Pro Fitness Competitor Danika Johnson talks Type 1 Diabetes&Fitness Competitions

Fit Talk with Melinda Corssino

The many hats we wear and the ones we can never truly take off. At the age of 11 I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. My world as I knew it and my interactions with food became a mathematical equation. In retrospect I would say this is when I began my "studies" in the health and fitness world. I navigated through my teenage years as a three sport athlete WITH type 1 diabetes. I attained my Bachelors degree in Psychology and Masters in Social Work with a focus on Eating Disorders and Body Image Disturbances while being highly involved in Student Leadership life and as President of a Dance Company WITH Type 1 Diabetes. It was at this point in my life that I recognized the importance of Physical Fitness on one's Mental Wellbeing and vice versa. It was during this time that I also, moved from NY to Vermont, got married and began competing in the OCB and NPC Bikini divisions. I competed for roughly 6 years on and off, accomplished my IFPA Pro Bikini Card in 2013 and won the Title of 2014 IFPA Pro Bikini World Champion, I was able to step on the Arnold Classic stage and later again on another World Championship Stage placing within the top 5- WITH Type 1 Diabetes. On November 24, 2016 my husband and I were blessed with the arrival of our healthy and beautiful daughter Ravenna- another pivotal, life changing moment, and another hat to join WITH Type 1 Diabetes, tightly fitted and glued to my head. Over the past 2 years my husband and I have made many transitions in our lives, wearing different hats, putting some aside and trying new one ons. We recently made a Big Move to Alabama for work opportunities. So who am I? I am a proud wife, a blessed mommy, a supportive coach and personal trainer, an entrepreneur, a social worker, a type 1 diabetic and a woman who in all her complexities and imperfections has found peace in the tight fitted hats I GET to wear.