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Failing My Way to Success

This year I am focused on how good I can fail. I want to fail so much that I learn to be the best at what I am trying to be and fail abundantly into the person and role model I aim to become. 

I have above-average blood sugar control and management of my diabetes, but that sure as hell hasn’t always been the case. I know what to do, how to course-correct out of range blood sugars because I’ve invested and learned from my failed attempts over 28 years of type 1 diabetes.

In fact, you are currently reading from the girl who wrote fake numbers on her blood sugar data sheets that were faxed to her doc weekly. Sorry, Dr Schuster.

So let’s dive in on how to fail more and fail better.

The more worthy fails you can perform, the better. But first, what is your goal? And this goal needs to be hard and challenging enough, you have room to fail.

So what is my advice?

You don’t want to fail on purpose in order to escape discomfort. This is called escape fails and examples would be:

  • Over-eating/drinking off-plan,
  • Not following through on commitments,
  • Not taking action, and more.

You want to fail, attempting worthy failures. 

Worthy failures are considered fails not because of the action you don’t take, but rather because you’re not progressing from the action you do take.

If your goal is to learn to ride a bike, the time you spend practicing and falling would be a worthy failure. Not trying at all would be escape failure. Make sense?

So what is the point in learning to fail better?

When you open yourself up to doing the unthinkable and failing regularly, your life becomes bigger!

Fail. Fail Again. Fail Even Better.

Good-bye 2019, crushing it in 2020.

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The Mental Burden of Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes can impact your mental health A LOT!⁠ For starters, we carry the weight of supporting and monitoring our blood sugar all day, every day.⁠

My self-care routine nurtures this mental burden and each day, week, year, I am inspired to seek out all things that can help. For inspiration, I will share a few of my self-care habits:

•I exercise most days, and I choose exercises that work well for my blood sugar control. I used to love HIIT training and heavy weight lifting, but they require more work on stable blood sugars. In 2019 I adopted a strong yoga & barre routine. I do not exercise every day, but I do exercise at least every other to maintain my insulin sensitivity.

•I take CBD/hemp most days to help with stress itself, but also support inflammation in my body, eye health, nerve function, sleep and more.

•I give back and engage in non-profits that support type 1s or type 1 research.

•I step outside every, if not most, afternoons. Rain or shine, I yearn for nature and in the end, it helps me be more productive.

•I am graceful with diabetes and I accept that I am not my blood sugar data. If I am high or low, the best thing I can do is learn from it and course correct. The only constant with type 1 diabetes is change, and sometimes that involves stepping back, taking a deep breath and riding the wave (without rage bolusing!).

What is your self-care routine with diabetes?

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Adieu 2019

I can’t put my finger on it, but I am beyond excited for 2020. Such a fresh start with a new decade, and I appreciate getting older as I feel more confident, a better communicator, more grounded and more (although I know there is much growth to come).

On the birth of the new year, I want to continue, start and stop the below. Above all, I am grateful and so blessed for what 2019 gave me.

I encourage you to use these 4 words and doodle some thoughts for yourself on what you want out of the decade ahead.

  • Continue:
    • Being generous. Generosity was your best lesson in 2019. You donated your time, money and talents more than ever before and it was beyond rewarding.
    • Continue taking care of my gut, following my latest MRT results and following my LEAP protocol.
    • Reaching out to those who need you most.
    • Being graceful with myself and my diabetes. High and low blood sugars can rob me from the moment, but as I continue to be mindful of the journey (which has taken me most of my 28 years having type 1 diabetes), I can take the right actions to calibrate.
    • Writing to your viewers weekly in your Sunday with Kelly newsletter. You love to write, educate, and inspire.
    • Offering a quarterly blood sugar reset (first one starts January 6th). Sometimes it’s new news for individuals with blood sugar challenges to know their liver needs a lot of love.
    • Mapping out your morning yoga and weight lifting classes. Again, in 2019 this new habit was a ripple effect for a lot of positives in your day.
    • Growing my faith. I did 4 Alpha sessions with my church, and each experience opened a new door of deeper faith in different ways. This year, I intend to explore my faith even more and intend to involve my family and kids more often.
  • Start:
    • Being savvy with your time, energy, commitments, space and work. Create space in your day and life by making the right decisions for your goals and desires.
    • Being less accessible so you can focus on where you need to be more successful. As an extrovert, you want to fill your days and weekends, but as you focus on being Savvy (my 2020 word), you need to say no, to everything that’s not a, “hell yes.”
    • To outsource the needs that are not your gifts. Do it, Kelly.
    • Dream, dream, and dream some more.
    • Yoga sculpt teaching. Get your certification done and get out there and inspire.
  • “Say no to,” so you can “Say yes to Kelly”:
    • more things on the weekends so you can start fresher each week. Or be more mindful of how much rest you allow for on the weekends.
    • alcohol. While you don’t abuse it, it does take away from your sleep and energy. Set new limits on how much you want to enjoy each month.
    • …this one will be an ongoing conversation throughout the year.
  • Stop:
    • Doubting yourself. You grow the most when you fail. Learn to fail really well this year.
    • Being frustrated when your blood sugars go high/low. Kelly, just like yoga, managing type 1 diabetes is a practice.
    • Looking at your phone too long into the evening.
    • Pushing too hard. We all need our rest.
    • Comparing yourself. Yes, everyone does it, but it’s not serving you.
    • Cleaning so much. Dirt don’t hurt. Outsource house cleaning every once in a while (Amazon Prime has cleaners FYI!!).
  • Grateful (for):
    • Your family and that we are not bound by illness. You are never guaranteed tomorrow and loving what you are given today.
    • Your neighbors and friends. They are a gift.
    • Your career. You are well aware of the challenges of type 1 diabetes, but this disease has lit a fire within you.
    • On that note, you are so grateful for type 1 diabetes. It’s your passion, purpose and your strength.
    • Your business coach. Chere Bork is like your live guardian angel where she has come in and out of your life at the perfect times.
    • Yoga. A new love of yours and a place that helps you be your best person every day.
    • Your family getaway. It’s your motivator.
    • Your Dexcom. Of all of your diabetes tools, your Dex is the best.
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Ensuring Your Diet Is Safe But Also Effective

Weight loss is something that’s on the average person’s mind, whether they want it to be or not. While weight loss is hard, it doesn’t stop them from wanting it. However, the hard work often involved in healthy weight loss can lead people desiring shortcuts. Yet, the problem with shortcuts is they don’t work and many more of them can actually be harmful to your body. Trying to lose weight too quickly can be incredibly hazardous to your health and the weight loss isn’t sustainable. With that in mind, here is a guide to losing weight safely.

Embrace Your Pace

It’s not a race. Wellness and weight-loss have no finishing line and embracing a pace that works for you, is key; along with consistency. I understand it can be tempting to want a diet that can offer you the fastest possible results since waiting around to see a change in your body can be demotivating. But know, if you want long-term results, then you need to do things gradually. 

Set Realistic Goals

No weight loss plan can work without clear goals. If you have a vague goal of “losing weight” then you’re going to find yourself struggling at every turn. But you should also make sure that the goals that you’re aiming for are reasonable and achievable. If you give yourself a goal that’s too ambitious and that you could never reasonably achieve, then you’re only ever going to end up disappointed. Instead, start small. Make your goal simple, easy’ish and have lots of micro-goals along the way. 

Gather Your Support

Set out to organize the right support for you from qualified professionals is such a good idea. Whether that’s hiring a coach like myself or working through a medical weight loss center can make a huge difference. Those who have outside support are 3x as likely to lose the desired weight. 

If you intend to start any kind of structured diet,  it’s best to get clearance from your medical care. practitioner. That way you can be completely sure that your diet is medically safe and recommended. 

 

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Kelly’s 2019 Healthy Gift Guide

I believe less is more, and this season I am focusing on experiences and quality gifts and I’ve organized a list of my favs for you below. Some of these items I do indeed have an affiliate account with (bc I love them) and some of the items I’ve listed I get nothing besides pure joy for promoting them.

CONSUMABLES

  • Pique Tea. Not only do their teas taste great, but they are clear of mold, chlorine, and pesticides.
  • A smoothie based detox. If you have weight to lose or have an autoimmune disease, it’s important to detox your body every quarter or at least bi-annually. I will be leading this detox starting January 6th! Be sure to sign-up by clicking here.
  • Yes, after I list a detox, I am going to now list my favorite, sulfite-free, GMO-free and dye-free wine, Dry Farm Wine.
  • Shelf-stable bone broths, in a variety of flavors from Kettle & Fire Turmeric Ginger and Lemongrass Pho are a few of my favs.

WEARABLE

  • I totally caved this year and adore my Spanx. A pair of leggings I can easily dress up or down. They fit true to size.
  • Fabletics. Great workout clothing for low costs. I’ve upgraded my yoga wardrobe using Fabletics and the quality is really good and the prices are fair. For my birthday I bought shoes, 3 tanks, 2 leggings from Fabletics for under $99.

TIME SAVERS

  • Save time using an Air-Fryer. Word on the street they the best salmon and steak.
  • Cookbook, Cook Once, Eat All Week
  • Pre-made meals from Balanced Bites – they are cooked fresh then immediately frozen for delivery. We are moving towards this from our Sunbasket meals. Sunbasket was pretty good, but this is faster, higher-quality and easier.
  • Thrive Market Membership – so you can shop from the comfort of your home. I order weekly from Thrive from bathroom supplies to collagen powders (their brand is the best price) and more.

ENVIRONMENTAL

  • Drink more water daily, using metal-free, plastic-free straws.
  • Get a diffuser going to help crank up the zen. This is the one I just got for my office.
  • I love my portable, spill-free Continga Mug for tea or coffee.

  • Replace your traditional cleaning supplies for the Norwex mop which only uses water to keep your floors clean and free from pesticides.

WELLNESS

  • I LOVE my local yoga studio membership but also my Yoga Studio app, where I can do a yoga session for 10 minutes or 90 minutes, adjusting for the intensity I want and style from restorative, to stretching to strength.
  • Work with me. I have a proven 4-month program helping clients take control of their blood sugar levels, the food they eat and how they enjoy their food. Let me help you in 2020.
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Fueling A Young Athlete

I was asked to speak to a local group of 3rd-grade girl runners and here is a list of a few items we discussed. If you have a little athlete at home, consider applying these tips to their life and if you need a dietitian speaker, reach out!

  • Create time and space for your movement, recovery and meals.
    • Set aside time at night before bed to pack your lunch and afternoon snack
    • Plan out when you want to practice running or pair up for a jog with a friend each week
    • Turn your screens and electronics off every night by 6pm
  • Eat color, prioritizing 3 cups of vegetables a day, protein at each meal and choosing 3 meals verse having multiple snacks all day. Meals are better for you body, sleep, concentration and athletics.
    • Make vegetables fun and easy to consume. Have you ever made a smoothie with berries, avocado and kale?
    • Have proteins made ahead. I bet your parents would be happy to help too. How about a chicken salad, pre-portioned nuts, pre-made burgers, whole-fat organic dairy?
    • Make sure you snack is a combo of fiber and fat.
  • Eat real food more often than not, choosing things that don’t come packaged.
  • Listen to how your body feels. Sometimes we don’t tolerate all the foods we are offered. Pay attention to what you body digests well.
  • Invest interest in cooking and play with flavors and learn new ways to enjoy things.

Food Ideas:

Breakfast

Smoothie

1/2 avocado (Costco sells these frozen, which making life easier), 1/2 banana, 1/3 cup of berries, ice, pinch of sea salt, coconut milk and a good protein powder like vanilla pea protein or collagen peptides.

Egg cupcakes

Chop various vegetables you like and mix with 12 eggs. Portion into cupcake trays and cook on 325F until cooked all the way through ~20 minutes.

Grain-less Granola + yogurt

The grain-less will help stabilize energy levels and prevent blood sugar spikes first thing in the morning.

Lunch

Organic chicken drumsticks with hummus, cucumbers/tomatoes and rice

Homemade chipotle bowl

Soup (here are my go-to tips on picking a quality soup)

Snacks

  • Celery + peanut butter and raisins
  • String cheese + cheery tomatoes (1 cup)
  • Pear + 1/4 cup pecans
  • Orange + 30 pistachos
  • Green apple + 15 almonds
  • 1/2 cup cucumber + hard-boiled egg
  • Banana + pumpkin seeds
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Low Sugar Smoothies

It’s officially the holiday season and a great time to start each day in November with a healthy bolus of a meal, a green smoothie. Join me this month for a daily smoothie challenge!

Spinach Berry

Blend the above in a good blender such as a Ninja, a good Kitchen Aid blender (I use the Kitchen Aid option and it does just fine) and/or a Vitamix.

Creamy Avocado Berry:

Blend the above in a good blender such as a Ninja, a good Kitchen Aid blender.

Apple Pumpkin

  • 1/3 cup puree pumpkin
  • 1.5 cup raw spinach
  • 1.5 cup chopped romaine lettuce
  • 3 tsp cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon clove
  • 1/8 tsp ginger
  • 5 ice cubes
  • 1/3 or ½ of a small frozen banana (I peel multiple bananas, wrap them in foil and then freeze them)
  • ½ cup of cooled apple cinnamon herbal tea (I brew a small amount of water the night before and leave it on the counter for the morning)
  • 1 scoop of vegan protein powder
  • 1 tbsp of gelatin/collagen blend

Blend the above in a good blender.

Green Machine

  • 2 large handfuls spinach leaves (2-3 cups)
  • 3-4 large romaine lettuce leaves
  • 1/2 avocado, peeled and pitted
  • 1/2 peeled banana, you can even use frozen to make the drink even colder
  • 1/2 cup frozen berries
  • 1 tbsp hemp seeds
  • 1 cup purified water, almond milk, coconut water or coconut milk
  • 5 ice cubes
  • 2 tbsp of gelatin/collagen blend

Blend the above in a good blender.

Tip: The ingredient measurements in green smoothies are flexible, add more or less of any ingredients to your taste. Also, check out this guide to continue building the perfect green drink.

Berry Bliss

  • 1 cup organic mixed berries, frozen
  • 2 Tablespoons Chia seeds (optimize the nutrition by soaking the chia seeds overnight in water)
  • 1.5 cups water (substitute with almond/coconut milk)
  • 1 tsp spirulina or vital greens
  • 1 scoop of vegan protein powder
  • 1 tbsp of gelatin/collagen blend

Blend the above in a good blender.

Choco-blueberry

Blend the above in a good blender.

Additional Smoothie Tips: 

If you want the smoothie to be sweeter, feel free to add more banana or vanilla extract. As well, with the flu season upon us, I more often than not, tear open 2 green tea sachets and add the ingredients in with the smoothie for an extra immune system booster. Last but not least – I often combine many of the ingredients the night before so breakfast can be whipped together effortlessly. Need more smoothie ideas? Click here. 

 

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To Lose the Booze

“Why on earth should I try to be more dry?” said this chick who was the social chair in college, who started a wine club in our neighborhood last year and not long ago I had ambitions to become a sommelier. In fact, a few of my favorite memories exist in Australia’s wine country when we lived there in 2011.

If I suggested this even a year ago, it would be blasphemy. I remember attempting a sober month with my husband in February (yes, the shortest month of the year) and I felt like it was silly as I have a number of other restrictions in my life as someone with an autoimmune disease, type 1 diabetes, where I fair best on a low carbohydrate diet, thus a gluten and dairy-free diet. Take away my wine? Crazy!

But after being a little more sober curious about it, I’ve come to realize, drinking less alcohol is actually a very powerful way to practice self-care with respect to my personal growth, business goals, and health. So in the end, there are few cons with less alcohol in my life.

Replacing the time and money I would put into wine, etc, I will repurpose my energy to do better things. Explore why you can view social drinking in a new light and moderate your drinks to serve you. Life is about pleasure and perhaps sobriety isn’t the need, but is less in fact more?

I won’t list scare tactics on alcohol, yet, I will recommend having fun with this alcohol money tracker, from finder.com. It’s quite an eye-opening calculator and perhaps inspiring. 

 

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From type 1 to type none: Woman raises funds to help those living with diabetes

PUBLISHED: 

Kelly Schmidt is working to fundraise for a purpose.

“I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes on my 8th birthday in second grade,” she told 10TV’s Angela An.

That was in 1991, when according to Kelly’s website, she learned the power of “food is thy medicine.”

But it wasn’t until Kelly’s senior year in high school when she says she found a new purpose: to make living with type 1 diabetes better for everyone affected by the disease. She is now a registered dietitian, speaker, author, and wellness coach.

Her goal is to guide clients with type 1 diabetes on how to live a life where diabetes is less hard.

She is hosting an invite-only pig roast she hopes to turn into a mini-fundraiser “to make this disease less hard and nonexistent.”

Kelly, who is also a JDRF Board member, said this is not just a mission for her — Kelly’s father also has type 1 diabetes.

JDRF Central Ohio will also hold it’s annual One Walk on Sunday, Sept. 29 at the CAS campus at 2540 Olentangy River Road. Check in begins at 9 a.m. with the one-mile walk starting at 10:30 a.m.

The goal of the event is to raise more than $600,000 for juvenile diabetes research.