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philosophy

Team WILD is a concept built on the idea that exercise is medicine and movement is life. Women who have the daily challenge of diabetes deserve to have the opportunity for a long, healthy life and to achieve that, regular exercise is a key component. Team WILD exists to weave together a series of beliefs into a system that makes sense for women with diabetes who choose the opportunity to pursue their athletic and fitness dreams.

All of the teams of Team WILD have the following philosophical and structural components:

1. Have a goal in mind: train for an event and enjoy the journey to the start line Each Team WILD team is comprised of a cohort of women who have an end goal in mind. For example, the 70.3 Triathlon Team trains for a Half Iron Distance Triathlon that they all do together. The WILD 101 team trains for a 3 month period to do a 5K or 10K walk/run event in their home town. The journey to arrive ready to the start line of the chosen event is just as important, sometimes even more important, than making it to the finish line.

2. Do it with a team of like-minded women and celebrate who you are Each Team D team will train for a designated event, with a specific group of women. Once the enrollment window is closed, no more women will join the team until the next enrollment window opens. This allows for the team members to get to know one another well and to share deeply as they train, discover wellness and explore their athletic abilities. At the designated athletic event/race, Team WILD team members will wear Team WILD uniforms in celebration of their unity as a team and their accomplishments as individuals.

3. Get expert coaching All of Team WILD teams are supported by certified and highly expert sports coaches. This is very much on purpose as we strongly believe that whether new to fitness or Olympic level, athletes have and need coaches, and those coaches should be very good. Team WILD teams follow training plans that are designed by the coaches. These training plans are iterative as our coaches pay close attention to their athletes: their skills, their concerns and their growth through the season.

4. Avail yourself of expert medical & nutritional guidance Being an athlete with diabetes, whether Type 1 or Type 2, there is a whole lot of information, training and education needed to be able to perform well. Because of that, all Team WILD teams have access to medical and nutrition lectures and support. Our medical staff members are all among the very best in the country in diabetes and exercise. In addition, it is expected that each team member has medical care in her home community.

5. Diabetes is diabetes Team WILD teams have women on them with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. We know that each type of diabetes has its particular issues, yet, the bottom line is that no matter the type, we all benefit from regular exercise. After all, exercise is the Number One protective factor against heart disease, which is the great equalizer in diabetes risk factors. Therefore, it’s exercise that brings us all joyfully together. From that shared desire to embrace an active, fit lifestyle, we build bridges of motivation, support and understanding across the diabetes chasm.

6. Bring along a Type 3 supporter for good measure Women do well with friends along for support and motivation. Not all, and maybe not any, of the friends of a woman with diabetes, have diabetes. Therefore, we have made room on our teams for a few Type 3 women to join us. If you have a Type 3 female pal/training partner who you think, along with you, would make a great teammate, please let us know.

7. Be an athlete first, a person who lives with diabetes second This is a particular mind-set that Team WILD promotes. Athletes, when performing at top levels, are health machines. They pay attention to everything: sleep, nutrition, stress, rest, activity level. They also track everything in written format. Team WILD teams promote the idea that team members, even women new to fitness, and at whatever stage in life, are athletes. With that in mind, we seek to help women gain optimum diabetes control so that you can perform as athletes at optimum levels.