Meet the Man Behind The Diabetic Fighter

Uncategorized Oct 02, 2019

Meet the man who’s taking diabetes to the mat: Canadian coach and Muay Thai Kickboxer Shawn Wicks shares how to make your diabetes nutrition plan pack a punch

You’ve just been diagnosed with diabetes, your doctor’s telling you to start a nutrition and exercise plan, and you’re feeling totally overwhelmed. How can you get motivated to take action on your health?

“The first thing I tell people who have just been diagnosed is ‘Don’t freak out.’ shares Burnaby, BC-based nutrition coach and Muay Thai kickboxer Shawn Wicks. “Diabetes, whether it’s Type 1 or Type 2, is extremely manageable. It’s going to take work, you need support, and you need someone to guide you and show you a clear path to gaining control of your nutrition.”

Shawn speaks from personal experience: in 2013, he was diagnosed with a form of diabetes called LADA or Late Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults (LADA) – it’s also known as Type 1.5, in contrast to the more commonly known Type 1 (an autoimmune disorder) and Type 2 (an acquired condition). The diagnosis came as he was in training for a Muay Thai fight and it explained a lot: how despite being a dedicated athlete, he’d suffered lethargy, extreme thirst, and a sudden drop in weight. “It was terrifying. But it was also somewhat of a relief - because I had an explanation for why I had been so ill.”

Diabetes is a growing issue in Canada: in 2017, roughly 2.3 million Canadians reported being diagnosed with diabetes – and millions more are living with pre-diabetes. What kind of impact can good nutrition have on these conditions?

Diabetes is a condition where your body can’t convert food into energy properly. Normally, when we eat, glucose (sugars) from our food get into our bloodstream. A hormone called insulin helps move glucose out of our bloodstream and into our cells to produce the energy we need. When you can’t produce insulin, or your body can’t use the insulin it produces properly, the sugar stays in your bloodstream, causing the type of symptoms Shawn experienced. Type 1 Diabetes has no cure, but it can be managed well with a treatment plan that includes proper nutrition and exercise.

Shawn explains: “Meal planning is super important because it is the key to blood sugar control, and blood sugar control is ultimately the number one concern with diabetes. It’s very important that diabetics, when they’re diagnosed, be given important information about how to eat. You need to be able to plan your meals, you need to be able to measure and track how those meals affect your blood sugar, and to experiment with what you can eat and when you can eat. There’s still a lot of old information being given out to diabetics when they’re diagnosed, and there’s a lot of confusing information online.For support with this approach, he recommends finding a specialist in blood sugar control to help you plan, preferably someone who is also diabetic.

For Shawn, the lack of support available after his diagnosis helped lead him into coaching. “It’s just so rewarding to help people who feel stuck or feel lost, or not supported, or confused, or afraid of the outcome of uncontrolled diabetes. To give them back that control, give them support, hold their hand, walk them through a proven system, so that they start feeling confident and then start becoming more connected, maybe joining a gym. I don’t think people really understand how much of an impact proper nutrition has on your overall health, both physical and mental. There is no better feeling than helping people get in control of their health and changing their lives.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

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