💪 MUSCLE IS MEDICINE

How Strength Training Reverses Blood Sugar Damage and Extends Your Life

I want you to sit with this:

❝

You are not “too old,” too out of shape, or too far gone to build muscle and reclaim your health.

We’ve been lied to about what our bodies can do.

We’ve been told:

  • “You’re just getting older.”

  • “Diabetes runs in your family.”

  • “Your labs are a little high, we’ll just watch them…”

  • “When it gets worse, we’ll add another medication.”

Meanwhile:

  • Blood sugar is spiking all day.

  • Insulin is pumping nonstop.

  • Muscle is shrinking.

  • Bones are weakening.

  • Energy is dropping.

  • And the “solution” you’re given is another prescription, not a plan.

Today, I want to show you a different path.

A path where:

  • Muscle becomes your protection.

  • Movement becomes your therapy.

  • Food becomes your medicine.

  • And you remember that you are the healer of your own life.

I’m not here to sell you fantasies.
I’m here to tell you the truth—and then walk with you as you apply it.

🌍 THE TRUTH: THIS IS BIGGER THAN “JUST YOU”

Globally, hundreds of millions of people are living with diabetes—and that number is climbing fast. Most of these cases are type 2 diabetes, which is strongly linked to lifestyle: food, movement, stress, and environment. (Diabetes Atlas)

In the United States alone, tens of millions of adults are living with diabetes, and many more are in the “prediabetic” range—often without knowing it. (Collaborative for Health & Environment)

This is not random.
This is not “bad luck.”

This is:

  • A food system that pushes high-sugar, ultra-processed food.

  • A lifestyle that keeps us sitting all day.

  • A culture that normalizes chronic stress and shallow breathing.

  • A medical system that is phenomenal at emergency care but weak on prevention and lifestyle coaching.

But here is what they don’t highlight enough:

❝

Your body is not confused. It is responding perfectly to the inputs you give it—especially food and movement.

If we change the inputs, we change the outcomes.

🧬 INSULIN, BLOOD SUGAR, AND A1C — SIMPLE EXPLANATION

Let’s break this down in human language.

1. Blood Sugar (Glucose)

When you eat carbohydrates (fruit, bread, pasta, rice, sugar, etc.) your body breaks them down into glucose—sugar in the blood.

You need glucose to live.
But not too much, for too long.

2. Insulin

Insulin is a storage hormone made by your pancreas.

Its jobs:

  • Help move sugar from your blood into your muscle and liver cells for energy or storage.

  • Keep your blood sugar from staying too high for too long.

When you eat high-sugar, high-GI foods all day, every day, your body is constantly pumping insulin.

Over time, your cells get tired of listening.
They become insulin resistant.

So your body has to make more insulin to get the same effect.
Blood sugar starts staying higher.
Fat storage increases (especially around the belly).
Inflammation builds.
This is the path toward prediabetes and type 2 diabetes.

3. A1C (Hemoglobin A1C)

Your A1C test is like a 3-month report card for your blood sugar.
It measures how much sugar has been attached (“glycated”) to your red blood cells over the past 2–3 months. (diaTribe)

  • A1C under about 5.7% is considered in the normal range.

  • 5.7–6.4% is often called prediabetes.

  • 6.5% and above usually indicates diabetes (type 2, unless otherwise specified).

Food, movement, and stress directly affect A1C.
This is very important: your daily habits literally write your lab numbers.

That means:

  • If you change your daily habits,

  • You can change your labs,

  • And in many cases, you can reverse the course of disease.

🍞 SIMPLE CARBS vs COMPLEX CARBS & GLYCEMIC INDEX

Not all carbs are the same.

Simple / Processed Carbs

These are your:

  • Soda, candy, pastries

  • White bread, white flour tortillas

  • Sugary cereals

  • Many boxed snacks

They usually:

  • Digest very fast

  • Cause sharp blood sugar spikes

  • Demand a big insulin response

  • Leave you hungry again soon after

Over time, this constant spike–crash cycle drives insulin resistance and increases risk for type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Complex Carbs

These include:

  • Quinoa

  • Sourdough Bread

  • Beans, lentils

  • Sweet potatoes

  • Whole fruits (not juice)

  • Veggies

They tend to:

  • Digest more slowly

  • Have more fiber

  • Create a smaller, slower blood sugar rise

  • Keep you fuller, longer

Glycemic Index (GI)

The glycemic index is a scale that ranks carbs by how much they raise blood sugar compared to pure glucose.

  • High GI (70+): causes quick spikes (e.g., white bread, sugary cereal).

  • Medium GI (56–69): moderate effect.

  • Low GI (≤55): slower rise (e.g., lentils, most non-starchy vegetables).

Low to moderate GI foods are your friends when it comes to:

  • Diabetes prevention

  • Blood sugar control

  • Sustained energy

💪 WHY MUSCLE CHANGES EVERYTHING

Now, here’s where it gets exciting.

Muscle is not “just for looks.”
It is metabolically active armor.

Muscle:

  • Soaks up blood sugar like a sponge—even without needing as much insulin.

  • Improves insulin sensitivity—your body doesn’t have to pump as much insulin to get sugar out of your blood.

  • Protects your joints and spine.

  • Supports healthy hormones.

  • Boosts mood and reduces anxiety and depression symptoms.

  • Keeps you independent as you age (getting up from the floor, carrying groceries, playing with grandkids).

Research shows that resistance training can significantly lower A1C in people with type 2 diabetes.

👩‍🦳 A SPECIAL NOTE TO WOMEN: BONES, MUSCLE, AND POWER

Women are especially affected by bone loss as they age, particularly after menopause, when estrogen levels drop. This increases the risk of osteoporosis—weaker, more fragile bones that can break easily.

What helps prevent this?

Weight-bearing and resistance exercise.
Things like:

  • Squats

  • Deadlifts

  • Lunges

  • Step-ups

  • Presses

  • Pulls

  • Even brisk walking, hiking, and loaded carries

These activities:

  • Send a signal to your bones: “Stay strong. We still need you.”

  • Help maintain or improve bone mineral density.

  • Reduce the risk of fractures, disability, and loss of independence later in life.

So if you’re a woman who has been told:

  • “Just walk on the treadmill.”

  • “Don’t lift, you’ll get bulky.”

You’ve been misled.

You don’t need to lift like a powerlifter.
You just need to:

  • Progressively challenge your muscles

  • Use safe technique

  • Be consistent

The goal is not to become a bodybuilder.
The goal is to be:

  • Strong

  • Stable

  • Energetic

  • Independent for as long as possible

🩸 HOW DIABETES IS CREATED (IN SIMPLE TERMS)

Let’s zoom out and look at the typical modern pattern:

  1. Ultra-processed food is everywhere.
    Cheap. Fast. Sugary. High-GI.

  2. Most people sit all day.
    Work at a desk → drive home → sit on the couch.

  3. Blood sugar rises often and high.
    Breakfast: sugary cereal or sweet coffee.
    Lunch: sandwich + chips + soda.
    Snacks all day.
    Dinner: big refined carb load, low protein.

  4. Insulin is constantly elevated.
    The body is always in storage mode.

  5. Cells stop responding well to insulin.
    This is insulin resistance.

  6. The pancreas works overtime.
    It pumps out even more insulin to keep up.

  7. Eventually, the system burns out.
    Blood sugar stays elevated. A1C climbs.
    The lab work finally looks “bad enough” and you’re told:

    ❝

    “You have prediabetes.”
    or
    “You have type 2 diabetes.”

This process can take years and years.
But the body has been signaling along the way:

  • Fatigue

  • Belly fat

  • Crashes after meals

  • Constant hunger

  • Brain fog

The good news?

Just as diabetes is developed over time…
It can be improved and, in many cases, reversed over time with better inputs.

🔄 HOW TO START REVERSING THE DAMAGE

This is not about perfection.
This is about direction.

1️⃣ Adjust Your Food Ratios

A powerful starting point many people benefit from:

  • 30–35% of your daily calories from protein

  • 25–30% from healthy fats

  • The rest from mostly complex carbs

This tends to:

  • Stabilize blood sugar

  • Support muscle building

  • Improve satiety (you’re not hungry every 2 hours)

  • Reduce cravings for junk

Examples:

  • Protein: chicken, fish, eggs, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, beans, lentils, tofu.

  • Fats: avocado, olive oil, nuts, seeds, grass-fed butter (in moderation).

  • Complex carbs: sweet potatoes, quinoa, brown rice, oats, fruits, vegetables, beans.

Small move this week:
Add 20–30g of protein to your breakfast and notice how your energy changes.

2️⃣ Move Every Single Day (in a Way That Challenges You)

You don’t have to live in the gym.
But you do need to move with intention.

Ideal pattern to build toward:

  • 2–3 days/week of resistance training (20–45 minutes)

  • Daily walking (5–20 minutes after meals is excellent for blood sugar)

  • Stretching / mobility a few times per week

  • Breathwork & nervous system regulation (more below)

When you move your muscles:

  • They soak up blood sugar.

  • They become more sensitive to insulin.

  • You reduce blood sugar spikes after meals.

  • You sleep better.

  • Your mood improves.

Yes, walking after meals really does help flatten the blood sugar curve.

3️⃣ Regulate Your Nervous System (Breath & Focus)

Chronic stress raises cortisol.
Cortisol pushes blood sugar up—and makes it harder to manage weight, cravings, and sleep.

This is where breathwork and meditation come in.

Even:

  • 5–10 minutes of deep breathing, or

  • A short guided meditation

Can:

  • Lower stress

  • Improve insulin sensitivity

  • Help you stay consistent with your food and movement choices

You already breathe.
This is about breathing on purpose.

4️⃣ Community, Coaching, and Not Doing It Alone

Here’s the truth:

Most people know they should:

  • Eat better

  • Move more

  • Stress less

The problem isn’t information.
The problem is support and structure.

That’s why I built this newsletter and why I coach:

  • To give you clarity, not confusion.

  • To give you a plan, not random tips.

  • To give you support, not judgment.

Inside my 1:1 coaching, for those who are ready, we use:

  • A personal dashboard (your health “home base”)

  • Nutrition tracking that actually makes sense

  • Progressive training plans built for your level

  • Education around GI, A1C, and blood sugar

  • Breathwork and mental frameworks for discipline

  • Real check-ins, real conversations

We don’t just chase weight loss.
We build a strong, healthy, sovereign human being.

💬 REFLECTION QUESTIONS

Take a moment with these:

  1. What is one story about your body that you’re ready to release?
    (“I’m just big-boned,” “Diabetes runs in my family,” “I can’t change at my age,” etc.)

  2. If your muscles could talk, what would they say about how you’ve treated them?

  3. What is one simple carb you’re ready to replace with a complex carb this week?

  4. How would your life change if your blood sugar, energy, and mood were more stable?

  5. Who else in your family could benefit if you decided to take your health seriously—starting now?

🧠 QUOTE OF THE DAY

❝

“What you’re not changing, you’re choosing.”

And one more, from me to you:

❝

“Muscle is not vanity. Muscle is self-respect.” – Cristian Erives

📣 A MESSAGE FROM ME TO YOU

I am not writing this from a tower.
I write this as a man who:

  • Has been stressed, inflamed, and out of balance.

  • Has carried extra weight.

  • Has watched family suffer from chronic illness.

  • Has seen how the system profits from keeping you sick and confused.

I chose to change.
I chose to learn.
I chose to treat my body like something sacred—not disposable.

Now I teach others to do the same.

If this message hits something inside you…
If you’re tired of being on the edge of diabetes, fatigue, and “I’ll start next month”…
If you’re ready to build muscle, stabilize blood sugar, and feel alive again…

Then this is your invitation.

🚀 YOUR NEXT STEP (IF YOU FEEL CALLED)

Here’s how you can move from “inspired” to “in motion”:

  1. Stay in the newsletter.
    Keep reading, reflecting, and applying. This is your ongoing classroom.

  2. Start with one habit this week.

    • Add protein to breakfast

    • Walk 10 minutes after dinner

    • Do 2 short strength sessions this week (bodyweight, bands, or dumbbells)

  3. Join My Free Skool Community + Paid community (after you get value)

    If you want to learn and discuss how to maximize your life here on earth. Join.

  4. Work with me 1:1 (Limited Spots).
    If you want personal guidance—nutrition, movement, breathwork, and mindset tailored to you—

    Reply to this email or visit:
    www.trinityhealthmovement.com

    From there, you can explore:

    • Coaching options

    • My eBooks and nutrition guides

    • Training programs for beginners and intermediates

Right now, I still have space for 5 1:1 clients (max).
That will not always be the case.

If you know you need someone in your corner,
Who will keep it real,
Who will walk this path with you—

This is your chance.

🧱 WEEKLY BLUEPRINT

If you want a simple starting framework:

  • Daily

    • Walk 10–20 minutes

    • Eat protein at 2–3 meals

    • Drink water before any sugary drinks

    • 5 minutes of deep breathing before bed

  • 2–3 Days/Week

    • Do a full-body strength session (legs, push, pull, core)

  • Once This Week

    • Look at your pantry and remove 2–3 high-sugar, high-GI processed foods.

    • Replace them with real food: fruit, oats, beans, veggies.

You don’t have to change everything overnight.
You just have to stop pretending your choices don’t matter.

They do.
You do.

One day at a time.
One choice at a time.
One rep at a time.

Never forget:

You are not broken.
You are becoming.

One love,
Cristian Erives
Founder, Trinity Health Movement
www.trinityhealthmovement.com

Reply

or to participate

Keep Reading

No posts found