Below is an article i wrote for someone recently. Hope you enjoy it, but before you do, consider this.
Every day that you are looking after yourself with exercise and correct nutrition you are going a long way to doing the vital preventative work to greatly reduce the chances of suffering from diabetes, obesity, and coronary heart disease, amongst others.
The costs to individuals and society at large are enormous. Consider that the NHS spends over £10 million a day on treating diabetes alone!!
When something like 60% of health problems are attributable to lifestyle choices, it's vital you address your own choices. If you are not - the best time to start is right now!
Steve Cork
Bootcamp Trainer
www.sussexbootcamps.co.uk
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Diabetes and Exercise
By Steve Cork Bsc (Hons)
Exercise has long been a cornerstone of the recommended management of diabetes, along with nutrition and medication.
In recent years there has been more research to back up the benefits, and refine the prescription of exercise.
Behind the facts and figures, it might also pay to further consider the impact on quality of life, positive mood, stress reduction and self-reliance that integrating exercise and everyday life can provide.
We cannot really consider diabetes and exercise without also bringing obesity into the equation. All of these are interrelated and the fact that Britain has the fastest growing rate of obesity in the developed world goes hand in hand with the rapid rise in the number of people with diabetes.
There are also an estimated 1 million people undiagnosed with diabetes in the UK and when you consider the massive amount of people who could be considered to have the pre diabetic 'metabolic syndrome', the impact of exercise being properly promoted, prescribed and adhered to is enormous.
Exercise may not help people with type 1 diabetes to improve blood glucose control, but exercise is very effective at improving insulin sensitivity in type 2 diabetics. Exercise is effective at reducing the side effects of the disease. Endurance exercise has been shown to reduce blood platelet adhesiveness, reducing the risk of coronary artery disease in all diabetics.
The following guidelines will therefore be most applicable to type 2 diabetics.
To improve blood glucose control, help with weight management and decrease cardiovascular risk factors, there are a couple of aerobic activity recommendations. Moderate aerobic activity for at least 150 minutes per week, and / or more vigorous aerobic activity for 90 minutes per week, spread over at least 3 non-consecutive days.
Volume of activity is a consideration, with 4 hours or more of activity (aerobic and / or resistance training) resulting in greater cardiovascular risk reduction and long-term major weight loss. However, as adherence and integration into people's lifestyles is of major concern, realistic targets should be aimed for and achieved initially.
Resistance training and interval training have received far more research in recent years. Resistance training is now recommended to be performed 3 times per week, targeting all major muscle groups. This should be built up to 3 sets of 8 to 10 repetitions, with initial supervision and periodic reassessments from a fitness professional / exercise specialist.
The effects on improved insulin sensitivity in diabetic's lasts between 24 and 72 hours after a single exercise session. The effects of resistance training may last even longer.
For best results, exercise should be combined with nutritional improvements and behaviour modification (not covered here), especially to maximise weight loss. The benefits of exercise in glycemic control are however independent of weight loss, so a good programme should be continued and encouraged in the absence of such changes.
Cardiovascular protection occurs from decreased inflammation, improved early diastolic filling, improved endothelial function, and reduced abdominal fat.
A recent study found that mortality risk was greatly reduced (42% - 65%) with increased fitness capacity across the range of men with a high Body Mass Index with type 2 diabetes. The higher the fitness level, the greater the mortality reduction observed.
Hopefully this provides a useful overview of the significant role exercise plays in the management (and ideally prevention) of type 2 diabetes. As a fitness professional I know that for best results the challenge is in bringing these recommendations to people with the correct coaching, education, support, and accountability to make such lifestyle changes work and last.
Sources:
American Diabetes Association
American College of Sports Medicine
Brooks, Fahey, Baldwin. 2005 'Exercise Physiology' 4th Ed
Diabetes UK
Elsevier Global Medical News
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2 comments:
Great points! As an exercise physiologist and personal trainer I would also add that it's been my experience that some people with "type II" diabetes do not know that they can essentially "cure" the condition with exercise and weight loss. At the very least, they can reduce its devastating effects.
Obviously "type I" cannot be cured this way but exercise can help manage the condition.
This is another example of how personal trainers, by being on the "front lines" can have a tremendous effect on peoples health.
Joe Cannon, MS, CSCS, NSCA_CPT
www.Joe-Cannon.com
What exercises would you recommend to people who have diabetes who are experiencing pain and nerve damage from their diabetes, especially in their feet?
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