Diabetics are Athletes Too

Diabetes and an athletic lifestyle are not mutually exclusive. Diabetics are tired of walking out of podiatrists office with a pair of prescribed shoes that look like Herman Munster's. They want a normal lifestyle.I "Old school" doctors need to recognize that there are new and more appealing options for our patients. We must also take on the role of a coach for our patients that are athletes and those that need to become more like athletes.

If we pay it forward by establishing better patient protocols we can serve them better and provide an opportunity and financial cost savings. In this healthcare environment establishing our relevancy for our diabetic population will be the key to providing better options.


Diabetic advocate and Olympic swimmer Gary Hall Jr. provides a first hand account of the problem:

"For all the efforts of removing the stigma attached to living with diabetes, the unfortunate mark of diabetes remains apparent in prescribed footwear. I dedicated my life to proving that diabetes didn't have to stop an individual from accomplishing their dreams, whatever that dream was. For me it was swimming in the Olympics. When I won gold I was able to help tear down that barrier (often viewed as liability) that separated people with diabetes from the rest of the pack. The important message was that while additional requirements were necessary in properly managing diabetes a person living with diabetes was equal. Somehow that message hasn’t come through in shoe design. If you have diabetes you are asked to wear, let’s face it, ugly shoes.

It’s hard enough to get diabetes patients to comply with the call to exercise. Asking someone to slap on ugly shoes and exercise exacerbates that challenge. With a diabetes diagnosis we are bombarded with the mantra, “diet and exercise”. Regular exercise helps increase insulin sensitivity and lower blood glucose levels but competitions have a dramatically different effect.

The stress associated with competitions sends blood sugars soaring. Throw in endorphins and adrenaline and levels can reach dangerous and dizzying highs. My targeted blood sugar level before a major competition (last glucose test taken five to ten minutes prior) was around 140 to 150. I competed in the 50 meter freestyle, it typically took me 21 second to swim. I would test my blood sugar immediately after a competition and my levels were never less than the high 300’s. This dramatic hike associated with Game Day is common for athletes young and old, fast and not so fast and is in stark contrast to the blood glucose effects of Practice Days.

I enjoy sharing with people that as a swimmer about 60% of my training was done out of the pool. For any athlete living with diabetes, at any level, it is imperative to have a good pair of “trainers”. Is it too much to ask that a good pair of diabetes friendly sneakers be good looking too?"

Fortunately, vendors that deal with diabetic are starting to get it. They are developing lines that incorporate style and function. Flying Virgin Air on the way back from the National meeting in Seattle it struck me that even the in coach class on a red eye style and attitude can dramatically affect the experience. They payed attention to lighting, eliminate the stock airline stewardess 2 finger point to the nearest exit in favor of a more friendly graphic presentation on the multi-use movie screen in front of yourseat and convey a relaxed fun attitude. Fear has it's place as a wake up call in certain cases but the unfamiliar will not help them comply when it comes to equipment. How much of what we dispense is actually worn at home?