Rob Howe's Diabetes Holiday Gift Guide

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Which means you probably have gifts to buy for that special person with Diabetes in your life. So I decided to treat this site like an actual useful magazine publication and give you my Diabetes Holiday Gift Guide!

Myabetic Edelman Backpack - I’m a backpack guy, and honestly I rarely change which backpack I use on a daily basis (classic dude behavior), so I was excited to try Myabetic’s new Edelman Backpack. I have the black and the blue, and it’s given me more confidence in swapping not only my daily carry backpack, but also carrying a bag focused on my Diabetes supplies. Use my code RobHowe to get 15% off!

Wolaco Grand 2-in-1 Short You guys know I love Wolaco, honestly since I’ve started working with them in 2018, they’ve been with me for every workout, from running a half-marathon last year to working on my #DunkDiabetes challenge this year. Wolaco compression and shorts have pockets that are perfect for most insulin pumps, and they secure the pump well enough that I play fairly competitive basketball with my pump still attached. A few people this year have shared stories of their kids with Diabetes playing basketball and football with their Wolaco gear, and those stories make my day. For a little extra savings this holiday season, use code RobHowe15 for 15% off.

The “Diabetic” Hoodie from Diabetics Doing Things I’m biased, but I love these hoodies. I set out to design a diabetes hoodie that I would actually wear, and this is the first design I came up with. I borrowed HEAVILY from Virgil Abloh’s Off-White line, but I think there’s a lot of synchronicity in his vision and mine with the word Diabetic. People with Diabetes are much more than a singular label a disease can put on them, and I want to continue to inspire people with Diabetes to challenge the stigma publicly. I’ve worn this hoodie to over 20 JDRF Type One Nation summits, and to date, more than 500 hoodies have been sold over the past 2 years. I sell the hoodies through TeePublic now to make fulfillment easier on me, and they do some great sales for the holidays. As of publishing, the hoodie is 30% off at the link above.

Skin Grip Sensor Tape Most KT tape based sensor tapes are created equal, but only 1 sponsors Diabetics Doing Things, and that’s Skin Grip! Use code DDT to save 15% on your Skin Grip tapes, which help people who live active lifestyles keep their sensors in place and safe from the elements, which leads to longer sensor life. That’s a win in my book! I love Skin Grip and want to support them however I can. These tapes are trusted by other active Diabetes influencers, so you don’t just have to take my word for it.

One Drop Glucometer, test strips subscription and app OneDrop was one of the first Diabetes brands that I really gravitated towards back when I started this platform, and I’ve been using them for nearly 3 years! Test strips that don’t require a prescription that you can order through an app delivered right to your door. The whole process takes like 3 clicks and less than 20 seconds. I’m a huge fan of OneDrop. I actually use it, and will be for a long time. They also have an incredible app that gives you personalized Certified Diabetes Educator coaching with a subscription. Integrate your CGM data, food tracking and MORE! Be sure to use code ROBHOWE to save money on your signup and get a FREE meter!

Type Zero Preworkout with all the things you’re busy doing, it can be hard to find the energy and motivation to get to the gym, and if you’re like me and use a pre-workout supplement to help you get in gear, most of the general pre-workouts on the market spike your blood sugar because they have sugar and other ingredients that affect your blood sugar in a less than optimal way. That’s why I was super excited to learn about Type Zero, because it is a great pre-workout that doesn’t spike your blood sugar and doesn’t have caffeine, so I can feel confident in my blood sugars and my energy. It was developed by a T1D founder, and really works! I’ll show you my CGM line as proof. Use code ROBHOWE20 and get 20% off your order.

#ToolsofType1s from Diabetics Doing Things

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After recording and releasing over 100 episodes of Diabetics Doing Things, I wanted to find a way to have my favorite people with Diabetes answer the questions I was dying to know. So I took a page out of Tim Ferriss’ Tribe of Mentors and made a list of the people I wanted to hear from and set them up to produce their very own episode of the podcast, and I would put it all together for them.

After a gut wrenching few hours, the responses started rolling in. I was overwhelmed by the time, care and effort that each of the guests put into their answers. Roughly 90 days, more than 50 episodes, some incredible brand work by Ken Cao Designs, #ToolsofType1s is ready to launch.

Every Tuesday and Thursday starting 1/8, we will publish a new episode of Tools of Type 1s on the Diabetics Doing Things podcast. No need to subscribe anywhere else, just fresh content for you delivered twice a week.

As we begin year 4 of Diabetics Doing Things, I have to express my extreme gratitude to be able to stand on the shoulders of giants in the T1D community. Stay tuned to learn what makes these people all so amazing!

Rob

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Health IQ Insurance For Diabetics Review

Affordable Life Insurance Premiums for People with Diabetes is a Big Deal

As you may know, my name is Rob and I have Diabetes. Type-1 to be specific. My A1C is 6.4, very well managed. But to many insurance companies, it doesn’t matter. They see “Person With Diabetes” and write me off literally and figuratively.

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Nevermind that I was a professional athlete. Nevermind that I haven’t posted an A1C higher than 6.5 in the last 36 months. Nevermind that this was how I celebrated my 30th Birthday:

I’m a healthy, thriving adult, doing everything in my power to gain any advantage I can from a healthier lifestyle. And I have Diabetes.

So when I learned that Health IQ was working on the first life insurance product that would reward Diabetics for living a healthy lifestyle, my ears perked up. It’s not often that my people, people with Diabetes, are the focus of innovation. It felt good. It represented a big step forward for people with Diabetes, as well as the insurance industry.

It makes sense to me, because I know what it’s like to be unfairly judged by an insurance company for having the word Diabetes on my profile. But don’t take my word for it, let me throw a little science your way. Health IQ pioneered the research that proved people with Diabetes living a healthy lifestyle have a 40% lower chance of death than those who don’t. So we’re not all the same, in fact Diabetes is a ridiculously complex disease, and is shameful for how many types and variances fall under a single name.

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Everyone with Diabetes is different, and no two cases are exactly alike. That’s why I’m glad Health IQ is putting the power back in the patients’ hands when it comes to life insurance and Diabetes. It’s good to know that there are some things with Diabetes that are within our control.


So if you manage your A1C through eating well and exercising regularly, then you deserve lower life insurance rates from Health IQ. Check out HealthIQ.com/DDT to get your free quote today.

This is a sponsored post by HealthIQ but the opinions of the author are 100% true and unsolicited.  

"Diabetic" Hoodie Winter 2017 Lookbook

Winter 2017 represents a transformative time for Diabetics Doing Things. The podcast has over 1,000 years of living with T1D and is approaching 100 episodes, Rob and the team are growing partnerships with top organizations so during National Diabetes Awareness Month 2017 it was time for the brand to take the first steps into apparel.

The "Diabetic" hoodie pays homage to Virgil Abloh's OFF-WHITE quotation design and applies it to the T1D persona. A person with Diabetes is so much more than a single word can encompass, and yet many people find it difficult to make peace with the label. The Diabetic hoodie challenges the notion that a T1D can be defined by one single word in a modern, luxurious, versatile silhouette made from the highest quality blank apparel on the market. 

Shop the Diabetics Doing Things hoodie

Photos: Michael Bruner

Styling: Rob Howe

Friday T1D Feels - Volume 1 - Issue 2

This message originally appeared as a part of Rob's Friday T1D Feels email newsletter. 

Friday T1D Feels. Volume 1.2

Happy Friday, 

Thank you to everyone who reached out last week after my note, I'm grateful to have such an awesome community of friends, T1D and muggles alike ;) 

I've been thinking a lot about how special the T1D community is and how fortunate we all are to not have to fight this ongoing battle against T1D alone. For me personally, I hit a rough spot with my insulin supply last week, where my backup insulin source (during my brief stint without insurance) fell through. I made an Instagram story showing an inside look at the "startup life" of a T1D to show that there are challenges that often go unseen in the life of a T1D. 

Fortunately for me, I've gotten to know so many of you over the last year and a half, that two strangers reached out cold and offered to give me some of their extra insulin, a good friend pointed me to the Lilly Insulin assistance program and even Derek Theler asked if I needed insulin after our Diabetics Doing Things interview. 

I was blown away by the generosity of complete strangers, and it really reinforced that the Diabetics Doing Things mission is still intact. I set an intention at the start that if DDT helped just one person, it would all be worth it. I just didn't know that I would be that person one day. So thanks to all of you, I now have enough insulin to make it through my insurance onboarding process (cue sigh of relief). 

But I wouldn't have had those options if I hadn't gotten involved. That's important to me, because I know there are a lot of T1Ds out there who don't want to call attention to their disesase or get special treatment. I used to be one of them. My quality of life (and A1C) has significantly improved since I started getting involved and telling the stories of other T1D friends. So what are you waiting on? If you are afraid, or come up with reasons why not to get involved, feel free to email me. I'd love to talk about them with you. 

In the meantime, there's a lot of great stuff happening in the next week in the world of Diabetics Doing Things:

  • JDRF Dallas' Brew for the Cure event is Tomorrow from 2-5p. Yours truly will be speaking and volunteering so if you're in Dallas come say hi! 
  • The next 5 episodes of Diabetics Doing Things are going to be EPIC! (Dave Mina, Dana Howe, Derek Theler, Mary Adams & Libby Russell)

Hopefully I can get all those done this weekend! 

What's been on your mind this week? I'm dying to know because I'm putting together a program on T1D and Mindfulness. What are some everyday T1D issues that you could be more mindful about? 

Loving this new email format, grateful to have such a great group of people to chat with. 

Until next week!
Rob

Friday T1D Feels - Volume 1 - Issue 1

This message originally appeared as a part of Rob's Friday T1D Feels email newsletter. 

Friday T1D Feels. Volume 1.1 

Happy Friday, 

For most of you, it's been a while since I've reached out via email. I wanted to create a new format to communicate with you all that wasn't so marketing heavy. I plan to do it weekly, and invite you to reply back with your thoughts on the T1D community as well. If you could do without another email every week, I totally understand and won't take it personally if you unsubscribe. But I really hope you enjoy it. Thank you for your support of Diabetics Doing Things. 

Friday T1D Feels - Volume 1.1

What a few weeks it's been in the T1D online community. My heart is heavy over the loss of Tommy Green, a T1D from the UK who passed away in his sleep in early May. Two year old Colton Porter has been denied an Omnipod pump by United Healthcare, despite his parents following the process to the letter and a doctor's recommendation that the Omnipod (a pump without tubing) is the safest solution for his treatment (because of his T1D and Autism presents challenges for pumps with tubing). 

Yet, there are so many things to be thankful for: 

Hundreds of T1Ds have posted #Dab4Tommy on social media, to remember Tommy and spread awareness of the dangers T1Ds face on a daily basis.

Beyond Type 1 CEO Sarah Lucas wrote a letter to the CEO of United Healthcare, calling for UHC to #CoverColton which resulted in an outpouring of rage, well wishes and a plea for action by United Healthcare from the T1D community. 

It's this show of support in a time of darkness and the drawing of a line in the face of injustice that makes me so grateful to be involved in the T1D family. There are so many negative headlines of the dangers of social media, yet without the communities built on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter, living with T1D would so much more difficult.

Nearly all the guests I've interviewed on Diabetics Doing Things mention how discovering the T1D community through social media impacted them in a positive way. For me personally, it made me focus on my health and lower my A1C from 7.2 to 6.1 in less than 1 year. That doesn't even cover the thousands of fellow T1Ds I've met along the way and how they all inspire me to be even better. 

So I'll leave you with a quote (because I love quotes) and a call-to-action: 

"Tough times never last, tough people do." - Robert Schuller

Get involved. Start a race team. Encourage others via social media. Become a pen pal with Beyond Type 1. Tell your story on my podcast. Text a T1D friend and tell them how great they are. 

We're in this together. Thick and thin. Cure or no cure. 

So that's what and how I'm feeling this Friday. Have a great weekend, I'm grateful for each and every one of you. 

What's been on your mind as a T1D lately? Reply to me, let's talk about it. 

Rob

Diabetics Doing Things Podcast On iTunes

You will now be able to find our podcast in the Podcasts app, as well as other third party apps that integrate into iTunes podcasts. Thank you all for your patience during this process, and we can't wait to keep adding more interviews to our Podcast library. 

If you or someone you know would like to appear on Diabetics Doing Things, please email us at rob@diabeticsdoingthings.com and get in touch! Don't forget to subscribe to receive weekly updates as well. 

Diabetics Doing Things Podcast to Launch January 5th 2016

The Diabetics Doing Things Podcast is set to launch January 5th 2016 on DiabeticsDoingThings.com with a corresponding blog launching the same day.

 Diabetics Doing Things is a platform for Diabetics share stories about the amazing things they are doing, in spite of being Diabetic.  "I'm very grateful for the outpouring of support for Diabetics Doing Things so far. We've been able to have so many meaningful conversations and gained so much momentum from Diabetics everywhere, and especially on Instagram." said Diabetics Doing Things founder, Rob Howe, a Type-1 Diabetic since 2005. "It's our goal to create an inclusive community of Type-1 Diabetics across the world and give them a platform to tell their stories. I'm very excited for what the future holds." 

The first episode of the Podcast features undefeated Irish amateur boxer Luke Byrne, who discusses the challenges associated with becoming certified to box with Diabetes. 

If you or someone you know is a Type-1 Diabetic and is interested in joining the Diabetics Doing Things podcast, or participating in a guest blog, please email rob@diabeticsdoingthings.com. Be sure to check out the Diabetics Doing Things Podcast and don't forget to subscribe to the Diabetics Doing Things newsletter below!