Have you been eating healthier, exercising more, and trying your best... but your A1C still isn't going down?

You're not alone.

In this episode of Prediabetes & The Path to Better A1C, I'm sharing the 3 most common mistakes I see that can keep A1C levels elevated, even when you're making healthy changes.

We'll talk about:

✅ Hidden sugars in drinks that can spike blood sugar
✅ Why poor sleep makes it harder to improve insulin sensitivity
✅ How chronic stress impacts your blood sugar
✅ BONUS: Why strength training has become one of my favorite strategies for improving insulin sensitivity and boosting energy

I also share part of my own journey recovering from frozen shoulder, why I made strength training a priority this year, and how working with my personal trainer helped me safely rebuild strength and confidence.

If you've been feeling frustrated because your numbers aren't changing, this episode is for you.

📘 Prediabetes Roadmap Guide
If you've recently been diagnosed with prediabetes and aren't sure where to begin, download my free guide here:
https://starterguide.subscribepage.io/

☀️ FREE 3-Day Summer Kickstart Guide
14 pages packed with practical tips, balanced recipes, and a complete 3-day meal plan to help you improve your energy and support healthy blood sugar this summer.
https://jennypena.my.canva.site/summer2026

A special thank you to my personal trainer, Elizabeth Tucker, for helping me safely return to strength training while recovering from frozen shoulder. Follow Elizabeth here:
https://www.instagram.com/eatucker09/

🌐 Website: https://jennypena.com

📩 Subscribe for more evidence-based tips on prediabetes, blood sugar management, and sustainable healthy habits.

If you enjoyed this episode, please:
👍 Like this video
💬 Leave a comment and let me know which mistake surprised you the most.
🔔 Subscribe for a new episode every week.
📤 Share this episode with someone who is working to lower their A1C.

Remember: Better blood sugar isn't about perfection. It's about building small, sustainable habits that add up over time.

#Prediabetes #A1C #BloodSugar #InsulinResistance #DiabetesPrevention #HealthyHabits #BloodSugarBalance #HealthCoach #StrengthTraining #Wellness #Nutrition #LifestyleMedicine #PrediabetesPodcast

What can a soccer match teach you about lowering your A1C? More than you might think. ⚽

In this special episode, I'm stepping away from my usual format and sharing five surprising lessons soccer has taught me about building healthier habits, balancing blood sugar, and preventing type 2 diabetes.

As someone who didn't grow up watching soccer but became a proud soccer mom after my son started playing, I've discovered that the same principles that help teams succeed on the field are the same principles that help us succeed with our health.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why consistency matters more than perfection
• How every healthy habit plays a different role in blood sugar management
• Why prediabetes is your opportunity to make adjustments before it's too late
• The biggest mistake people make when trying to improve their health
• Why support and coaching can make all the difference

Whether you're working to lower your A1C, prevent type 2 diabetes, or simply build healthier habits, these lessons will change the way you think about your health journey.

🎁 Free Resource:

Download my 3-Day Summer Kickstart Guide, featuring three days of simple, protein-packed meals that average 85-90 grams of protein per day. Perfect for busy schedules and anyone looking to support healthy blood sugar.

👉 Download here: https://jennypena.my.canva.site/summer2026

Want to work with me? Book a clarity call to chat!

https://calendly.com/coachjenp7/call

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who's cheering on their favorite soccer team this World Cup!

Your doctor says, "Your liver numbers are a little elevated. It's probably nothing." So you move on.

But what if those "slightly elevated" liver enzymes are actually an early warning sign of metabolic dysfunction?

In this episode, Coach Jenny Peña breaks down the surprising connection between fatty liver, insulin resistance, and blood sugar—and why this often-silent condition deserves more attention.

You'll learn:

✔️ What fatty liver is (and why doctors recently changed its name)

✔️ Why fatty liver and blood sugar create a two-way cycle that can worsen insulin resistance

✔️ Why elevated liver enzymes shouldn't always be brushed aside

✔️ Three simple, science-backed habits that help support both your liver and your blood sugar

The hope rests in the fact that fatty liver is often one of the most reversible metabolic conditions when caught early.

If you've been told your liver enzymes are elevated, have prediabetes, insulin resistance, or simply want to protect your long-term health, this episode will help you understand what your liver may be trying to tell you.

🎁 Download my free Prediabetes Roadmap to start improving your blood sugar with simple, sustainable habits:

https://starterguide.subscribepage.io/

If you found this episode helpful, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who has ever heard the words, "Your liver numbers are a little high."

Ever walk into a room and forget why you went there? Read the same sentence three times? Feel like your brain simply shuts down around 3 PM?

Many people blame aging, stress, or lack of sleep. But there's another possibility that often gets overlooked: your blood sugar.

In this episode, Coach Jenny Peña explains why blood sugar swings—not just high blood sugar—can affect your focus, memory, energy, and mental clarity throughout the day.

You'll learn:

• Why your brain needs steady glucose, not more sugar

• What actually causes the afternoon energy and focus crash

• How blood sugar spikes trigger inflammation and stress hormones

• Three simple strategies you can start today to improve focus and steady your energy

If you've ever struggled with brain fog, cravings, or that "wired but exhausted" feeling, this episode will help you understand what's happening inside your body—and what you can do about it.

🎁 Download my free Prediabetes Roadmap Guide for the first steps to balancing your blood sugar:

https://starterguide.subscribepage.io/

If this episode helped you, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who could use a little more energy and mental clarity.

What if the same blood sugar issues affecting your waistline were also impacting your brain?

In this episode, Jenny Pena, NBC-HWC, explores the growing body of research connecting blood sugar, insulin resistance, and dementia risk. While most people associate high blood sugar with diabetes, fewer realize it may also affect memory, cognition, and long-term brain health.

You'll learn:

✅ Why blood sugar matters for brain health

✅ The connection between insulin resistance and cognitive decline

✅ Why men may be at greater risk than they realize

✅ Common warning signs that shouldn't be ignored

✅ The role of belly fat, inflammation, and testosterone

✅ What researchers mean when they talk about "Type 3 Diabetes"

✅ Four science-backed lifestyle habits that help protect both your brain and your blood sugar

If you're over 40 (or care about someone who is) this episode will give you practical steps you can start using today to support healthier aging and reduce your risk factors.

Remember: your genes are not your destiny, and it's never too early (or too late) to start protecting your future health.

Connect with Jenny:

Book a clarity call: https://calendly.com/coachjenp7/call

Website: https://www.jennypena.com

Instagram: @coachjenp

Grab my free prediabetes roadmap guide: https://starterguide.subscribepage.io/

Most men assume that feeling exhausted, gaining belly fat, and losing energy is just part of getting older.

But what if it isn't?

In this Men's Health Month kickoff episode, I break down the surprising connection between blood sugar, insulin resistance, testosterone, energy levels, and that stubborn belly fat that seems impossible to lose.

You'll learn:

✅ Why the afternoon energy crash happens

✅ How blood sugar affects focus, mood, and productivity

✅ The connection between insulin resistance and testosterone

✅ Why belly fat can make blood sugar and hormone issues worse

✅ Three simple strategies to improve energy and blood sugar starting today

✅ Why every man should know his A1C number

If you've been told that fatigue, brain fog, weight gain, and low energy are simply signs of aging, this episode may change the way you look at your health.

Whether you're concerned about prediabetes, insulin resistance, weight loss, or simply feeling like yourself again, this episode is packed with practical and science-backed insights you can start using immediately.

🎁 Free Resource: Prediabetes Roadmap Guide

Book a free clarity call - https://calendly.com/coachjenp7/call

Learn simple strategies to balance blood sugar, improve energy, and lower your risk of type 2 diabetes.

In this episode of the Path to Better A1C Podcast, Jenny Pena sits down with functional diagnostic practitioner, health coach, and host of The Period Whisperer Podcast, Bria Gadd, to discuss the real reasons so many women struggle with weight gain, fatigue, cravings, brain fog, poor sleep, and blood sugar imbalances during perimenopause and menopause.

If you feel like your body suddenly changed overnight, despite eating well, exercising, and “doing everything right”, then this episode is for you.

Jenny and Bria dive into:

• The connection between cortisol, hormones, and blood sugar

• Why women wake up between 2–4 AM during perimenopause

• Stress, adrenal health, and unexplained weight gain

• Why extreme dieting and over-exercising can backfire

• The truth about intermittent fasting for women

• How protein, sleep, walking, and nervous system support impact metabolism

• GLP-1 medications, weight regain, and metabolic health

• Why perimenopause may not be the root problem — but the tipping point

This conversation is packed with practical, sustainable strategies to support hormones, energy, metabolism, and long-term health without extreme approaches.

Connect with Bria Gadd:
Podcast: The Period Whisperer Podcast
Instagram: @bria_period_whisper

Message Bria on IG for a 50% discount using code JENNY on her menopause course!

Connect with Jenny:
Website: https://www.jennypena.com
Instagram: @coachjenp

Grab my free prediabetes roadmap guide: https://subscribepage.io/starterguide

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a friend who needs to hear this conversation.

Could your hormones be affecting your blood sugar, cravings, sleep, mood, and even your relationships?

In this episode of Path to Better A1C, Jenny Pena breaks down the real science behind perimenopause and menopause, including the symptoms women are rarely warned about and why partners should understand this transition too.

From brain fog and anxiety to belly fat, cravings, sleep disruption, frozen shoulder, mood swings, and rising blood sugar, this episode explores how hormonal shifts during midlife can impact metabolism, emotional health, energy, and daily life.

Jenny discusses:

• The difference between perimenopause and menopause

• Why symptoms can begin in your late 30s or early 40s

• How hormonal changes affect blood sugar and weight

• The connection between stress, cravings, sleep, and metabolism

• Why strength training and protein become more important during midlife

• The role GLP-1 medications may play for some women

• Practical lifestyle shifts that support energy and metabolic health

• What partners can do to better support women during this stage of life

Whether you are navigating perimenopause yourself or trying to better understand what your partner is experiencing, this episode offers practical guidance, validation, and real conversation around a topic that too many people still avoid discussing openly.

🎧 Share this episode with a friend, sister, spouse, or partner who needs to hear it.

✨ Ready to support your blood sugar naturally and sustainably?📌 Book a Clarity Call with Coach Jenny:Book a Clarity Call -https://calendly.com/coachjenp7/call📌 Download the Free Prediabetes Roadmap Guide:Prediabetes Roadmap Guide📌 Learn More About Coaching & Wellness Programs:https://www.jennypena.com/wellness📌 Follow Jenny on Instagram - @prediabeteswithjenny https://www.instagram.com/prediabeteswithjenny 🎧 New episodes of the Path to Better A1C Podcast are released every Friday morning.