I’m committed to good health, so I try to walk for at least 30 minutes every day. My family history of type 1 and type 2 diabetes makes me aware that I am at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes. This information is one of the biggest motivating factors in my life to not take my health for granted.
If you’re like me and worried if you may have pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes, the Centers for Disease Control offers a quick, easy Pre-Diabetes Risk Test.
They also offer a National Diabetes Prevention Program that helps people with prediabetes make lasting lifestyle changes to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes.
Working with a trained coach teaches you to eat healthy, add physical activity, and manage stress. With other participants, you’ll celebrate successes and work to overcome challenges. Find out more on their website.
It’s difficult to maintain good health when I’m out on a music tour. The long hours, lack of sleep, and high-caloric foods hinder my goals. So, my morning walk is one way I maintain a healthy habit until I get home.
Walking is a great place to start if you’re looking for a way to include more physical activity and exercise into your daily routine.
According to Medical News, brisk walking or striding at above 4 miles or 6.4 km per hour was associated with a reduced risk of around 39%, which is equal to 2.24 fewer cases of type 2 diabetes in every 100 people. Every increase of 1 km of speed was associated with a 9% reduction in risk.
On tour with Itzhak Perlman, my morning walk is always different because I travel to new cities every other day. I can never get bored when I’m stepping out on new terrain or city streets. However, I understand how daily walking around the same neighborhood or office park can be boring. If you’re worried about staying motivated, finding a music playlist, radio show, or podcast series to listen to when you’re walking can help to keep you engaged and make the time go faster.
My daily walks are a form of meditation, so I try to avoid the phone. If you’re interested in meditating, check out Divabetic’s annual Guided Meditation podcast with our friend, Yoga Instructor, and Author Rachel Zinman. Her friendly, straightforward approach to mediating has helped me calm my mind during these unprecedented times.
But you may also want to pick up the phone and call friends and family to stop you from feeling your walk is drudgery.
People always ask me what music I’m listening to. Right now, Itzhak Perlman’s Cinema Serenade album is on repeat. We just performed several pieces from the album with the Charleston Symphony. Here’s one of my favorites – enjoy!
Many people find the phrase “reversing diabetes” misleading.
I know I do. First, there are many types of diabetes – which one are they talking about? Unfortunately, you cannot reverse type 1 diabetes, so making a blanket statement about ‘reversing diabetes’ is wrong and upsetting to anyone with type 1 diabetes.
Regarding type 2 diabetes, I remember being told that my boss Luther Vandrosswas no longer living with type 2 diabetes because he had lost weight. Looking back, I assumed they meant he didn’t need oral medications. However, their misleading comments had me convinced he was cured.
I lived in that bubble until he suffered a devasting stroke in 2003. Sitting in a chair in ICU, his doctors told me that he still lived with diabetes even when his weight changed. Throughout the over twenty years of living with diabetes, Luther had periods of well-managed and mismanaged diabetes. Like many people, who gain a significant amount of weight, he routinely gained or lost a hundred pounds or more; he stopped managing his diabetes. The damage he did to his capillaries during these periods of mismanaged diabetes was nonreversible.
Maybe he fully recovered from the stroke, returned to the stage, and continued to entertain fans worldwide; I would have a different opinion about ‘reversing diabetes.’ But given my life experience, I don’t like or use the phrase ‘reversing diabetes’ because it fuels the chaos or confusion regarding self-care.
Reversing diabetes is a term that usually refers to a significant long-term improvement in insulin sensitivity in people with type 2 diabetes. People with type 2 diabetes who get their HbA1c below 42 mmol/mol (6%) without taking oral diabetes medication are said to have reversed or resolved their diabetes.
I prefer the phrase “moving forward with diabetes” much more inspiring and motivating.
How about you? Does the phrase ‘reversing diabetes’ motivate you or annoy you?
Whether or not you embrace the term ‘reversing diabetes,’ you shouldn’t deny your living with diabetes.
More than 37 million people in the United States have diabetes, and 1 in 5 don’t know it. 96 million US adults, over a third, have prediabetes, and more than 8 in 10 don’t know they have it.
Although it’s not always possible to reverse type 2 diabetes, you can manage it. Seek help managing your blood sugar levels, lifestyle choices, oral medications, or insulin therapy to prevent complications from developing. One thing I learned from Luther was trying to manage your diabetes alone is a risky business. Luther had over twenty people helping him with his musical career. However, he tried to go ‘solo’ when managing his diabetes. After his devasting stroke, related to mismanaged type 2 diabetes, I realized the importance of a team approach to diabetes self-care.
Let Lisa Stansfield inspire you to live loud and proud with diabetes. You Can’t Deny it!
Helpful Ways to Begin Accepting Your Diabetes
Enlist the help of a mental health professional like our friend, Dr. Bevery S. Adler PhD, CDCES. She’s a licensed Clinical Psychologist, Certified Diabetes Care & Education Specialist, Author, and Speaker. Not only is “Dr. Bev” a fantastic therapist, but she’s also been living well with type 1 diabetes for over 50 years. She walks the talk. Take the time to interview therapists to find the one that best fits your needs.
Make an appointment with a certified diabetes care and education specialist to learn more about diabetes and how to manage it. Our friend, Rachel Zinman, living with LADA diabetes, said the ‘AH HA’ moment leading her to go from ‘survive to thrive’ with diabetes came after meeting with a diabetes educator.
Consider joining a diabetes support group. There’s nothing quite like being surrounded by people who know exactly what you’re dealing with. Many people hesitate about joining a diabetes support group. Still, the truth is that anyone who has ever attended a Divabetic Support meeting walks away with a better attitude about living with diabetes. Make sure you find a group with a qualified moderator. No one wants to sit in a room and be judged.
While you may not be able to reverse diabetes, you can reverse some things in life, like your car, DVD, or even this podcast!
We’re flipping the script on this podcast and presenting our regular show format from back to front because we hope to inspire you to look back at past mistakes with a new attitude. Mistakes teach important lessons. Every time you make one, you’re one step closer to your goal: optimum health. There’s no room for shame or blame when you’re able to accept your diagnosis. Let us help empower you to look back at your life with the satisfaction of knowing that diabetes didn’t dim your dazzle!
Singer-songwriter Lisa Stansfield inspires us to ‘throwback’ and discuss the concept of ‘reversing diabetes’ on this podcast.
In the late ’80s and throughout the ’90s, Lisa Stansfield was one of the coolest popstars on the planet. Her seductive, soulful vocals and timeless dance-pop songs took her to the top of the charts on both sides of the Atlantic. Four of her albums were international hits selling more than 15 million copies and spawning over 20 hit singles.
Guests include Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, Kathy Gold RN, CDCES, Neva White DNP, CRNP, CDCES, the Digital Divas, Jessica Issler RD, CDCES, Poet Lorraine Brooks, Mama Rose Marie and special guest Cheri from Long Island, NY.
In tribute to Lisa Stansfield, we will be playing many of her biggest hits courtesy of SONY MUSIC.
By the way, we printed t-shirts with the phrase ‘Denial’s Not My Style’ over 20 years ago. We still stand behind every word in the phrase. There’s nothing new about the positive attitude we promoted in 2003 and will continue to promote in 2023. We might have to reprint some t-shirts to celebrate our 20th anniversary.
Divabetic Playlists and Podcasts are available on Spotify! Divabetic playlists spotlight the artists we feature on our monthly podcasts courtesy of SONY Music.
Check out March’s Divabetic podcast featuring music by Prince in celebration of the 30th Anniversary of the Prince & The New Power Generation’s The Love Symbol album’s release.
Written and recorded during a time when gangsta rap was hitting the airwaves, Prince surrounded himself with his own posse in an attempt to either reflect the changing musical landscape or appear in sync with it.
Divabetic’s favorite tracks include the soul-funk “Love 2 the 9’s” the reggae-influenced “Blue Light” and the pop-rock of “The Morning Papers”.
“Are you running away, Mom?” Mark Crenshaw rubs his eyes awake. Behind his mother, he can see it’s 12:15 AM on the clock on the nightstand. He eyes her suspiciously, standing in her bedroom doorway of their modest home in the San Fernando Valley.
“What?” Candace jumps from the sound of her eighteen-year-old son’s voice. Once again, her son manages to sneak up on her without her noticing. When he was younger, he did that a lot. She reasoned, without a father, he needed constant reassurance his only living relative was alright.
Fortunately, for Mark’s sake, Candace Crenshaw has never given her son reason to worry until now. Her unshakeable self-confidence was shattered a few days earlier when one of her music students, a young boy, was a fatal school shooting victim. Since then, she is jumpy, anxious, and on edge. “Remain calm,” Candace tells herself. She isn’t ashamed of what he caught her doing as much as she is scared. After all, the weekend trip she is packing for isn’t for her, it’s for him. This is something she should have done a long time ago.
Eighteen years earlier, the day after discovering she was pregnant, Candace cut off all ties with her past and ran away to Los Angeles. In quick succession, she needed to make things happen. Find an apartment in a good area. Enroll in college to get a music education degree. Join a church. Find a doctor. After Mark’s birth and with her degree in hand, she got a job teaching music at a public high school. Her passion for teaching caught the eyes of several administrators at nearby schools and she soon transferred to a school with a more extensive music program. The salary increase from switching jobs allowed her to purchase a small two-bedroom bungalow in the Valley where she and her son reside today. In those early days, she only had time to take care of her son, go to school, work odd jobs, and repeat it again the following day. She held firm to her goal to provide a safe, stable environment for her son. The pride she felt in the making over her life she held on to like a badge of honor.
Now her baby was this tall, self-assured young man standing before her. The dark clouds she saw reflected in his large brown eyes did not comfort her. She could see the wheels spinning in his head, questioning her actions. “What are you doing up?” she snaps back. She thought he was sleeping when she started to pack, but maybe her music was too loud. She always loses herself in Luther, especially listening to Dance With My Father. But the last thing she needs is for her son to start giving her the third degree. Her nerves are already shot from the tragedy.
“Why don’t you tell me first.” He points to the mountain of clothes on top of her bed.
“If I’m running away, then I’d better get a bigger suitcase to pack your stuff too.” She lets out a nervous laugh. Candace looks down at her suitcase struggling to remain calm. She fully intends to tell him about her trip after she returns. Right now isn’t the right time or place. She doesn’t know the outcome of her trip yet, so there’s no guarantee she can protect him. The thought of her son being vulnerable, like the boy who died, terrifies her. She has to steer their conversation in a different direction. The school counselors caution parents to explore rather than ignore their children’s random thoughts and questions using clear, concise communications.
“I’m packing for the coping conference this weekend I told you about.” But when her son’s expression makes it clear he doesn’t buy her explanation, she attempts to turn the tables on him. “I know that look on your face. Should I guess what you’re thinking, or are you going to tell me?”
“Destiny’s Mom doesn’t know about your conference,” he says with air quotes. “I asked her earlier. So what’s really going on?”
Her mother’s intuition warned her that Mark would ask Destiny’s mother, Sheila, the nurse at her school, about her trip. These days Mark spends most of his time at Destiny’s house. She gives him her prepared explanation. “It’s for teachers. The Board of Education has one for school nurses in a few weeks. Are you okay? You should be sleeping.”
His eyes soften as he looks at her. “The whole town feels like it’s in a daze.” He looks over to his Mom. “Starting with you.”
When Luther’s rendition of Superstar fills the room, Candace starts humming along as she debates to herself whether or not to pack a black cardigan sweater. Deep in thought, it takes a minute for her to realize Mark has stopped talking. She turns to look at him.
“Sorry. Luther’s voice had me thinking about how love had the power to put people in a daze, not violence. People fell in love and celebrated love at Luther’s concerts. Even couples with problems got swept up in his music. Their troubles melted away as soon as he began to sing.”
“Can you feel something for someone you don’t even know?”
“I think so.” Candace tries to keep her voice calm.
“That’s how I feel.”
Candace nods in agreement. Every night since the shooting, she lies awake thinking about the potential dangers lurking outside her front door. She was lucky nothing happened to Mark. But what about next time? She shakes away the thought from her mind.
“Come here, and give me a hug.”
Candace sighs and goes back to packing for her trip. From her bed, Mark watches his mother grab a plain understated business suit out from her closet. She looks at it, shakes her head, and puts it back. Unsure of what to pack for her trip, Candace keeps changing her mind about what she should pack. She takes out every item from her bag and starts over. Her actions make her son very nervous. Her graceful gestures, the ones honed for years from dance lessons, are gone. She appears clumsy and jittery at best.
“I have a closet full of clothes but nothing to wear. How can that be possible?” Frustrated, she accidentally slams a dresser drawer shut, and it catches her finger. She screams in pain.
“Maybe I shouldn’t go. We haven’t spent much time together lately.”
His mother’s behavior is so atypical. Usually, Candace is usually decisive, grounded and reserved. She is her son’s rock.
“I’ve been busy. Here, let me help.” As Mark gets up to help her, a greeting card slips out of the pocket of his sweatpants. Mark picks it up, hands it to his mother.
“This is for you, Mom.”
Candace looks up from the envelope and smiles. Opening the envelope slowly, she finds a Father’s Day card inside. Her shoulders relax. She grabs her reading glasses off the nearby dresser, then gently pulls out the card and opens it. Candace reads aloud the message inside. Her son writes:
To the best Dad, a son can have. I love you, Mom! Mark.
Candace pushes clothes aside and scoots beside her son on the bed. She feels a lump in her throat as they glimpse at the muted TV screen. There’s a news flash of the shooting in front of their eyes. She turns to Mark.
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned this week, it’s that life is precious. Promise me – do the things that make your heart sing. Don’t let yourself settle for less.”
“Like the way you did when you toured with Luther?”
“This moment right now is what makes my heart sing.”
Yesterday she offered words of comfort to the victims’ parents and classmates. Who would comfort her if something happened to Mark? Or what if something happened to her? How would her son cope with the loss? She is both his mother and father. They are each other’s worlds.
“I heard you singing to the Power Of Love (Love Power) when I was at your door.”
“Did I sound like my touring days were a long, long time ago?”
“Nah, You still sound just like you do on the record, Dad.”
The word ‘Dad’ sticks in his throat. Deep down in his heart, Mark’s burning desire is to know who his father is or was.
“Doesn’t the guy pictured on your card look like Luther?”
At the mention of Luther’s name, Candace presses Mark’s card against her chest. She comments, “Both of you have such beautiful penmanship. Your swirls and curves are just like Luther’s.”
“So, I take after my father?”
Candace looks up from the card. “There you go again, talking nonsense.”
“Why else did you teach me his songs when I was growing up? It has to be him.” Mark looks at her intently. He wants his mother to confirm what he is sure he already knows. The legendary R & B icon Luther Vandross is his father. The father he has never met. She constantly compares the two, like she just did. Why can’t she just admit it?
“Stop saying that! People will get the wrong impression.”
“Then, why don’t you tell me who he is?”
“According to you, I am.” She points to the card. “You said so yourself. Now, move your behind so your father can finish packing her clothes and go to sleep.”
“You always say his music is responsible for making babies. I must be one of those babies, right?”
In honor of Luther Vandross’s 70th birthday on April 20, 2021, Max Szadek shares an excerpt of his Luther jukebox musical idea, ‘Last Dance With My Father,’ which focuses on a group of fictitious female backing vocalists’ lives and loves.
Synopsis: A son’s ultimatum on Father’s Day causes his mother, one of Luther Vandross’s vocalists, to reunite with her former bandmates for a Luther Tribute Concert after a twenty-year absence. Old rivalries, secrets, and heartaches threaten to break up their perfect harmony.
Daily links will be posted on Divabetic.Org and the Quiet Storm Fans FB page. There’s also a Last Dance With My Father playlist on Spotify.
June’s Divabetic podcast is in solidarity with and dedicated to the Black Lives Mattermovement for racial justice on Tuesday, June 9, 2020, 6 PM, EST.
We are making time to reflect, share our feelings, listen and identify ways in which to fight for real and meaningful change. Guests include Lorraine Brooks, Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, Keith Anthony Fluitt, Leisa Chester-Weir, and Jeff James. Join the conversation and call in to our studio line: (347) 215-8551.
“I imagine one of the reasons people cling to their hates so stubbornly is because they sense, once hate is gone, they will be forced to deal with pain.” — James A. Baldwin
Ella Fitzgerald was not allowed to play at Mocambo because of her race. Then, one of her biggest fans made a telephone call that quite possibly changed the path of her career for good.
To help combat systemic racism, please consider donating to these organizations:
Campaign Zero, which is dedicated to ending police brutality in America through research-based strategies. LEARN MORE
Color of Change, which works to move decision makers in corporations and government to be more responsive to racial disparities. LEARN MORE
Equal Justice Initiative, which provides legal services to people who have been wrongly convicted, denied a fair trial, or abused in state jails and prisons. LEARN MORE
#BlackLivesMatter was founded in 2013 in response to the acquittal of Trayvon Martin’s murderer. Black Lives Matter Foundation, Inc is a global organization in the US, UK, and Canada, whose mission is to eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes. By combating and countering acts of violence, creating space for Black imagination and innovation, and centering Black joy, we are winning immediate improvements in our lives.
Divabetic’s June podcast guest, Jeff James helped to create a Black Power Spotify playlist for Black Music Month. “It reflects my feelings (activism-optimism),” states Jeff.
Cassandra Wilson recorded “Strange Fruit,” a protest against racism — specifically, the lynching of African-Americans in 2015. Her version takes on renewed purpose in light of the recent high-profile police killings of unarmed black men, and the Black Lives Matter movement which rose in their wake.
