DTF Coaching

06/03/2026

Walking Is Medicine and Most People Are Not Using It

I talk about exercise a lot but I want to specifically talk about walking because it is the single most accessible and underrated thing you can do for blood sugar management.

A 10 to 15 minute walk after a meal can reduce your post meal blood sugar spike by up to 30 percent. Not after a 45 minute gym session. After a walk around the block. That is how responsive your body is to movement.

Walking does not stress your body the way intense training does. There is no recovery required. You can do it multiple times a day. You can do it with bad knees, a bad back, after surgery, during pregnancy, at any fitness level. There is almost no barrier to entry.

The research on walking for Type 2 diabetes and pre diabetes is incredibly consistent. More daily steps means better insulin sensitivity, lower fasting blood sugar and better A1C over time.

If you are not getting at least 7000 to 8000 steps a day, that is your starting point. Not a new program. Not a gym membership. Just walk more.

Start there.

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06/02/2026

What Alcohol Actually Does to Your Blood Sugar

Nobody talks about this one enough and it's relevant whether you have pre diabetes, Type 1 or Type 2.

Alcohol affects blood sugar in a way that surprises most people. When you drink, your liver shifts its focus to processing the alcohol and stops releasing glucose into the bloodstream. For people on insulin or certain diabetes medications this can cause blood sugar to drop dangerously low, especially several hours after drinking or overnight.

But it goes the other way too. Most alcoholic drinks are loaded with sugar. Beer, cocktails, coolers and mixed drinks can spike blood sugar significantly. And when you add the fact that drinking often comes with late night eating, less sleep and skipping your next morning workout, the total impact on your health is much bigger than just the drink itself.

This is not about cutting alcohol out completely. It's about understanding what it's actually doing so you can make informed decisions.

If you drink, eat something with it. Never drink on an empty stomach. Stay hydrated. Know your numbers the next morning.

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06/01/2026

When You Eat Matters Just as Much as What You Eat

Most people think about food in terms of what they eat. Calories, carbs, protein. But when you eat those foods has a massive impact on how your body handles blood sugar.

Eating late at night is one of the biggest culprits. Your body's insulin sensitivity drops in the evening which means the same meal you eat at noon will spike your blood sugar more at 9pm. If you're having your biggest meal right before bed and your blood sugar is already a concern, that pattern is working against you every single day.

Front loading your calories earlier in the day, eating a solid breakfast, not skipping meals and then binging later, and stopping eating 2 to 3 hours before bed are all things that can meaningfully improve how your body manages glucose.

Snacking on fast digesting carbs by themselves throughout the day keeps your blood sugar bouncing up and down constantly. Pair carbs with protein or fat. It slows everything down and keeps your levels more stable.

Timing is free. You don't need to buy anything. Just rethink when the meals happen.

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06/01/2026

What You Do Outside the Gym Matters More Than What You Do In It

People get really focused on their workouts. The hour they spend in the gym. The program they're following. The weights they're lifting. And all of that matters. But here's what most people miss.
The other 23 hours of the day are doing more to determine your health outcomes than that one hour ever will.

How you sleep. What you eat throughout the day. How much you move between workouts just going about your life. How much stress you're carrying. Whether you're sitting for 10 hours straight and then doing 45 minutes of exercise and thinking that cancels it out. It doesn't.

For people managing pre diabetes or Type 2 diabetes this is especially important to understand. Your blood sugar is being affected around the clock. It doesn't take a break between your workouts. Every meal, every stressful meeting, every late night, every choice you make during the day is either helping or hurting your numbers.

The gym is a tool. A great one. But your lifestyle is the foundation everything else is built on.

Build the foundation first.

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05/30/2026

You Are Probably Dehydrated and It Is Affecting Your Blood Sugar

This one is simple and most people are not doing it.

When you are dehydrated your blood becomes more concentrated which means the glucose in it becomes more concentrated too. Your blood sugar goes up. Your kidneys work harder trying to filter it out. Over time chronic dehydration makes blood sugar harder to manage and puts extra strain on organs that are already working overtime if you have diabetes.

Water also helps your kidneys flush out excess glucose when blood sugar is high. It supports every system in your body that is involved in blood sugar regulation.

The goal is roughly 2 to 3 litres of water per day depending on your size and activity level. Start your morning with a big glass before anything else. Carry a bottle with you. Reduce the coffee, juice and pop that dehydrate you or spike your blood sugar.

It sounds too simple to matter. It is not. Stay hydrated.

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05/29/2026

Your Stress Is Showing Up in Your A1C

Stress raises blood sugar. Full stop.

When you are stressed your body releases cortisol and adrenaline. These hormones tell your liver to dump more glucose into your bloodstream to prepare your body for a threat. That made sense thousands of years ago when the threat was physical. Today the threat is your inbox, your bills, your schedule and your body still responds the same way.

For someone managing diabetes or pre diabetes, chronic stress is a blood sugar problem. It raises your baseline, makes insulin less effective and often leads to stress eating which compounds the issue.

You cannot eliminate stress but you can manage how your body responds to it. Exercise, deep breathing, getting outside, cutting out things that drain you without giving back, talking to someone. These are not soft suggestions. They are legitimate tools for blood sugar management.

Take your stress seriously. It is showing up in your A1C whether you realize it or not.

05/28/2026

Bad Sleep Is Quietly Raising Your Blood Sugar

Nobody talks about this one enough. Poor sleep is silently wrecking blood sugar levels for a lot of people.

When you don't get enough quality sleep your body produces more cortisol and less insulin sensitivity. That means your blood sugar is harder to control the next day even if you eat perfectly. One bad night can raise your fasting blood sugar noticeably. Chronic poor sleep over weeks and months is a major contributing factor to insulin resistance.

The target for most adults is 7 to 9 hours. Not just any sleep, quality sleep. That means a cool dark room, no screens right before bed, consistent sleep and wake times and avoiding big meals right before you lie down.

If you are managing pre diabetes or Type 2 and you are not looking at your sleep habits you are leaving one of the biggest pieces on the table.

Fix the sleep. It changes everything.

05/27/2026

The Most Underused Tool for Managing Blood Sugar

Exercise is probably the most underused tool for managing blood sugar and most people don't realize how fast it works.

When you exercise your muscles pull glucose out of the bloodstream without needing insulin to do it. That means even a 20 to 30 minute walk after a meal can lower your blood sugar significantly. Resistance training makes your muscles more sensitive to insulin over time which means your body doesn't have to work as hard to manage your blood sugar on a daily basis.

You don't need an intense workout program to see results. Start with walking after meals. Add in some basic strength training two or three times a week. Be consistent with it and your body will respond.

For people with Type 1 it takes more planning around insulin and glucose levels but movement is still incredibly important. For pre diabetics and Type 2 this might be the single biggest lever you can pull right now.

Move your body. Your blood sugar will thank you.

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05/26/2026

Know the Difference - They Are Not the Same

A lot of people mix these up and they are not the same thing.
Type 1 is an autoimmune condition. The body attacks the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin, so the body makes little to none. People with Type 1 need insulin to survive. It is not caused by lifestyle and it cannot be reversed. It requires daily management, monitoring blood sugar and adjusting insulin constantly.

Type 2 is different. The body still produces insulin but becomes resistant to it over time. It is heavily influenced by lifestyle including what you eat, how much you move, your sleep and your stress levels. It can often be managed and in some cases reversed with the right habits.

Both are serious. Both require attention. But understanding which one you're dealing with changes everything about how you manage it.

If you are unsure where you stand, start with a blood test and know your numbers.

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05/25/2026

You Probably Don't Know You Have It

Most people find out they're pre diabetic by accident. They go in for a routine checkup, get their A1C tested and their doctor says your numbers are a little high. That's it. No dramatic warning, no obvious symptoms.

Here's what's actually happening. Your body is producing insulin but your cells aren't listening to it properly. Every time you eat processed foods, refined carbs and added sugars, you're making that problem worse. The good news is food is one of the most powerful tools you have to reverse this. Focus on whole foods, lean proteins, vegetables, and limit the stuff that spikes your blood sugar fast. You don't need a perfect diet. You just need a better one than what you have right now.

Small consistent changes in what you eat can move your A1C in the right direction within 90 days.