Finding Your WHY

Why do so many New Year’s Resolutions fail? Why do so many of us find it so hard to follow through on our own goals? We make promises to ourselves and to our loved ones, yet more often than not we fail to stay true til the end. Blame it on your busy schedule, blame it on external factors, blame it on circumstances, but I would argue that nine times out of ten it’s because you didn’t have a strong enough WHY to start out with.

Matthew Vande VegteApril 18, 2019Comment

How Logging Data Can Help Improve Your Diabetes Control

One of the best ways that I’ve found helps me manage my diabetes is to make sure that I log everything from blood sugars, to insulin doses, to the food that I eat. It sounds painstaking, but trust me, it’s worth it.

Having data will help you make more informed decisions. And the more informed your decisions are, the better your control will be over your diabetes, thus, you’ll feel better (I hope)!

health and wellness, mindset, mental healthLeahMarch 27, 2019heath, mindset, stories, documentationComment

SixUntilMe: My interview with Kerri Sparling

My name is Kerri Sparling and I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of seven. I've worked full time since the day after I graduated from college (I've been a banker, service writer at a car repair shop, arbitration coordinator, aviation insurance specialist, editor ... diabetes has required me to keep working in pursuit of reliable insurance coverage) but the job I love most is the one I've been doing for the last 14 years, and that's working as a writer and speaker.

Kerri SparlingJanuary 9, 2019stories, interviews, T1D Comment

[7 Tips to Stay Fit Over the Holidays]

Hey everyone, my name is Matt Vande Vegte. I am a type 1 diabetic, certified personal trainer, nutritionist, and the owner of FTFWarrior, an online diabetic health coaching company. This month I want to talk to you about how NOT to have fitness fallout this holiday season. Or, at the very least, I’ll help you stay on track with whatever fitness goals you currently have with these 7 easy to follow, simple tips on how to stay fit during the holidays.

Matthew Vande VegteDecember 26, 2018Comment

[Being Unstoppable with Type 1 Diabetes]

Type 1 diabetes can seem to strip you of a lot, you feel restricted at times and incapable at others, but this disease gives you a superpower that makes you unstoppable; you learn how to listen to your body. One might really enjoy the isolation of the gym and not the intensity of kickboxing, but what works for you can only be found through listening to your body’s response to the workouts. By listening to what my body wanted, I found that I am capable to do anything.

Ciara CrayDecember 4, 2018stories, interviews, T1D Comment

[Surviving Night Shift as an ICU Nurse with Type 1 Diabetes]

Nurses joke around about how working the night shift shortens your life spans and causes health problems - funny to say “night shift is killing me!” until you realize it is slowly sucking the life from you...not so funny anymore is it?

Now think about having diabetes - a disease with many varying factors - and I’m combining the two??

Karlyn Vande VegteNovember 27, 2018stories, interviews, T1D Comment

[Dangers of Sedentary Behaviors]- 5 min read

Do you sit for hours upon hours a day? If you answered yes, you are not alone. In fact, you are part of a majority. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2018), only about 21% of adults in the US are meeting physical activity guidelines. Now, I knew that having sedentary behavior was not good for you but, it turns out, it is more dangerous than I thought.

[3 Days with 500 Likeminded Diabetics: ONE TCOYD]

Welcome to TCOYD (Taking Control Of Your Diabetes), the land of the broken pancreas with enough sugar stuffed in fanny packs to go around. For many, this was the first time that they have felt “normal” as a diabetic.

Matthew Vande VegteAugust 27, 2018stories, T1D, motivationalComment

[Battling an Unexplained Hyperglycemia (300+)]

As I sat down to write this blog, my Dexcom G6 read 308 with an arrow up. Yup, I’m in trouble. Let’s explore where (and how) I messed up THIS BAD.

Matthew Vande VegteAugust 22, 2018stories, T1D, motivationalComment

[Risk Factors for Heart Disease, Part 2]

If you have not read Part 1 yet, make sure you do that before continuing on with the rest of this educational journey as I will through the other 7 risk factors involved in keeping your heart and body as healthy as can be. Let’s jump right in.

David ZettsMay 24, 2018Comment

[Risk Factors for Heart Disease, Part 1]

Let’s be real folks, cardiovascular disease (also known as heart disease, coronary artery disease or CAD) is the number one killer of human beings in the entire world. What's even more troubling though, heart attacks due to CAD are becoming more and more prevalent each year and there's no evidence to show that it is slowing down anytime soon.

David ZettsMay 8, 2018

[Refusing to Die] -- 6 Minute Read

To all my Diabetics out there, I know that I don’t need to tell you that Diabetes can cause complications. These complications include health complications, relational complications, and life complications. What I probably also don’t need to tell you is that diabetes can take more than a leg or an arm, it can take your life. The fact that you and I are here today is likely due to the fact that you stood up to diabetes and refused to die. I know this sounds a bit bleak, but the honest truth is, diabetes can really mess you up.

Matthew Vande VegteApril 26, 2018stories, T1D, motivationalComment

[Is Going Vegan Diabetic Friendly?] -- 7 Minute Read

Have you ever changed something so big that it forced you to reconsider how you go about your daily life? Up until this point, diabetes and marriage were the two biggest changes in my life (marriage being a great change of course). However, going vegan, and then super strict vegan (extremely low fat, whole food, plant based ONLY) is up there with the biggest life changes I’ve experienced. Let me elaborate.

Matthew Vande VegteApril 19, 2018 Comments

[New Year’s Resolution - Secret to Success!] -- 4 Minute Read

Like everyone else, I’m sure that you decided to make a few New Year’s Resolutions. You may have been joking, or it may have been your attempt at starting something BIG to change your life. But why do so many resolutions fail? And why do we continue to fall into the same patterns year after year?

Matthew Vande VegteFebruary 2, 2018 Comment

[How to Stay Healthy This Thanksgiving]-- 4 min read

The holidays are filled with mixed emotions. For many it is a happy time to spend with family and friends but for some it can be an awkward even emotional time. As a diabetic, it can be tough. THERE ARE SO MANY CARBS that need to be accounted for that it can sometimes be overwhelming. So, today, I decided to share with you the some of the methods I use to not only enjoy the holidays but stay healthy as well.

Matthew Vande VegteNovember 21, 2017Comment

From The Fight