Josh Bledsoe

Hello All!

My sincerest apologies for not blogging in quite a while. I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes several months ago, and have spent considerable time working on “me” and things like blogging have taken a back seat. In the spirit of getting physically healthy, I decided to make a short post on how losing 100lbs (again) and getting my health in order has affected my playing.

Weight Loss
Losing the excess weight has really helped my trombone playing. Playing any brass instrument is an athletic endeavor, and the trombone adds additional effort in that there is a considerable amount of motion due to the slide. Losing excess weight will improve your posture and thus your ability to breathe more freely.

Diet
Since being Rx’d diabetic, my diet has changed drastically. I follow a very low-carb diet compared to the average person. I do not necessarily advocate a low-carb diet for everyone, but learning to eat to improve your quality of life is very important.

• Eat several small meals throughout the day
  Eating large meals often make a person feel lethargic for a period after the meal is over. Large meals require the body to work hard just to digest the food you have eaten. Before I began eating smaller, more frequent meals I would have to wait as much as an hour after the meal to be fully engaged in my playing. A meal should satiate you, not weigh you down!
• Limit your carbohydrate intake
  Even in a non-diabetic, meals high in carbohydrate will raise the blood sugar for a short time. When your blood sugar is elevated, you become tired.
• Avoid overly-fatty meals
  In my experience, overly fatty meals make me lethargic. After a large, fat-filled meal my heart rate usually increases and all I want to do is lay around. When my meals are lean, and include healthy fats (poly and mono unsaturated fats, like those found in nuts, avocado, olive oil etc) I feel energized!
• Cut down on caffein!
  I used to be a big coffee drinker, and I still am! However, I have switched to decaf and noticed I actually have more energy! Caffeine is addictive, and getting energy from coffee, energy drinks becomes a double-edged sword. Over a period of time, you must ingest a certain amount of caffeine because your body has become accustomed to having that energy. If you dont get the caffeine, you will feel tired. I have noticed I sleep much better, and my energy is much more even after having cut back on caffeine.

Exercise
We all know exercise is good for us! In addition to helping you keep your weight “in check” you will also begin to strengthen postural muscles which help you carry and operate your instrument. Less energy expended holding your horn means easier utilization of the breathing apparatus and a more efficient production of sound. Exercise also increases your cardiovascular health and lowers the resting heart rate. These positive cardiovascular effects will help your sound production from an air standpoint, as well as help you deal with performance anxiety more readily.

Well, that is all for now! Get out there and make some positive changes in your life!