Diabetics have long-since known that managing their health and well-being is a critical part of the overall management of their disease. Maintaining proper dietary intakes, monitoring insulin and sugar levels, and exercising have been staples of diabetic treatment for a long time.
Interestingly, weight training was never an obvious or well-known part of that regimen. Common medical thinking was that while exercise was beneficial, lifting weights provided little to no benefit. That thinking, however, has recently shifted.
A post on Philly.com details new research that; if one has even a basic understanding of how muscles work, sounds vastly more logical. Muscles tasked with performing heavy lifting activities tap into the body’s glycogen stores to fuel the work being done. Using those stores consumes extra sugar in the body, thus contributing to an overall enhanced level of control of a diabetic’s sugar levels.
Such exercise and activity also contributes to insulin resistance. The relationship of diabetes, blood sugar, insulin, and carbohydrates is all one big, tangled web. But, in the simplest of terms, when a diabetic can affect the way they process sugars and carbohydrates, they can shift that entire web to work more in their favor.
Also, not surprisingly, the research found that exercising larger muscles yielded better results. And, combining weight lifting with aerobics and cardiovascular exercise contributed to overall weight loss, thus further improving the diabetic’s condition.
This is exciting because research has found that, with aggressive enough efforts, Type 2 diabetes can not only be controlled, but can be reversed in some situations. Proper exercise, proper diet and nutrition, aggressive monitoring of blood sugar levels, and now weight training can all be used together to drastically reduce the risk of heart disease – a significant risk factor in diabetes patients.
Because so much of diabetes treatment now revolves around exercise and lifestyle, we’d be remiss if we didn’t remind readers to seek the advice of a medical professional before engaging in any sort of exercise routine. Your doctor will be able to tell you how much exercise your body and heart can tolerate. You should also consult a trainer to help you find the right strength training activities while also managing your safety at the gym.
Better health, more energy, a reduced risk of heart disease, and a slimmer, more toned physique – what could you possibly have to lose?
