How running is making me a better type-1 diabetic
Running is greatly making me a better person and a safer runner. How? Let me tell you!
It forces me to think through nutrition carefully and review my approaches
Food and nutrition play a huge in a runner’s life. Not only one has to eat enough to sustain a prolonged physical activity, but also eat right and eat well in order to recover between workouts.
In my experience, this means making plant based Whole Foods that are reach in carbohydrates the core of my nutrition. It also means continuously testing and adapting my approaches depending on what my body asks for.
To give you an example, in late 2022 I introduced intermittent fasting on a daily basis, feeding myself within 5 hours and fasting for the remaining 19 (more or less). Everything about intermittent fasting is absolutely great: enhanced focus, energy, mood, weight control, blood glucose and insulin sensitivity. Intermittent fasting extends its benefits way beyond just eating: for instance it much easier for me to self-regulate and practice impulse control. The urge to eat all the time belonged to the past, and many other urges followed the same path.
However, once running volumes increased, I realised that I was sticking to intermittent fasting without any practical reason. In other words I was becoming “religious” about it, and with a busier and busier training schedule (often involving two workouts per day), my body was desperately asking for food to boost the recovery process and be ready for the next activity.
Intermittent fasting served me greatly while I was training hard only once a day. But it is not a good fit anymore while training hard twice a day. I am no pro athlete, but I start to understand why professionals in the endurance community do eat all the time: it is not only about performance, it is even more about recovery!
I reintroduced the classic three meals a day schema, making sure I refuel after any physical activity, and my body reacted with joy: less inflammations, faster recovery and an overall feeling of energy and readiness for any effort.
It forces discipline at meal time
One other thing I have quickly realized entering the endurance world is that you cannot be random with your meals. At any time, you must ensure:
that you have enough carbohydrates in stock for your upcoming run,
that your gut is not overwhelmed or stressed by excessive portions or finer content,
that you avoid processed food that are hard on the digestive system and harmful for blood glucose management,
that your diet is rich in all the micronutrients that keep your gut healthy and propel your performance.
In the past I used to eat extra large amounts of foods, often more than needed, and I didn’t care much about the consequences.
But now that I have many runs on my schedule, I apply more discipline: too much of a good food - like a legume or a vegetable - can easily trouble my digestion while out on the roads. Hence, I am learning to design my meals so that they are high in energy and nutrition, reasonable in volume and not too heavy on the digestion.
To make it practical: I had to cut down on fibers.
I used to enjoy extremely large salad bowls full of all kinds of vegetables and legumes. Earlier on, my main serving was vegetables and legumes, with some grains on the side. Now I have flipped it to the opposite, and I make sure the main serving is a whole grain or another carbohydrate (usually buckwheat, brown rice, potatoes, oats or fruits), then add somelegumes (chickpeas, lentils, peas…), and some vegetables on the side (greens, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots…you name it!).
It took some discipline for me to accept that it is ok to eat a decent portion in a smaller plate instead of an immense bowl of stuff. But discipline is paying off: my digestion is far better, I run with a happy stomach and I can keep my energy levels high much more easily…and for way less money!
It helps me cope with food cravings
To expand on the previous point a bit, my self control at the dining table quickly extends in other areas of my life. As said, I don’t indulge on junk such as high fatty/sugary foods, but I’ve often eaten way too much to the point of discomfort: the dose makes the poison, even with healthy food.
Any excess is bad for blood glucose and insulin management.
Running is helping me find balance in this.
Previously, a big portion could only cause some discomfort. Now, it will also screw up my run for good. While for some (irrational) reason my previous self was ok with digestive discomfort, I am totally not ok with it ruining one of my sacred runs.
Running is more than simple physical exercise. It is a way for me to reconnect with myself, to enjoy silence, to witness my body healing from stress through proper breathing and cadence. Running is just too important in the economy of my life, and when all of that goes out of the window because of some poor, short-term comfort at the dining table, I just feel obliged to practice self control. I owe it to my self to seek stress-relief through a run, and I don’t want anything to get in the way of that (at least, anything that I can contro).
When there is a clear purpose and its value is clear - running as a form of stress relief and self healing - the immediate dopamine hit of the extra tasty bite becomes irrelevant. There is a much higher purpose to serve, and once that is framed, self-discipline and control become the natural next step.
It stabilizes blood glucose
There is a false belief among diabetics that running, just like any other form of intense cardiovascular exercise, will drop blood glucose down into the danger zone. Many thus end up mislabeling running as something to avoid, because it will make diabetes impossible to manage and just avoid exercise.
There is some truth in this claim, but it is something that can easily be avoided. My blood glucose levels are steady and strong during each run, no spikes, no lows. I usually start with 130, I end with 110.
How is that possible? It took me a while to get to that point, but it really all comes down to the type of food one eats. I used to prioritise proteins and some fats (the two macronutrients that cause insulin resistance), and no wonders my blood glucose was all over the place. Even the smallest amount of carbohydrates would spike it and sent it to the moon.
All of that ended as soon as I discovered the Mastering Diabetes Approach, the one that not only secures a 90% time in range, but that creates the perfect conditions for the body to sustain strenuous efforts without me fearing dangerous consequences. I have written extensively about this: just eat whole, plant based and carbohydrates rich foods. Get your healthy fats in, on’t overdo it on proteins. Your blood glucose will naturally stabilise within the optimal range. Fats and proteins and ketogenic states do have their time and place when people start to tackle extremely long distances, but that is a topic for another post.
For now, here’s a reminder to self and an invitation to everyone: just clean whole plant based foods, embrace running as your new best friend and as your best tool to gain balance in your life. Especially when you have diabetes!
