This Diabetes Week, Diabetes Digital Media is redefining diabetes: redefining what people with diabetes can achieve, and raising awareness of the tremendous health transformations and success stories worldwide.
Earlier this week we reported on a US man with type 1 diabetes who climbed Mount Everest and the reaction was so positive that we’re focusing on physical achievements again. No, we’re not showcasing another person with type 1 diabetes who climbed Everest, but instead some inspirational people in their own right who have put their best foot forward in their bid to becomen, and help other people become healthier.
Doing exercise can be a challenge at first, but those who embrace exercise into their daily routine can achieve a variety of health benefits, such as weight loss, reduced blood glucose levels, improved mood and reduced risk of long-term health complications. Plus, the sense of achievement and community, when you exercise with other people, can be significant.
In recent years parkrun has become a household name. We spoke in 2017 with Southport GP Dr Simon Tobin about his surgery’s implementation of parkru, which he recommends to his patients alongside a low carb diet. One of Dr Tobin’s patients, Ed Sherstone, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes aged 16, but it didn’t slow him down at all. He not only does Ed do parkrun every week but has amassed an extraordinary profile of running and climbing achievements, including ice climbing on Ben Nevis.
Dr Tobin cited the “buzz” created by parkrun as essential to people coming back each week, calling it a “win-win situation” as his patients are healthier, happier and on less medication.
Another prominent low carb doctor pushing his boundaries is Dr Ian Lake, who has had type 1 diabetes for 24 years. Last year, the 60-year-old completed a 730-mile run over five weeks to show that it was medically safe to run long distances alongside a low carb diet.
This remarkable achievement is one of many physical milestones people with diabetes have achieved – with of course the most famous example being Sir Steve Redgrave. The five-time Olympic gold medallist won his fifth medal in 2000 at the Sydney games having been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes prior to the games.
The exercise bug has been caught on the Diabetes Forum too. One user earlier enquired about ultra running early this year, writing, “I’ve just decided to go for the challenge of a 53-mile ultra race.”
For more information on managing your diabetes during exercise and the benefits that exercise can provide, visit our Exercise and Fitness and Diabetes and Sport sections.
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