Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/750495
1 6 | PULSE Fa l l 2 0 1 6 H E A LT H L I N KS A t the age of 51, Julia Winstead unknowingly received the perfect prescription for losing weight and staying fit. e Torrance resident was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes as a toddler and had done a good job controlling the disease through eating a healthy diet and closely monitoring her blood sugar. But she'd put on 30 pounds in a short time and knew she needed to find a way to shed that weight. e answer came via a birthday gi from a dear friend—a hula hoop. Winstead was hooked. "I love it. I have more energ y," she says. "It's therapy for me." Winstead—who has earned the moniker "e Happy Hooper"—hoops one or two days a week, oen at Wilson Park. She brings a speaker for her music, a mat to stand on and extra hoops so passersby can take a turn. Winstead also performs at senior centers, encouraging her audience to give hooping a try. "We clap and hoot and holler. ey love it when the staff tries it," she says. anks in great part to the hooping, Winstead lost all the weight she had put on in her 40s. Now 56 years old, her vitality exceeds expectations for someone who has lived with diabetes for so many decades. In fact, when she was diagnosed in 1961, doctors told Winstead's parents she would only live to around age 40. Medical advances have pushed life expectancy for diabetics much further, but Winstead is nevertheless in noteworthy physical shape given her chronic condition. "It's difficult to manage type 1 diabetes when you've had it for more than 50 years, and Julia's doing a very good job," says Cathy Doria-Medina, MD, a Torrance Memorial-affiliated physician specializing in endocrinolog y, diabetes and metabolism. "She stays active, eats healthy and gets in daily exercise. Hula hooping has been a great activity for her." Winstead's blood sugar fluctuates, so she must test her levels four to six times a day. e condition unfortunately has taken a toll on her eyes: Diabetic retinopathy—damage to the blood vessels of the eyes caused by diabetes—gradually stole her vision. Today she is legally blind and has a Seeing Eye dog. But that hasn't stopped Winstead from staying busy. She took advantage of her health insurer's offer of free g ym membership and joined a local fitness club. She visits once or twice per week, using machines such as the pull- down bar, abdominal machine and treadmill. "I don't like using the machines, but I know I need to do it," she says. She walks her service dog a mile every morning and sometimes another mile in the late aernoon. Winstead also loves to cra and creates custom hula hoops. She found sources for supplies such as piping and tape and makes hoops both as gis and to sell at cra fairs. If hooping had an official spokesperson, Winstead would surely be a contender. "It's low- impact and it works your whole body," she says. "Hooping works for everyone: Just learn to relax and feel the hoop." But it's more than Winstead's words that demonstrate the benefits of the activity. "People are blown away that I'm 56." TURNING HER DIABETES 'ROUND HULA HOOPING HELPS JULIA WINSTEAD KEEP HER DISEASE IN CHECK. WRITTEN BY NANCY SOKOLER STEINER "IT'S DIFFICULT TO MANAGE TYPE 1 DIABETES WHEN YOU'VE HAD IT FOR MORE THAN 50 YEARS."