Diabetes and Exercise

In a new randomized controlled trial, both aerobic and resistance exercise improved glycemic/blood sugar control in people with type 2 diabetes. The greatest improvements came from combined aerobic and resistance training. 

The study included 251 adults, between ages 39 and 70, who were not exercising regularly and had type 2 diabetes. Participants were assigned to one of four groups: performing 45 minutes aerobic training three times per week, 45 minutes of resistance training three times per week, 45 minutes each of both three times per week, or no exercise.

Both the aerobic and resistance training groups had improved blood sugar control A1C value decreased by about 0.5 percent. The group that did both kinds of exercise had about twice as much improvement as either other group alone - A1c value decreased by 0.97 percent compared to the control group. The control group that did not exercise had no change in A1C value.

The bottom line is that doing both aerobic and resistance exercise is the way to maximize the effects of exercise on blood glucose control in type 2 diabetes. 

Exercise is an inexpensive pill that could decrease the hemoglobin A1c value by 1 percentage point, reduce cardiovascular death by 25 percent, and substantially improve functional capacity (strength, endurance, and bone density). 

How exercise can help
Aerobic exercise increases insulin sensitivity and, along with proper nutrition, helps restore normal glucose metabolism by decreasing body fat. Low-impact exercise such as walking or stationary is recommended, along with enough exercise to promote weight management. The goal should be to exercise five times per week, up to 40 - 60 minutes per session at a moderate intensity. This level of exercise can be reached gradually, starting as low as 10 - 20 minutes a few times a week for a person who has never exercised. Remember to increase only one factor at a time (days per week, length of session, or intensity).

Strength training also decreases body fat by raising the lean body mass and metabolism. It's main benefit, however, is increasing glucose uptake by the muscles and enhancing the ability to store glucose. A basic recommendation from the American College of Sports Medicine is to train a minimum of two times per week, doing 8 - 12 repetitions per set of 8 - 10 exercises targeting major muscle. Safety precautions must be followed for the exercising diabetic. A personal trainer can help to set up a program for the Type 2 diabetic and help them exercise correctly. With your doctor's permission, exercise bands a safe, simple and effective way to exercise at home.
 

Exercise and good nutrition provide real physical payoffs--they are essential to controlling diabetes. Exercise can help prolong your life and improve the quality of your added months and years. Sticking to an exercise program can be a challenge for anyone, even with strong medical reasons to exercise.
 

Measuring your blood-glucose level before and after exercise can be a motivator. Diabetics who play the "numbers game" commonly see a twenty percent decrease in their blood-glucose level after exercising. 
 

Make sure that the exercise routine is fun, something you look forward to and there is some variety. 

 

Health tip # 53


Many people don't know how to brush their teeth properly. Improper brushing can cause as much damage to the teeth and gums as not brushing at all. Lots of people don’t brush for long enough, don’t floss and don’t see a dentist regularly. Hold your toothbrush in the same way that would hold a pencil, and brush for at least two minutes. This includes brushing the teeth, the junction of the teeth and gums, the tongue and the roof of the mouth. And you don't need a fancy, angled toothbrush – just a sturdy, soft-bristled one that you replace each month.

Health tip # 50


Get your daily calcium by popping a tab, chugging milk or eating yoghurt. It’ll keep your bones strong. Remember that your bone density declines after the age of 30. You need at least 200 milligrams daily, which you should combine with magnesium, or it simply won’t be absorbed.

Zumba Fitness: Making Exercise Fun.

Is fitness fun for you? Do you find yourself motivated? Do you dread the treadmill? Yes, then maybe your fitness needs to be redefined. Fitness should be fun, so that it lasts. Although diet, nutrition, hydration and a workout plan are crucial, the most important ingredient to fitness is fun.
 

Getting workout drilled into your daily routine is no doubt challenging, leaving you hung up with a hundred excuses not to do it. When it is fun, you’re more likely to find enjoyment in it. The fun in an exercise distracts you from the pain. A game of Frisbee or intramural soccer makes the exercise more fun. The pain is perceived less when you focus on the fun.
 

Zumba is a dance fitness program using primarily Latin Dance moves. Based on the principles of resistance training& interval training this workout system leads to increased caloric output and complete body toning. 

 

The dance moves are based on a variety of Latin styles including meringue, pop, reggae ton, cumbia, mambo, salsa, salsa ton, flamenco, rumba, and calypso. Squats and lunges are also included. Both slow and fast rhythms are involved so Zumba enthusiasts receive a variety to beat the boredom and increase agility and muscular involvement.

Why dancing is Popular? 
 

Dancing is fun, so people are more likely to stick with it.

The attention is shifted from duration of workout as one is left enjoying the dance moves.

You're not in the same spot, doing the exact same thing, thinking about working out and watching the clock, dreading the next five minutes. It really is like a party, all the time.

The abs or core gets a fantastic workout.

Zumba is based on the philosophy of HIIT. Interval training is an athletic training system that combines short bursts of intense activity, called intervals, with periods of lower intensity, or rest periods. By alternating the two throughout your workout, your body is forced to exert more effort than it normally would during a steady, continuous workout of moderate intensity. For example you can exchange 45 minutes on a recumbent bike, reading a magazine, with 15 minutes of interval workout.

With dance workouts you're working the whole body. While training on one sport or doing workouts with weight machines, you're using the same muscles every time.

 Getting Started
 

Warm up with simple steps at a moderate pace to get your heart beating and blood flowing through your muscles. Remember to start with easy moves, and then go to the advance moves. Once you get used to the basic moves the more advanced moves will become easy. Avoid twisting and jerking motions, as well as high-impact moves, to begin with. Move on even planes of motion, forward, backward and sideways. Do the merenge. Followed by salsa and cumbia performed at a variety of paces to a wide range of salsa music. Get intense with reggae ton a modern type of dance equivalent of hip-hop. Cool down with simple steps at a moderate to slow pace. Stretch your calves and hamstrings with gentle static stretches, and breathe in a few deep, slow breaths to end your Zumba session. Pat yourself on the back for burning plenty of calories while having a whole lot of fun. Don't forget to put on your dance sneakers or aerobics shoes.  

Benefits of Zumba 

1.  Improved Cardiovascular Health
2.  Weight Loss
3.  Improved Co-ordination
4.  Improved Mood
5.  Relieve Stress
6.  Release Toxins from the body

Some dance styles are much more strenuous than others. For example, a fast-paced jazz class will burn more calories than a slow and graceful lesson in ballet. Choose a dance class that gets you up and moving! 
 

Health tip # 49


 Experts say weight training should be done first, because it's a higher intensity exercise compared to cardio. Your body is better able to handle weight training early in the workout because you're fresh and you have the energy you need to work it.  

A regular eye and neck exercise can benefit you to relieve your eyestrain, stiffness and muscle tension.  

Walking: an insurance against crumbling skeleton

Exercise plays an important role in building bone in childhood and adolescence, maintaining bone before 50, and slowing down bone loss after 50. But exercises are not equal. Brisk walking (as if you are late for an appointment) for 30 minutes four days a week can help reduce bone loss before and after menopause. A study found that women who regularly walked 7.5 miles a week lost bone at a slower rate (four to seven years longer) than women who did not walk.

 

Many doctors recommend walking at least 20 minutes a day. Walking is the easiest exercise program to begin. You can walk anywhere, any time, without health club expense or high-priced equipment. Committing to just 30 minutes a day, three days a week, assures us of adequate aerobic conditioning. Walking is also an insurance policy against a crumbling skeleton as it minimizes and combats osteoporosis by actually strengthening our bones.

A healthy walk workout starts with good posture.

 

Maintaining correct posture shaves years off our appearance. Combining posture with exercise brings us an appealing, years-younger look. For proper posture, stand erect, keep chin parallel to the ground, and pull your head back so your neck is in alignment with your spine. Pull shoulder blades together, and relax your shoulders and hips. Tuck in your tummy and straighten your back, and pull your buns in so the small of your back doesn’t sway or bow. Expect to feel uncomfortable and awkward-looking for a while as you practice good posture. To test your posture, stand with your back against a wall and see how much of your back and shoulders touch the wall. Lifting your arms out to either side provides stretch as well as an additional posture checkpoint.

With posture in place, begin your walking experience. Proper shoes, designed for walking, are a good investment. Beyond that, dress appropriately for the workout, expecting to shed a layer as you warm up. After gently limbering up, start moving!

 

Take quicker and shorter strides for less jarring of the body. Walk with the heel leading. Bend arms at 90 degree angles, and allow swinging naturally.

 

One woman named, Dorothy, was diagnosed at age 60 with dangerously high blood pressure, took the pricey prescription until her insurance no longer covered the cost. With her doctor’s approval and monitoring, she bought good walking shoes and hit the road. Within one month of regular walking, Dorothy lowered her blood pressure and her cholesterol to a normal range, got off the medication, improved her overall fitness, and brightened her outlook on life. Now a spry, energetic, healthy lady, her walk is the highlight of her day. Also, a 60-second run in the middle of your walk should be enough to signal bones to add mass.

Exercise can help you build strong bones and slow bone loss. Exercise will benefit your bones no matter when you start, but you'll gain the most benefits if you start exercising regularly when you're young and continue to exercise throughout your life. Combine strength training exercises with weight-bearing exercises. Strength training helps strengthen muscles and bones in your arms and upper spine, and weight-bearing exercises — such as walking, jogging, running, stair climbing, skipping rope, skiing and impact-producing sports — mainly affect the bones in your legs, hips and lower spine. Swimming, cycling and machines such as elliptical trainers can provide a good cardiovascular workout.

Walking Facts:

1.    Walking a mile in 30 minutes burns 120-180 calories.

2.  Walking improves self-image.

3.  Walking decreases depression and stress.

4.  Walking exercises 200 bones and over 600 muscles.

5.  Walking increases energy.

6.  Walking regularly decreases risk of heart disease.

7.   Walking regularly reduces hypertension.

Health tip # 44

 Don’t eat carbohydrates for at least an hour after exercise. This will force your body to break down body fat, rather than using the food you ingest. Stick to fruit and fluids during that hour, but avoid beer. 

Health tip # 43


Garlic, onions, spring onions and leeks all contain stuff that’s good for you. A study at the Child’s Health Institute in Cape Town found that eating raw garlic helped fight serious childhood infections. Heat destroys these properties, so eat yours raw, wash it down with fruit juice or, if you’re a sissy, have it in tablet form.

Health tip # 38


Shin splints are a common overuse injury that causes pain and soreness in the large bone in the lower leg.

Health tip # 29


Benefits Of Exercise - Exercise is the best medicine for preventing illness and prolonging active life .

Health tip # 28

Try drinkin more tea instead of coffee to help protect ur body from damaging effects of free radicals & plays big role in protecting cancers

Love Your Body

Ask any woman you know how she feels about her body—no matter what her weight, and get ready for an earful. Odds are, she'll launch into a laundry list of what she doesn't like about her looks. For some the big problem is the tummy pooch from her second pregnancy. They say  it's been two years and the bulge still don’t  go away. "My belly is so embarrassing,It makes me feel sloppy and uncomfortable with myself." Sometimes they  rather just stay home in baggy sweats than go out. And their self-consciousness is also taking a toll in the bedroom. "It's very hard for me to feel at ease getting intimate with my husband because of how I look," they admit.

Whether it's occasional or constant, nearly every woman struggles with the way she feels about her body. A Cornell University study found that 87% of normal-weight women wish they were a size smaller. The vast majority of women have what's called normative discontent—dissatisfaction with the size and or  shape of their bodies, even if it's just a wish for flatter abs or a rounder butt.

In fact, tummy, hips and thighs top our most-hated list—and that's true whether we're 25 or 65, according to research published in the journal The New School Psychology Bulletin. What else is on that list of dislikes? Everything from the bump on your nose to your size 10 feet.

One thing all these complaints have in common: They can do a real number on your self-esteem. When you hate such an integral part of who you are, it can have a profound effect on your confidence, even leading to depression and eating disorders. In effect, you start to believe what you think you see in the mirror. You begin to like yourself less, which makes you feel uncomfortable in social situations, ill at ease sexually and a lot less assertive.

Health tip # 27


Except for professional athletes, most of us do not have the mental discipline to keep exercising by our- selves. Join a group, a gym or get your husband to go with you. If a bunch of your friends get together to exercise you will be motivators and conscience-keepers for each other

Health tip # 26

Almost as Fast as a Speeding Bullet. It takes only about 23 seconds for blood to circulate throughout your entire body. 

Health tip # 25


Between birth & old age,u will walk about 70,000 miles.Walking is 1 of best activities u can do to keep heart-lung complex in good condition

Health tip # 23


When u stand up,if u didn't have valves in ur veins,all the blood in your body would literally fall downward, filling up your legs and feet.

Health tip # 20


Brown rice is much healthier to eat than white rice that’s because brown rice undergoes far less processing than the white variety. With brown rice, only the outer hull is removed, preserving many of the nutrients and fiber. Cooked with vegetables, this healthy rice dish will satisfy your appetite and can be enjoyed for lunch, snack of dinner.

Health tip # 19


It's important to be involved in some sort of fitness social support web. If you are currently in a regime with no fitness community, you may find that your workouts are lacking or not that successful. A social support can bring a greater sense of camaraderie, kinship and even healthy competition. If you normally workout alone at home, try visiting a gym for a sample workout, or joining a yoga, Pilates or sailing class. Running clubs and golf courses are other ways to keep in shape and meet new people.

Health tip # 18


The average women's health and fitness regime requires a workout of no more than an hour at a time. Spending too much time at the gym or doing the same exercises over extended periods can become tedious and boring. By focusing on the exercises and narrowing your time frame, your workout sessions will be more fun and more efficient