Archives for February 2010

Exercise For Diabetics

The most common types of diabetes are known as Type
1 and Type 2. The Type 1 diabetes, which is also
known as adolescent diabetes, differs from Type 2
in the sense that the body will stop producing
insulin altogether. Type 2 diabetes is normally
diagnosed in older adults and occurs as the body
stops producing enough insulin or the individual
becomes resistant to their own body insulin.

No matter what form of diabetes it is, you’ll lose
your ability to adequately utilize sugar. The
blood sugar levels will increase due to the body’s
difficulty in transporting sugar into the cells
and out of the blood stream. There are several ways
to lower your blood sugar levels, including diet,
exercise, and medication.

As a whole, exercise is a very important part of
diabetic management for both Type 1 and Type 2
diabetics. Those that have Type 1 will find regular
exercise helps to maintain insulin sensitivity,
helps to prevent the accumulation of excess weight,
and also increases the use of glucose by muscles.
Although there is really no way to prevent Type 1
diabetes, it is possible to prevent Type 2 diabetes.

The things to consider when you attempt to prevent
the onset of Type 2 diabetes are regular exercise
supplementation with vitamins and herbs that will
help to prevent insulin resistance and proper
control of weight.

Not only with exercise help directly with diabetic
management by lowering blood sugar levels and
maintaining insulin sensitivity, but it will also
help minimize several of the complications that
can occur in a diabetic individual. Research has
shown that walking 30 minutes each day can
diminish the possibility of developing Type 2
diabetes.

Almost all diabetics tend to develop circulatory
problems and exercise can help lower blood
pressure and improve circulation throughout the
body. Seeing as how people with diabetes tend to
have poor blood flow to their lower areas and
feet, better circulation is a great benefit.

Even though there are risks associated with
exercise, the potential benefits will outweigh
the risks. Exercise does indeed lower blood sugar
levels, so those with diabetes should measure
their blood sugar both before and after they
exercise. Since your body uses more sugar while
you exercise and makes you more sensitive to
insulin, there is a risk of blood sugar becoming
too low and causing hypoglycemia as a result.

Whenever you exercise, it is important to let
others know that you are diabetic. They should
also be informed about what they should do in
case of hypoglycemia. To be on the safe side, you
should always carry candy or fruit juice with you
to treat low blood sugar when it occurs.

During and after you have exercised, you should
pay very close attention about how you feel, since
rapid heart beat, increased sweating, feeling
shaky, or hunger can signal that your blood sugar
levels are getting too low.

With diabetic management and treatment, exercise
is very important. Exercise will help with blood
sugar control when the muscles use more glucose and
the body becomes more sensitive to insulin.
Exercise will also help to prevent and minimize
common diabetic complications which include heart
problems, high blood pressure, and circulatory
deficiencies.

If you are a diabetic, exercise should be part of
your daily routine. You should always exercise at
a slow pace and never overdo it. Also, you
should be sure to exercise around people you know
or at a gym, so there will always be people around
you in case something goes wrong. Being a diabetic
doesn’t have to hinder your life or your
performance, as exercise can help you get your life
back on track and heading in the right direction –
the healthy direction.

Fight Stress With Healthy Eating

Whenever we get too busy or stressed, we all tend
to make poor food choices that will actually
increase stress and cause other problems. To get
the most of your healthy eating and avoid stress,
follow these simple tips.

Always eat breakfast
Even though you may think you aren’t hungry,
you need to eat something. Skipping breakfast
makes it harder to maintain the proper blood and
sugar levels during the day, so you should always
eat something.

Carry a snack
Keeping some protein rich snacks in your car,
office, or pocket book will help you avoid blood
sugar level dips, the accompanying mood swings, and
the fatigue. Trail mix, granola bars, and energy
bars all have the nutrients you need.

Healthy munchies
If you like to munch when you’re stressed out,
you can replace chips or other non healthy foods
with carrot sticks, celery sticks, or even
sunflower seeds.

Bring your lunch
Although a lot of people prefer to eat fast food
for lunch, you can save a lot of money and actually
eat healthier if you take a few minutes and pack
a lunch at home. Even if you only do this a few
times a week, you’ll see a much better improvement
over eating out.

Stock your home
As important as it is to get the bad food out of
your house, it’s even more important to get the good
food in! The best way to do this is to plan a menu
of healthy meals at snacks at the beginning of the
week, list the ingedients you need, then go shop
for it. This way, you’ll know what you want when
you need it and you won’t have to stress over what
to eat.