Kinetic Diabetic, CORE FITNESS (2026)

26/01/2023

When the day is long, your sugars high, and your patience short — a comfy branded sweatshirt helps take the edge off ☝🏽 (Also, insulin.)
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And no, I’m not printing my own gear 😂 this was a very thoughtful Christmas gift. Although I think I’m outgrowing the matching t-shirt .. damn that festive period.
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31/12/2022

👀 It’s been a tricky year with the ol’ diabeetus — which is to say, it’s just been another year.

The usual rollercoaster of dizzying highs and sickening lows, literally, physically and figuratively, from the best HbA1c ever to the worse burnout .. ever.

And as much as I love this community, I still had to take a step back from social media. “Toxic positivity” taking its toll — if you know, you know. I didn’t post once in Diabetes Awareness Month because I had no awareness to raise other than the fact that diabetes is a complete sh*tshow and I hate it every day.

But, there is still much to be grateful for (outside diabetes) and there is still much learning and growing and improving to be done (with everything including diabetes). So, we keep moving.

Happy New Year, team! Except Type 1 diabetes. You get a big f**k you, that’s what you get.
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11/10/2022

“OK, that’s pizza and beer sorted. What’s your third wish?” 🧞‍♂️
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Pizza is one of the easiest foods to demonise for diabetics - the carbs! the cheese! the hidden sugar in the sauce! - and sure, it can be a pain to properly predict the right bolus amount.
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Beer typically has a high carb content (depending on the variety) - and, after a few delicious cold ones, you may be more inclined to crave even more carb-heavy food (like, more pizza. Or a kebab. Or cheesy chips. Or … 🤤)
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So as Type 1s, it’s all too easy to be scared off this stuff, whether that’s self-imposed or by people who should know better. Stick to salads, they’ll say!
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I say, screw that.
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T1Ds can absolutely enjoy pizza, and beer, and cake and cookies and candy and all the rest of it. Just takes a little extra care, caution, and carb counting.
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Stay in control of your diabetes, so it does not control you.
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Because the alternative is a life without pizza and beer. And that’s just not a life I want to consider.
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Also, yes, that is pineapple on my pizza. The real ones would understand that the sweetness in the pineapple balances beautifully with the saltiness in the sauce.
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11/09/2022

Short notice, but Session #3 on is in a few hours! Download the free app (link in bio) and tune into my Room for an open mic on all things diabetes.
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03/09/2022

Tune in tomorrow for my second session on - 10AM EST / 3PM UK / 10PM KL ⏰
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Episode ✌🏽 will be an open discussion on anything diabetes-related that pops into our heads. I’ve had some interesting conversations with fellow Type 1s recently and always keen to connect with the community and hear how we’re doing.
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It couldn’t be easier:
1. Download the FREE Circles app (link in bio)
2. Find my room under “Chronic Conditions” and tune in tomorrow!
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26/08/2022

Who wants to hang out with me this Sunday?!

📲 Download the app - FREE - and join my Room on the Voices platform (link in bio).

⏰ 10AM EST / 3PM UK / 10PM Malaysia.

💉Over the next few weeks, I’ll be hosting several sessions where we’ll discuss “Dealing with Diabetes” - the good (yes, there is some), the bad (OK, there’s a lot) and the downright ugly.
 ✈️ Episode 1 will be all about Travelling with Type 1! From proper planning to travel tips and staying active while on vacation mode, we’ll unpack (ha) a few things. Diabetes should never get in the way of a good holiday — and after our session, maybe

🎙 I say “we” because it’s a multiple-way conversation. Think of it like an open mic where everyone has a mic. I’m just the emcee.(Remember Clubhouse? It’s kinda like Clubhouse.)

💬 Voices is a platform for people to talk and learn about lived experiences with life’s challenges, whether dealing with grief or separation, fertility or injury, LQBTQ+ , or chronic conditions.

🔗 Hit the link in my bio, download the app for free, and join me this Sunday!
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29/06/2022

Back on my burnout bu****it 🥵
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Moving back to Malaysia after months of being back in the family home bubble in the UK - featuring completely free healthcare & the best home-cooked food - has been a little tougher than I was expecting in terms of diabetes management & mental health.
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Admittedly a lot of it has been self-inflicted. I’ve built a life that I love here, and my first few weeks back were, shall we say, extremely over-indulgent in making up for lost time catching up with people(🍻). And with that comes less-than-ideal decision-making re: food, alcohol, exercise, and self-care. Some tough personal decisions sent things sideways as well.
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Too much of a good thing can be bad. And when those good things directly impact your physical health, your mental health soon follows. And the vicious cycle isn’t far behind.
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Self-care soon becomes self-destruct. I went without a Libre sensor for a few days because I was on a scuba-diving trip - and that’s now become a few weeks. Defaulted back to finger-pricks - and not very many of them. Think I recently went two full days without testing once.
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And once you’ve missed a few days at the gym - what’s one more? Oof, this hangover - I know, another beer will help. And so on.
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Plus of course, the comfort food that you crave when you’re miserable is the hardest to manage when you’re insulin-dependent.
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I’m not sharing this because I’m looking for sympathy. Like I said, self-inflicted.
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More so, as a reminder that it’s human to feel bad even if things are ‘going well’. Life ain’t perfect, and diabetes sure as hell isn’t. No matter what anyone tells you on social media.
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Stay well and be kind, folks!
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05/05/2022

Spent the last six days sustained by mostly rice and beer and I’m not unhappy about it at all 🍺🍚
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It’s been an interesting trip as far as diabetes management is concerned, but on the whole I’m happy with how it went. I had to ditch the Libre for a few days because it’s not designed to survive at scuba diving depth - and then realised I hadn’t packed enough test strips for my back-up meter, so had to find a pharmacy to buy a whole new testing kit. Slightly annoyed, because that cut into my beer fund …
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My sugars were (mostly) pretty stable. A couple of highs, which weren’t surprising in the slightest, given the copious amount of alcohol and many desserts consumed, and a complete disregard in general for anything remotely resembling a “diet”. I’ll get back to the gym and a healthy eating routine next week. This week, I’ve been on holiday.
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Sure, you have to keep your diabetes under control. But you can’t let it control your life. Did I make the “best” choices (a relative term in any case) for my physical health this week? Could have been better. Did I make good choices for my mental well-being? Wouldn’t change a thing. In fact, as I write this at the airport, I think I might have one last beer.
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How do you deal with diabetes on holiday? A little extra care dealing with the unknowns? Or a little more caution to the wind?
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Note: I’m not encouraging anyone to follow my lead. As usual, I’m just sharing my story.
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16/03/2022

When you see someone doing curls in the squat rack 😳
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Do you have a particular pet hate when it comes to gym etiquette? On the one hand - hey, who are we to judge? Good for them making to the gym and working out! On the other hand … some inexcusable behaviour takes place on the gym floor 😆
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I think unnecessary phone use takes top spot for me … sure, a quick check of your phone if you’re resting between sets, but some folk seem to think they can squeeze in an episode of Netflix right there on the bench 😑
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What grinds your gears? Or perhaps you’re simply more calm and patient than I am 😅
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19/02/2022

Happy Place 😝

Regular exercise is just as important for your mental health as your physical condition — if not more so.

Exercise release endorphins — literally known as the “happy hormone”, so there’s a good start. It has been scientifically proven to significantly reduce symptoms of depression, anxiety and ADHD. Even better, this works on a physiological and sociological level: as well as releasing all the good chemicals, regular exercise gets you out the house and helps with low self-esteem and social withdrawal.

You feel more capable. You feel more confident.

You feel a sense of achievement by hitting your goals. You find a sense of purpose by sticking to a routine.
 And this feeds into so many more aspects of your lifestyle. You sleep better. You eat better. Even your memory and concentration improve, thanks to boosts in dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin.

It’ll even improve your s*x life, and that’s one hell of a mental boost.

Exercise physically transforms your brain as well as your body; influencing neural growth, reduced inflammation, and new activity patterns that promote feelings of calm and well-being.

It’s an effective way to break a vicious cycle of stress, helping to relax muscles and release tension — as well as generally proving a very positive distraction.

And hey — there’s no shame in admitting that when you look good, you feel good.

I always say that movement is medicine. And it works wonders inside and out.

Or maybe it’s just the yellow trousers that brighten my day.

Either way, something’s working.

Even on the really tough days — and as a T1 diabetic, there tend to be a few — it’s hard to feel bad after a good workout.

You don’t need to train like an Olympic lifter. You don’t even need to go to the gym (it’s not an environment for everyone). Just find something you enjoy and stick to it as much as you can.

What’s your favourite exercise?

17/02/2022

PAY THE IRON PRICE ⛓

We’re bombarded with bu****it these days. Smothered by sales tactics. Pressured by promises of a quick-fix-easy-win-magical-f**king-potion that will solve our ‘problems’ (many of which weren’t problems until someone in a marketing department somewhere decided they were).

And this has created a culture of wanting - or worse, expecting - results in return for very little effort.

Our hyper-connected lives are suffocating us with social media snapshots of what someone else has, or looks like, and how ‘quickly’ or ‘easily’ it appears they got there.

But it takes years to become an overnight success.

Now I’m not suggesting for a second that I am that success.
 But, as an example - I get messages from some people insisting I write out my workout routine for them. Spell out everything about my training and my diet. And then practically guarantee them that they’ll get the same results.

And then complain when I don’t do that.

Yes, I run this page to encourage exercise as an essential tool in diabetes management.

No, I’m not a qualified personal trainer. No, I don’t pretend to be.

Yes, I’m happy to speak in general terms, about a balanced diet and the benefits of resistance training and how daily walks can make a big difference.

No, I won’t copy and paste my program. And no, I certainly won’t promise results.

Besides, I’ve been working out for 10 years. You want all of that in 10 minutes?

Maybe I seem arrogant or ungrateful. Most of the time I’m genuinely flattered by the compliment and I’ll share what I can - within reason and responsibly.

When it comes from a place of impatience, ignorance and expectation, flattery turns to frustration.

Cut the bu****it, quit the moaning, and figure out how badly you want this for yourself. Not because someone else might be able to give you a shortcut.

Do your own research. Invest in professional guidance. Commit to a consistent, dedicated, disciplined routine. And prepare to make sacrifices for it.

Because there are no shortcuts. Respect the process. Put in the f**king work.

The dumbbells don’t lie. 20kg is 20kg.

Pay the iron price.

06/01/2022

Something to add to my list of essential diabetes equipment: my very own branded gear! 😝
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A very thoughtful birthday present from my brother, which I’ll be wearing proudly from now on - probably in most of the pictures I post on here 🤣 (there’s also a jumper and hat, so - definitely most of the pictures)
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& when you get a t-shirt with your logo on it, you gotta get the bottoms to match - swipe right for the colour-coordinated KD look 👟
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Anyway, is now ‘Outfit of the Diabetic’ 👕😉
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*Shout-out of course to my other brothers who also got me very thoughtful presents, including fancy workout gear and a weekend travel bag, both of which I intend to put to very good use as well.
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Kinetic Diabetic