Kate Hall is T1D strong – in her exercise gear. In a new social media post the stunning track and field star flaunts her flat abs in a two-piece exercise set while opening up about how she manages her diabetes. “These devices, even when half attached and looking crazy on me, save my life every day. 💙 Showing them off not just for world diabetes day, but every day,” she captioned the Instagram photo. How does she approach diet, fitness, and self-care? Here is everything you need to know about her lifestyle habits.
Kate is a big proponent of meal planning. “Having type 1 diabetes brings an added layer of importance when it comes to prioritizing my health. Consistency is key for me. I plan my schedule days in advance, so I can figure out my meal plan and know where I’ll be eating, what I’ll be eating, etc. Consistency and planning ahead makes my life easier so I can worry less about my diabetes on the day of a competition,” she tells Authority Magazine.
Kate also meditates. “I tend to use meditation when I am trying to sleep or if I am having trouble falling asleep. I’ve found that closing my eyes and listening to something calming helps me let go of whatever is keeping me awake. It relaxes me enough so I can fall asleep. Sleep is such an important part of my routine and getting a good night’s sleep enables me to practice and perform better,” she says.
Visualization is another tactic Kate uses. “The day before, or the day of a competition, I will find a quiet place and work on some visualization. I close my eyes and imagine every single step of my approach: leading up to my jump, the jump itself, and the landing. I try to visualize every aspect of my jump in my mind. This strategy has really worked for me because in that moment, I feel as though I am actually performing, which helps optimize my mind and body,” she says.
Deep breathing is also key. “As part of my warmup, I will lay on my back in a comfortable place, elevate my feet, and breathe in for five minutes, focusing on breathing in through my nose and out through my mouth. This helps calm my nerves and relax and bring my heart rate down before competing,” she says. “In order to calm down my nerves, especially before bigger competitions, I use a special breathing technique. For this technique, I elevate my legs and pretend to blow a balloon. When doing so, I take three slow breaths blowing up the balloon and then I breathe out through my mouth. This technique lowers my heart rate which helps me to relax, but it also activates my core stabilizers to prepare me for competing.”
Kate also relies on caffeine. “If I’m ever feeling under-stimulated before an event or competition and need something to pump me up, I’ll have something with caffeine in it to give me a little boost of energy. I don’t do this that often, but it’s been helpful in times that I need a pick-me-up,” she says.