HOW I GET FIT DONE
Ex-olympic triple-jumper Michelle Griffithrobinson, 48, from Devon, brought herself back from the brink of type 2 diabetes
How one former Olympian brought herself back from the brink of type 2 diabetes
I retired from sport in 2006, but that didn’t mean I became inactive. I’m a lifestyle coach and personal trainer, and back then I exercised about three times a week – walking, running and strength training. I ate fairly well, but still indulged in pizza or the occasional dinner out. Over the years, I put on a little weight – only around 8 to 10lb, nothing major. I was still slim and felt really healthy.
So I was shocked when, in August 2018, I found out I was prediabetic. My doctor explained this meant my blood sugar was higher than normal and I was at a high risk of developing type 2 diabetes, which comes with a host of serious health implications: it can cause strokes, kidney failure, heart attacks and heart failure, to name a few. My first thought was, ‘People like me don’t get diabetes – I’m a bloody Olympian!’ I had always assumed type 2 diabetes only affected unhealthy, overweight people. I’ve since learned that factors like high blood pressure and family history can also play a role. There have been cases in my family; my mum was diagnosed with type 2 when she was 58, and my grandmother died of complications related to the disease.
My doctor explained that prediabetes can be reversed, and I was determined to set things to rights. I’m an all-or-nothing person and I approached turning my health around with the same dedication I used to pour into my athletics training. First, I upped my exercise. I began working out five days a week, with at least three weights sessions, featuring compound moves like cleans, squats and bench presses – the kind of moves that have always yielded the best results for me. I didn’t spend hours in the gym – I found that 30 minutes was more than enough to get me sweating. For my other two sessions, I’d make sure I got outside for a 5k run, a 30-minute fartlek, or just a long walk around the Devon hills. I also started working out with my husband Matthew and our three kids.
My diet got an overhaul, too, with a focus on highprotein, high-fibre meals. I swapped my usual granola breakfast for eggs, smoked salmon and avocado; lunch would be an omelette loaded with veg rather than a panini; and for dinner I’d ditch my usual jacket potato with cheese and beans in favour of chicken and salad.
By January 2019, five months after my diagnosis, I’d lost 8lb. My friends all wanted to know how I’d done it and I’d find myself saying, ‘Guys, I’m not doing this to look good in a dress.’
After my initial test, my Hba1c (blood glucose) level was 45 mmol/mol. Simply put, a high HBA1C level means you have too much sugar in your blood – at 48 mmol/mol, you’re diabetic. I’ve had check-ups at roughly four-month intervals since then, and the level has dropped every time. At my last test, I was at 42. Anything below 42 means you’re out of the prediabetic range, so that’s my goal for my next test.
I became an ambassador for Diabetes UK last year, and my mission is to show people that diabetes doesn’t discriminate between fat and thin, healthy and not. But a prediabetes diagnosis isn’t the end of the road – I’m living proof that you can turn it around.
STRENGTH PB
At my strongest, my cleans (where you lift a barbell from the floor to your chest and squat down in one explosive move) were 97.5kg
FITNESS HACK
Do squats while you brush your teeth. Every bit of activity adds up
MOTIVATING MANTRA Sometimes the first step, no matter how small, can lead to incredible things