How did the journey start for you?

I was 11 years old when I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. It was 1993 and we didn’t have the technology or medication options we do now: the fast-acting insulin or the continuous glucose monitors. I was admitted to hospital, diagnosed, stabilised and sent home to take insulin and figure it out!

Keeping yourself alive is a big responsibility to take on as a child and it sets you apart from other kids your age. There are rules to follow and steps to take. It’s a life of numbers and judgement calls and I experienced such carbohydrate fear: if I eat this, my blood sugar goes up, but if my blood sugar goes low I have to treat it with sugar. I felt trapped in a world of complicated nutrition.

I developed an obsessiveness with food that didn’t feel healthy: by the time I was 12, I could read food labels and was speaking the language of macronutrients and calories.

Diabetes affected my personality too, my mood and self-confidence influenced by blood sugar fluctuations. I never denied diabetes. I was never angry at it. But the feeling of being misunderstood because your priorities are different is something that shapes who you are.

I reached my early 20s and wanted more for myself than simply staying alive. I wanted to thrive.

When did you decide to make a change?

I had lived such a controlled life, putting in so much work just to stay alive, yet still things didn’t feel as great as I would have hoped or expected. I reached my early 20s and didn’t want to keep living in a space where I had diabetes first and was a person second. I wanted more for myself than simply staying alive. I wanted to thrive. I wanted to be healthy.

I began to question the standardised approach to diabetes education and over the course of a few years, had a series of moments that led me to nutrition not only as my most significant problem, but also as my solution.

I started making small changes to heal my relationship with food. I became a vegetarian overnight, eating lots more fibre and less saturated fat. I introduced more fruit, vegetables, beans and wholegrains, deciding not to be afraid of these foods any more. And it worked. I quickly felt different and my blood sugar dropped, even though I didn’t really know why at the time. I was eating more carbs than ever, but I was able to cut my insulin use in half over the space of six months.

I was eating more carbs than ever, but I was able to cut my insulin use in half over the space of six months

It inspired me to go back to university to become a registered dietitian, which is when I met my mentor. She was plant-based, as I am now, and a diabetes educator. She dropped a stack of information on me and said: ‘I know what’s happening to you. It’s the fibre.’ Wow, lightbulb moment.

By making smarter choices about food and insulin as well as around sleep, exercise and stress management, I had changed my physiology. I was processing food differently and had reduced my insulin resistance at a cellular level.

And yet this lifestyle approach wasn’t even talked about in my dietetics courses. I was following evidence-based research and it was working, but the university wasn’t teaching dietitians-to-be about the power of plant-based nutrition in treating and managing chronic disease. It made me so angry.

When did exercise come in?

Having grown up in an active family, I knew I needed to move for my health. I also wanted to channel my stress and frustration and knew exercise would help. However, I wanted to feel safe.

That’s when I discovered indoor cycling, doing my first class while I was at university. By this point my blood sugar was more predictable, so I felt brave enough to do a tough workout. The fact it took place on a bike that didn’t move made me feel extra safe and in control.

Consistency is really important with diabetes. It doesn’t matter if it’s yoga or triathlon. Just find your way of moving.

In that very first class, something switched in my brain. I loved it instantly. It was a group workout but a personal challenge. I was in my own safe space on the bike, not forced to compare myself to others. I was in control. And the music, the rhythmic pedalling, the instructor’s encouragement, the like-mindedness of the group… it lit me up with an incredible mental feelgood, allowing me to have fun and reminding me who I was.

My insulin needs also lowered even further with exercise. I felt younger and had so much energy. I realised plant-based nutrition, endurance exercise and insulin were the three things I need to survive.

Within a week, I had decided to train as an indoor cycling instructor.

Is it safe for you to instruct regular classes?

I landed a job teaching a Saturday morning class, which meant I had to show up for people – and when you have type 1 diabetes, that demands a plan. You have to think strategically about your food and the timing of your nutrition. Before you go to bed, you’re already thinking about your morning blood sugar so you can wake up on a healthy number, jump on the bike and maintain a healthy range throughout the workout.

I was incredibly nervous at first, so I started off doing 20 minutes at a time to understand my physiological response; diabetes is so numbers-driven that you can monitor the impact of every change you make.

I viewed the cycle studio as a lab where I could track my metrics and directly correlate my blood sugar levels with the exercise I’d just done. Whenever I nailed it, I knew I had made the right adjustments around how much to eat and when. I gained confidence from learning how nutrition, exercise and insulin interact.

I viewed the cycle studio as a lab, gaining confidence from learning how nutrition, exercise and insulin interact

It’s still a challenge because I teach intense interval training: I’ll be busy coaching heart rates and educating people in using the bike to get fitter, but in the back of my mind I’ll also be tracking my blood sugar and how I feel. I have, however, become an expert of my own body, learning to see patterns and creating my own protocols.

The key is to understand carbohydrates, striking the right balance between slow-acting, fibre-rich carbs and fast-acting carbs so I have the fuel I need as an athlete and the nutrition I need as a person with diabetes.

What’s your advice to new exercisers?

Committing to consistency is really important with diabetes. It doesn’t matter if it’s yoga or triathlon, just find your way of moving: something you love that makes you feel good about yourself.

Talk to your doctor to understand your medication and keep a good record of what happens when you exercise. Glucose-lowering medications combined with exercise can equal low blood sugar, but that isn’t a reason to quit. It’s a reason to make adjustments in the things you can control: the timing of your workouts, your hydration and the timing and type of your nutrition.

A diabetes diagnosis doesn’t have to mean a life of fear. If you’re willing to make changes, it can be the prompt you need to thrive.

Start small. Walking is super-effective – anything that gets your heart rate up. I love that we can now throw on a smartwatch and compare what our heart rate does with what our blood sugar does, especially if we also wear a continuous glucose monitor. You can do a hill walk, see your heart rate peak and come home to find your blood sugar gradually lowering.

In fact, wearing a continuous glucose monitor is a great idea generally as it validates your positive choices, instantly revealing what’s happening when you exercise or eat a particular food. I’ve worn one for nearly 10 years.

What’s your advice to gyms?

It’s the same as my advice to primary care providers: recognise when you don’t have the necessary expertise in-house and build your team. Bring in specialists. Specifically, bring in a plant-based dietitian and host free classes and workshops so members can learn from the experts. And please let’s move away from fad diets.

There are certified diabetes educators around the globe who have connections to the same resources I do, but if anybody needs help, my virtual door is always open.

What has indoor cycling given you?

I’m a strong advocate for group fitness generally – everything feels better after a class – but I genuinely believe that if I weren’t an indoor cycling instructor, I would be less of a human.

Diabetes saps you of your self-worth; indoor cycling was the safe space that made me feel I could be better. I dealt with my anger, found my tribe, became healthier and in the process happier. I now have the confidence to go skiing, hiking and more, but it all started with indoor cycling.

I’ve done it the hard way, but I’ve proved that a diabetes diagnosis doesn’t have to mean a life of restriction and fear. If you’re willing to be brave and make changes, it can be the prompt you need to become a better version of yourself. To thrive.

About Lauren Plunkett

Lauren Plunkett is the award-winning author of Type One Determination: Transforming Life with Type 1 Diabetes through Personal Experience, Scientific Evidence, and a Dash of Disobedience.

She is a registered dietitian, a certified diabetes care and education specialist, an indoor cycling instructor, public speaker and advocate for living exceptionally with type 1 diabetes. She also coaches type 2 diabetes remission and has launched a new podcast, Green Glow Lifestyle.

Learn about working with her: lpnutritionconsulting.com

References

“These six references are important to my work across all types of diabetes, including a video to one of my favourite pieces of education in existence,” enthuses Lauren Plunkett.

“The study by Kahleova is the newest and most thorough in type 1 diabetes, while Michael Riddell’s lab is responsible for so much of what we know about exercise and type 1 diabetes. I couldn’t get enough of his research when I was first learning and training on the bike.”

•  “Being misunderstood because your priorities are different shapes who you are.” (Dickinson et al. 2017)
•  “I was eating more carbs than ever, but cut my insulin use in half over six months.” (Kahleova et al. 2024)
•  “I know what’s happening to you. It’s the fibre.” (Jardine et al. 2021)
•  “My insulin needs lowered even further with exercise.” (Michael Riddell, 2023)
•  “I was following evidence-based research and it was working.” (Toumpanakis, 2018)
•  “I was processing food differently and had reduced my insulin resistance at a cellular level.” (Dr Michael Greger, MD FACLM)