Exercise and diabetes

Ride of (Insulin) Resistance

Diabetes Dietitian, Exercise and diabetes

Today’s ride is what I call the Ride of Resistance – insulin resistance that is. Once upon a time, no one really talked about how the hormonal changes of menstruation, perimenopause, or menopause affected blood sugars. We knew that puberty could wreak havoc on blood sugars. But for many years these stages of menstruation, perimenopause, and menopause remained largely taboo topics in the T1D world. Today, I’m talking about them. (As are many women with T1D – thank goodness!) Cycling with type-1 diabetes while on your period can be a blood sugar beast. Why? Depending on where you are in your menstrual cycle, those hormones can make our bodies more insulin resistant. Hormones had other plans For today’s post, I had intended to discuss something completely different. I had planned to go into this ride with a lightbulb moment that I was sure would reduce the risk of auto corrections […]

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The Importance of Backup When Cycling with Type-1 Diabetes

Diabetes Dietitian, Exercise and diabetes

Life is all about backup – especially when cycling with type-1 diabetes and an insulin pump! Mario and I headed to Iona Beach on our bikes this morning. It’s a great 75 km bike ride because: It’s got all the scenery – we had wide expanses of blue water and green farm fields next to us for a good portion of the ride. Today, I saw at least three hawks – one that swooped in and grabbed some breakfast before flying away. I also counted seven herons hanging in the shallow waters of the Strait of Georgia, as we were approaching the beach. Once, I even saw what looked to be a Scottish Highland Cow sunbathing on the front lawn of a very large farmhouse. It’s a predominantly flat ride, which means my average speed gets a nice boost up. There’s some decent resistance with the headwinds, but if you’re

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Cycling with Type-1 Diabetes: My Road to Mallorca Begins

Diabetes, Diabetes Dietitian, Exercise and diabetes

I’m going to Mallorca. This is the first time I’ve announced this to the broader world, and I’m pretty excited. Almost two months ago I booked my spot in the 2027 Girls Get Strong Cycling Camp. I’d been eyeing this all-women’s camp for about 2 or 3 years now, and I finally hit the button. It’s a seven-day adventure, with five days of cycling, anywhere from 60-100 km per day, all throughout Mallorca, Spain. I’m excited. I’m nervous. The distances don’t worry me. But the sometimes unpredictability of my Dear Diabetes does. Good thing I’ve got more than a year to train both my legs and my T1D. I’m intending to blog my way through; I hope you’ll join me for the reading journey. And, if you’re navigating cycling with type-1 diabetes yourself, I hope sharing both the victories and challenges along the way will be helpful 🙂 For the

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Tandem in sport – the trials continue

Diabetes, Diabetes Dietitian, Exercise and diabetes, Registered Dietitian

The New Year has come and gone, and I’ve still got the Tandem t:slim X2 plugged in to my body. Today’s post is all about Tandem in sport. How does it fare? Within days of starting my Tandem Trials, I was ready to give this sucker the ultimate challenge: a ride on my bike. Now, because I am very much a fair weather cyclist, we did not go for a ride outside. Instead, we did an intense 60-minute Peloton bike ride. And we’ve continued to do many more Pelotons, as well as walks and weights. Here are my Peloton-Tandem reflections. Tandem in sport strategy My rides typically occur in the morning, after breakfast, or in the afternoon, after work. Both options require different strategies. The breakfast strategy: With the help of my super supportive Tandem ally, I created a sport-specific profile to use when I’m planning a ride around the

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Tandem t:slim trial part 1

Diabetes, Diabetes Dietitian, Exercise and diabetes

Tandem t:slim X2 with Control IQ has recently become a well known name in the Katie T1D household – and a bit of a tongue twister 😉 Hi friends! Remember about two months ago when my old-school Omnipod kicked the bucket? I was in a bit of a pickle, and it forced me to start figuring out alternate insulin pump options. Because I work in diabetes care, both Tandem and Medtronic offered me a trial of their automated insulin delivery (AID) systems. I was thrilled! And yes, I very much acknowledge my privilege. Tandem was first up. Tandem Trial – the preamble Honestly, I was impressed by some of Tandem’s outcomes. Ever since the AID pumps came onto the market, I had been somewhat dubious on how they would respond to my diabetes. This is an important component to consider. I’ve done extensive research into these systems over the years,

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