities and from different people about how hard life is with diabetes and how difficult it is to live with it. And yes, this is a chronic illness so I’m not going to deny how challenging and hard it is to live with this 24/7.
If I could go back and choose to not have diabetes, maybe I wouldn’t have the discipline, the attitude and the mindset that I have today. I’m 32 years old and I still have a lot of things to learn and become better at, but I can tell you that accepting diabetes has changed my perspective and added positive habits to my life in general.
I was diagnosed at 24 years old and I’ve learned to build good habits; exercise, reading, meditation, cooking, awareness, prayer and many other things that have helped me in this journey so far. I don’t have it all figured out, just like everyone else I’m a work in progress…
Things I’ve learned from diabetes:
–Discipline: Everything in life requires discipline. This comes in different forms, professional and career development, relationships, business, sports, all require discipline. When I was diagnosed I had to adjust to a new way of life.
This new lifestyle included checking my glucose levels constantly, choosing the best types of food for me, taking and calculating the right amount of insulin and medicine, learning about diabetes and all the other things that come with it.
All these things became part of me and I had to learn to take care of each in order to adjust to this new lifestyle. Now that I think about it, all these things added to me being more disciplined in other aspects of my life. Those aspects include consistency working out everyday, planning and cooking healthy meals, and making time to learn every day about diabetes and fitness.
–Attitude: I’ve realized that attitude plays a key role when dealing with life’s problems, issues or any situation in general. This is very important in taking control of your diabetes. Am I going to play the victim role ? or am I going to face this head on and take care of myself and thrive ? I mean, everyone is dealing with their own struggles and battles, so what am I going to do about it ? Complaining isn’t going to help much, trust me. I’m not saying that you should not complain, because I have. And that’s ok… but you are not alone. I’ve complained, I’ve cursed, I’ve cried, this is part of the journey… wipe the tears and look up. You will be okay…
I decided to change the way I looked at diabetes. I used to think, this is not fair, why me ? Do I have the answer ? No, so I’m going to turn this into an opportunity to become better and healthier. I’m going to work out hard, I’m going to learn, I’m going to help others, I’m going to do the best I can. I’m going to try. Is it easy? No. What’s easy in life anyways ? Nothing. Change your attitude and things will change for you. I promise you that.
-Mindset: I’ve become mentally stronger. What’s my reason? This is it: “I will help you build the mindset required to fight diabetes every single day through healthy eating and exercise so we can literally @dieabeast”. This is what @dieabeast is about, it is a mindset. I will spend the rest of my life helping you build this mindset. If I’m going to have a reason to be alive and help others this is it. I share your pain, we have diabetes in common. I know what this feels like, and I will continue to work out. I will continue to learn as much as I can about diabetes so I can share this with you and help you in this journey.
How do you build a mindset ? Have discipline, workout when you say you will workout, have a schedule and follow a routine. Plan your meals. Start one day at a time. Focus on today’s workout, then tomorrow’s and then the next day.
There are many books about discipline, attitude and mindset. Find what works for you. I’ve read many books in the areas of self help and self improvement. These books work. Trust in yourself and believe that you can change, it takes time but you will be better off when you invest in yourself. I can tell you with confidence that reading is one of the best skills you can develop. Knowledge is power. I love reading books.
Some books that have helped me to build discipline, attitude and mindset:
-The power of habit by Charles Duhigg
-Make your bed by William H. McRaven
-Attitude is Everything by Jeff Keller
-Mindset by Carol Dweck
-Can’t hurt me by David Goggins
-Unfuck yourself by Gary John Bishop
Those are some of the books that have helped me. If you can; start with any of them and take notes. Reading does really help when it comes to building better habits. You can read all these books but if you don’t take action then none of it matters. Take action. Action is what works…
Now to finish this post I’d like to mention some of the good habits I’ve acquired since being diagnosed:
-Exercise (weight lifting, resistance training): I’ve been working out and lifting weights since I was 14 years old. After being diagnosed I took this more seriously and I have learned a lot about nutrition, workout routines and fitness in general.
I work out 5-6 days per week. I lift weights and include calisthenics (body weight only) exercises. Resistance training and proper nutrition are two of the most important things in order to have a well managed and controlled diabetes.
-Cooking: I had to learn and improve my cooking skills. Why ? Because when I cook I get to know what exactly I’m putting inside of my body. I have learned to enjoy cooking and have learned about different types of foods and how important healthy eating is when you are diabetic. You know how you learn to cook ? Just start. Yeah, decide to buy ingredients and cook something for yourself. Then do it again, and again. And then you will become better at it.
-Meditation and Prayer: I think we can all look good by working out and eating healthy, but are you spiritually and mentally ok ? I believe in meditation and prayer. I do pray, I try to meditate and practice awareness. I’m not an expert on these subjects but I know that having faith and praying does work. Prayer works for me. It does help me to deal with life and to deal with diabetes. I read the bible, I practice gratitude. Do what works best for you but keep in mind to have a healthy mind that works for you and not against you.
I hope this information helps you in your journey with diabetes. These are some of the things that I’ve learned and things that diabetes has taught me. I don’t see diabetes as a burden or a condition to suffer and play victim. No, I see it as an opportunity to become better and thrive. Is it easy ? No, but again, we humans grow through discomfort and challenges.
Stay disciplined, keep a positive attitude and build a @dieabeast mindset…
@dieabeast