As a longtime personal trainer, I am being asked often about my current fitness regime. I live with Type 1 Diabetes, so daily exercise is an absolute for me. It helps me manage my blood sugars and keeps my weak immune system strong.

So how am I exercising daily at home?

I know that mixing different forms of exercise will keep the body guessing, delivering better results. Some days I go for long walks, taking advantage of the great weather we have in Sothern California. On other days, I jump rope. I love using a jump rope! 10 minutes of jump rope is equal to 30 minutes of jogging.

I am a firm believer in strength training. I do this at home too. I use resistance bands. Different types of bands. I work chest, back, arms, shoulders and even my legs. For legs, I use my fabric covered bands with a door anchor. I can do hamstring curls, leg abduction and more. I also use mini loop bands. A lot!

The loop bands can be added to my glide discs routines which adds an extra challenge. Always switching it up, using a variety of inexpensive exercise tools that exhaust my muscles and keep my body guessing.

There are days when I split up my jump rope time between sets of resistance band exercises. This works well too.

Core exercises are in there! Like everyone, I dread all of the “planks”. Meaning, the variations. But I do them, at least a couple of times a week. Plank – leg up. Side planks, plank jacks with glide discs…  I ALWAYS feel this in my abs and obliques the next day. Hence, my persistence on those planking planks, they work!

I have not gained weight since the lockdown. In fact, I’ve lost a couple of pounds. 

Workouts at home have been both fun and challenging. There are days where I lack motivation. For the most part, I’ve pulled through. I find once I get started, I finish the workout. And I FEEL GOOD.

 I am enjoying my new routines. My body is responding well. My blood sugars have been better than ever!

I will honestly say that my outlook is good, my moods have been cheerful, and I truly feel healthy.