Last night, I saw the National Geographic and Disney+ nature documentary Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story at the Central Park Film Festival. Directed by Charlie Hamilton Jones, it explores a love story between a lonely man and a lonely river otter—an unexpected duo that forms a bond.
As the man, Billy, and the otter, Molly’s bond develops, his wife, Susan, and their dog, Jade, are pushed to the side. Billy neglects his promises to Susan and ignores Jade. Susan narrates the film. Her narration details Billy’s mental state, which he might not have shared, and expresses how she feels like the ‘other woman’ in Billy’s life. The story is told with heart and humor and with a musical score by composer Erland Cooper.
The story is filmed in the remote Shetland Islands, just above the mainland of Scotland. The scenery is breathtaking. Shetland Islands is known as the last barrier of the UK before the Arctic Circle. During a dramatic winter storm scene, with crashing waves and torrid winds, a large branch fell off a tree next to the outdoor screen. Everyone in the audience gasped. The film leaves your heart feeling all warm and fuzzy.
After you see this film, you’ll have many questions about how they did it. I found this interview very insightful.
The Annual Central Park Conservancy Film Festival, presented by National Geographic Documentary Films, in August is truly a treat! For five nights, award-winning films are shown for free in the middle of Central Park.
The film revolves around the importance of family in our lives. In many ways, Billy serves as Molly, the otter’s surrogate mother/father figure. As strange and unusual as their relationship is, it brings Billy joy and fulfillment.
Many people with type 2 diabetes admit their children, and their grandchildren motivate them to stay on top of their self-care. However, changing one’s lifestyle can be a constant, difficult struggle after diagnosis. Experts agree the keys to success include social support and relatedness, achievement of results, support from healthcare collaborators, and acceptance of your diagnosis.
At Divabetic, we believe confidence in managing lifestyle adjustments and handling the challenges of living with diabetes is crucial. Our ongoing efforts in diabetes education and empowerment testify to our belief that if you believe it, you can achieve it.
Please take a minute to support our efforts and purchase Divabetic’s new lip balm (watermelon flavor). For $10, you’ll receive three of our Divabetic branded lip balms. Shipping and handling fees are not included. For more information, contact: mrdivabetic@gmail.com
Our music inspiration, Alicia Keys’ make-up free movement, served as a self-empowerment tool for singer, songwriter, and maybe it can inspire you?
Alicia says,” I don’t want to cover up anymore. Not my face, not my mind, not my soul, not my thoughts, not my dreams, not my struggles, not my emotional growth. Nothing.”
Are you tired of hiding in disappointment from your inability to lose weight or keep it off?
“Motivation tends to lose its luster as we go forward (with goals). When you take the time to get in the right mindset. When you start losing your motivation to go to the gym or you start losing motivation for what you are eating then you go back to your ‘why.’ Your ‘why is crucial to your success,” says Dr. Lori L. Shemek, Ph.D., America’s #1 Fat Loss Expert and Author of ‘How to Fight FATflammation!. “When you revisit how you felt when you initially made your goal, that’s the key. When you attach that emotion to why you made that goal, then you’ve got it.”
People give up because they don’t have the confidence to pull it off,” continues Dr. Lori. “If you stop worrying about your behavior and focus more on your self-trust research shows that you will follow through. Be consistent with self-trust.”
We’re excited to announce our special line-up for Divabetic’s World Diabetes Day edition of Diabetes Late Nite. Diabetes Strong founder, Christel Oerum will stop by the studio to share her experience thriving with type 1 diabetes and the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin will provide musical inspiration. Join us here on Wednesday, November 14 from 6 – 7:30 PM.
Christel is a certified personal trainer, diabetes writer and advocate. She has been living with type 1 diabetes since 1997, and lives by the motto “there’s nothing you can’t do with diabetes.” With a wonderful life motto like that, we had to ask Christel to share some advice and guidance on staying strong with diabetes prior to our podcast interview.
Q: You posted on Diabetes Strong that when you first started to work out that you didn’t understand the difference between being ‘skinny’ and being ‘fit’. Can you explain how this impacted your fitness goals?
Christel Oerum: It shifted my whole approach to health and the way I structure my workouts and nutrition. While “skinny” can easily become an endless chase to “lose weight”, being fit and strong is more tangible. My focus is now more on increasing strength and eating to ensure my body can perform. I find strength incredibly empowering and I never go to the gym for “punishment” or to lose anything. I go because I like it and when I leave, I feel accomplished.
Q: Most women don’t want to lift weights because they’re afraid of looking ‘too bulky’ – what’s your opinion?
Christel Oerum: Building muscle is surprisingly hard, especially for women, so I don’t think women have to fear that. To “bulk up”, you have to consistently (we’re talking years) lift heavy and eat enough to support muscle gain. I’ve done that, and I don’t think I look “bulky” but that I look strong.
Q: What does your saying ‘forget about “toning” and focus on “building” mean?
Christel Oerum: “Toning” is such a weird term. Toning indicates that you lean out (aka reduce your body fat) to reveal your muscle tone. Well, you need to build muscle first in order to show it off. I think a lot of people (especially women) become frustrated when they lose weight and still don’t have the “toned” body they want.
Obviously, we all carry muscle even if we never lifted a dumbbell, but if you really want to “tone”, you’re probably also interested in having a little more muscle tone to show off.
Q: How do you deal with blood sugar fluctuations before, after and during your workout?
Christel Oerum: I limit the fluctuations by having a good understanding of how different workouts most likely will affect my blood sugar and by knowing which blood sugar management strategies are optimal to implement. I’ve written several articles on that on Diabetes Strong because it’s something many struggle with, and it takes time and effort to figure out what works for the individual.
But gaining that knowledge is golden. By knowing which types of exercise most likely will increase blood sugar and which won’t, we can adjust our medication and food accordingly and just enjoy exercise more.
Q: How do you feel that knowing how many calories you’re eating and what kind of calories you’re eating is important?
Christel Oerum: I don’t think it’s always important to know your calorie intake. I definitely don’t track what I eat all the time. However, if you do want to gain or lose weight, it’s important to know how much you’re consuming compared to how much you should be consuming. And the most efficient way to determine that is by tracking your food for a while. There are different methods for that and I always recommend people choose the right method for them. If tracking calories result in unwanted eating pattern and eating disorder behavior, I highly recommend a different method.
Q: How can others living with diabetes learn how to make peace with their obstacles and find ways to turn them into something positive?
Christel Oerum: I truly believe in finding your way through joy and support. We all have obstacles we need to tackle, and if they’re not approached with some level of positive outlook, they will become practically impossible to work your way out of. Diabetes is an obstacle, but it’s also an opportunity to become extremely aware of how your body works and responds to pretty much anything you do. And you’re not alone in this journey. There is a vast diabetes community online that you can tap into. We’re in group chats, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and in person at meet-ups around the world, you just need to reach out.
Q: We’ve read that you often advise people living with diabetes who are interested in starting a fitness routine to do ‘what gives them energy’ what does that mean? Can you explain?
Christel Oerum: I find that when we enjoy something, when we have fun, it makes us happy and gives us energy. If you love to dance, you might be smiling all the way through that favorite song of yours, and you’ll probably have a smile on your face or in your heart even after the song is over, even if you are out of breath and covered in sweat. That’s how I feel about resistance training. I might not always want to go, but I pretty much always feel amazing afterward. I feel energized and happy.
Do what you like and what makes you happy – not what someone else says is the “best” way to exercise.
There are many reasons that Aretha Franklin is the legend of legends, a groundbreaking singer with the fortitude to transcend race and genre, using that tremulous voice as the bulldozer to break down every barrier set up in her way.
Aretha’s own health journey is sparking a discussion about the uncertain connection between pancreatic cancer and diabetes. Long-standing diabetes can be considered a risk factor for pancreatic cancer. It causes a modest increase in risk of 1.5- to two-fold. Some of the other risk factors for pancreatic cancer include smoking, chronic pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas), family history of pancreatic cancer, obesity and certain genetic syndromes.
Diabetes Late Nite is a fast-paced, full-filled hour of diabetes education and wellness advice that encourages listeners to “laugh a little, learn a lot.
