Nick Jonas opens up to handle type 1 diabetes

When I jump on the phone with Nick Jonas, I meet with a wave of excitement and nostalgia. Just the night before our conversation, Jonas took the scene with his brothers to start his 20th anniversary tour and a new album edition, “Greetings from your hometown.” That morning, a few hours before our call, I rolled my Instagram feed and the entire internet buzzed over the show, where special guests like Jessie McCartney, Demi Lovato and the entire Jonas family adorned the stage. I am transported directly to 17 years ago, when I saw Jonas Brothers and Demi Lovato on tour 2008. What can I say? I love a reunion, and it turns out, so does the rest of the world.

But behind all the excitement (New Tour, New Album!) Is a person who has lived with a chronic disease (type 1 diabetesAn autoimmune disease that affects the body’s ability to produce insulin) for 20 years, and from what I can say, has never let it slow him down. When I talk to Nick Jonas, he opens up his struggle to be at peace, instead of war, with his illness.

“One lesson I have learned in my now 20 years with living with this disease is that so on top of what you are, there are a few days where things just don’t go your way and you have to roll with the pans and just understand that it is one of these moments,” says Jonas.

With a tour plan that would challenge someone’s endurance, I ask Jonas how he prioritizes his health and well -being when life is extra busy. Jonas says he only gets his “sea legs” when it comes to tournament, but staying at the top of his diabetes management is his first priority.

“People who do not live with diabetes, neither type one or type two probably do not understand how many decisions you have to make throughout the day. And they are small micro decisions,” he says, citing constantly calculating carbohydrates, macronutrients and insulin time. “All these little things that add throughout the day. And much of your brain power goes against the handling of the disease,” adds Jonas. But despite this, he is involved in his health and finds balance.

“I have had to learn at this 20 -year -old brand to stay up, do the best I can, but also take a step back from it and try to be present in the moment with my family, with my daughter, of course,” says Jonas. “I’m not going to let it take over my life.”

A tool that helped with it: Hans Dexcom Glucose Monitor. “Dexcom has honestly been a gaming exchange and being able to look down on my phone and see where I am in real time and even share that information with my family, my friends, who are my support system when I’m out on the road,” he says.

Other pillars of his routine include exercising and staying active. Jonas says his long -term coach, Matt TomHas been the key to his success in finding a fitness routine that can take him from getting ready for a TV role to keeping fit in a hotel room.

At one point in his career, Jonas had to put on 20 kilos of muscle for his role in, “Kingdom”, a TV show where he played an MMA fighter. Now that he is not in the show, says Jonas Blank helped him find a more sustainable routine that feels better for his everyday life. “My whole type of fitness routine changed and he helped me create something I could do in a hotel room or at a gym that made me feel good and get energy.” In addition to gymnastics exercise, Jonas says he likes to play golf and tennis. “At any time I can mix in something that feels like a game or it is obviously a sport, it just makes it a nicer experience than getting to the gym.”

His latest obsession? Hot yoga. “So it’s something I’m not an expert in in any way, but just makes me feel good and the kind of uplifting my spirit,” says Jonas. Prioritizing both mental and physical aspects of a fitness routine is “always a plus” for him.

Finally, Jonas says that one of the biggest factors that has affected him most on his chronic illness is the people in his life. “In the early stages of my diagnosis, I was very independent and wanted to take everything on myself, but I quickly learned that I needed support from my family, my friends and my doctors,” says Jonas. His advice now is to do just the opposite and encouraging recently diagnosed people to lean on your people. “And if you feel you want to touch everything, it’s okay – but trust me, these people want to be there for you,” says Jonas.

As he leaned on his supportive circle, he learned to release his desire to control or conquer his illness. “… I think I realized that my best is the best I can do,” he says.

Mercey Livingston Is a writer and editor with more than many years of experience covering fitness, health and nutrition for media and brands including well+good, form and women’s health. She was previously fitness editor at Peloton and contained editorial roles at Equinox, Shape.com and Well+Good. Mercey is a NASM CPT and a NASM certified women’s fitness specialist. She is also a certified holistic health trainer through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition with further certification in hormone health. She has a BA in journalism from the University of Southern Mississippi.