08 April 2026
Episode 349 - The Movement Menu & Exercise for Real Diabetes Life with Amanda Mueller (@bolusandbiceps)
Diabetics Doing Things Podcast
About
Exercise is one of the most recommended tools for living well with diabetes
and one of the most complicated to actually start. In this episode, Rob
sits down with Amanda Mueller (aka @bicepsandbolus), a certified personal
trainer, corrections exercise specialist, and CPA who was diagnosed with
type 1 diabetes at 26. Amanda's honest about the years she spent afraid to
move her body after diagnosis, the roundabout way she fell in love with
strength training (spoiler: she married her trainer), and why she thinks
the whole "exercise is good for your diabetes" conversation is being framed
wrong.
The centerpiece of this conversation is Amanda's "Movement Menu", a
practical framework for building a sustainable exercise life that actually
accounts for bad blood sugar days, low energy, decision fatigue, and the
reality that most of us are not elite athletes trying to optimize every
workout. The goal isn't the perfect workout. It's the one you come back to.
They also go a little deeper and discuss why exercise shouldn't feel like
punishment, how chronic stress and blood sugar are more connected than we
talk about, and why going low in a Pilates class doesn't mean the class
didn't count. If you've ever used a bad diabetes day as a reason to skip a
workout and then felt guilty about it, this episode is for you.
They close things out with a live "Exercise with Diabetes Draft", each
picking three movements they'd want on their personal movement menu, and
why. It's fun, it's practical, and you might find your new favorite workout
buried somewhere in it.
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction and Amanda's background
02:31 Adult diagnosis and the fear that followed
04:27 Losing weight in DKA and what came after
06:22 Meeting her trainer husband and rediscovering movement
08:08 Why the right people are force multipliers
09:45 Wanting to feel strong again: what that really means
13:36 Why exercise is a behavior, not a personality trait
16:04 The Movement Menu explained
18:09 The best workout is the one you actually do
20:13 Releasing judgment around imperfect workout days
24:40 The calorie math trap: why your class still counted
27:48 Exercise as a stress reset in 2026
29:32 You don't need more time, you need less friction
31:22 The Exercise with Diabetes Draft begins
40:27 Keeping it simple, sustainable, and fun
Resources:
Amanda Mueller on Instagram: @bicepsandbolus
Movement Menu Document: Comment "MENU" on the podcast post on Instagram
(@diabeticsdoingthings) and Rob will send it to you.
Atomic Habits by James Clear: referenced in conversation around small,
compounding habits: atomichabits.com
and one of the most complicated to actually start. In this episode, Rob
sits down with Amanda Mueller (aka @bicepsandbolus), a certified personal
trainer, corrections exercise specialist, and CPA who was diagnosed with
type 1 diabetes at 26. Amanda's honest about the years she spent afraid to
move her body after diagnosis, the roundabout way she fell in love with
strength training (spoiler: she married her trainer), and why she thinks
the whole "exercise is good for your diabetes" conversation is being framed
wrong.
The centerpiece of this conversation is Amanda's "Movement Menu", a
practical framework for building a sustainable exercise life that actually
accounts for bad blood sugar days, low energy, decision fatigue, and the
reality that most of us are not elite athletes trying to optimize every
workout. The goal isn't the perfect workout. It's the one you come back to.
They also go a little deeper and discuss why exercise shouldn't feel like
punishment, how chronic stress and blood sugar are more connected than we
talk about, and why going low in a Pilates class doesn't mean the class
didn't count. If you've ever used a bad diabetes day as a reason to skip a
workout and then felt guilty about it, this episode is for you.
They close things out with a live "Exercise with Diabetes Draft", each
picking three movements they'd want on their personal movement menu, and
why. It's fun, it's practical, and you might find your new favorite workout
buried somewhere in it.
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction and Amanda's background
02:31 Adult diagnosis and the fear that followed
04:27 Losing weight in DKA and what came after
06:22 Meeting her trainer husband and rediscovering movement
08:08 Why the right people are force multipliers
09:45 Wanting to feel strong again: what that really means
13:36 Why exercise is a behavior, not a personality trait
16:04 The Movement Menu explained
18:09 The best workout is the one you actually do
20:13 Releasing judgment around imperfect workout days
24:40 The calorie math trap: why your class still counted
27:48 Exercise as a stress reset in 2026
29:32 You don't need more time, you need less friction
31:22 The Exercise with Diabetes Draft begins
40:27 Keeping it simple, sustainable, and fun
Resources:
Amanda Mueller on Instagram: @bicepsandbolus
Movement Menu Document: Comment "MENU" on the podcast post on Instagram
(@diabeticsdoingthings) and Rob will send it to you.
Atomic Habits by James Clear: referenced in conversation around small,
compounding habits: atomichabits.com