How Peloton Instructor Hannah Corbin Thrives While Living With Hashimoto's Disease

Popular Peloton instructor Hannah Corbin is known for her fiery workouts, insistence on stretching, and relentless motivation. But about four years ago, she felt far from strong, beginning to notice that she was constantly exhausted (via Healthline). After living with a frightening level of fatigue, gaining weight, and seeing a multitude of medical professionals, she finally got an answer and was diagnosed with Hashimoto's disease, also known as Hashimoto's thyroiditis.

The thyroid gland, located in the neck, makes hormones that help the body stay warm, use energy, and keep important organs like the brain and heart working properly, according to American Thyroid Association. Thyroid function can become impaired when it's inflamed, also known as hypothyroidism. Hashimoto's disease is an autoimmune condition that can happen when the thyroid has experienced chronic inflammation, which can lead to classic symptoms of hypothyroidism like fatigue, weight gain, constipation, increased sensitivity to cold, dry skin, depression, reduced exercise tolerance, and irregular or heavy menses. It is common in middle-aged women, though it can affect children and men, too.

Before Corbin was diagnosed, she eventually found her way to a dietician who ran blood tests and told her she needed to see an endocrinologist right away. Corbin immediately saw a specialist and was diagnosed with Hashimoto's, which she described as both validating and scary.

Corbin told Healthline that she was really stuck on the term "autoimmune," and so instead transformed it into "auto-amazing," which shifted her perspective on her daunting diagnosis. She recognized that she needed to let go of the old story she'd written about herself and instead love her body exactly how it was. She now uses her platform to raise awareness about Hashimoto's disease and encourage others living with the diagnosis to take good care of themselves. She insists that despite having an autoimmune condition, she can still be positive, successful, and live a happy life. She enjoys sharing this perspective through her platform.