case of women with diabetes, there are specific benefits to muscle-building exercises that to control diabetes, a moderate approach would be to select a …
Women Need Muscle Power to Combat Diabetes
To win the fight against diabetes, women need muscle power This may sound like the same old diet and exercise advice that doctors give to just about everyone, but in the case of women with diabetes, there are specific benefits to muscle-building exercises that can substantially improve a womans ability to keep her blood sugars in the target range These exercises can even help avoid low blood sugar symptoms For women at risk for diabetes, these exercises may reduce the risk or delay the development of diabetes What is muscle-building exercise? Other names for it include strength training, resistance training, or weight lifting Specific techniques include exercises using ones own bodys weight such as pushups or knee bends, lifting weights, using weight machines, rubber pulleys, some forms of aquatic exercise, or isometric exercises Lifting as much as possible a few times promotes muscle building, but also puts a lot of stress on the joints, and can worsen conditions such as arthritis For improving fitness and helping to control diabetes, a moderate approach would be to select a weight than can be lifted 10 to 20 times but no more before the
muscle gives out This provides a good balance between safety and muscle building It is also important to give muscles a rest day between workouts This can be done by alternating weight training with aerobic training or by alternating upper body and lower body workout days What are the benefits of muscle building exercise? Pound for pound, muscle tissue requires many more calories for maintenance than an equal amount of fat tissue This increases the metabolic rate, and increases the number of calories a person can eat and maintain her weight, or lose weight With physical activity, the difference in the amount of calories used by muscle, compared to fat, is even greater For people with diabetes, however, muscle-building exercise can also help stabilize their blood sugar After a meal, all sugars and starches are converted to glucose and enter the blood stream Insulin, the main hormone that controls sugar levels, helps to drive the glucose into liver and muscle cells Inside liver and muscle cells, glucose is stored as glycogen, a starch Glycogen breaks down gradually for several hours after a meal, releasing sugar into the bloodstream to help keep the sugar level up In people with
diabetes, who have less insulin, or less response to insulin, the sugar goes into the liver and muscle cells more slowly after a meal, so that sugar levels in the blood shoot up higher than in people without diabetes, and stay high for a longer period of time A person with more muscle tissue can clear more sugar from their bloodstream, and lower blood sugars more easily after a meal They can also build more glycogen This reduces the risk of low blood sugars, and the typical symptoms of sweats, shakiness, weakness, and headaches In summary, exercises that increase muscle mass can help individuals with diabetes meet their fitness and weight loss goals, hold down spikes in blood sugars that occur immediately after a meal, and prevent low sugar spells which may occur several hours after meals Muscle-building exercise can also help prevent osteoporosis, or weak bones, that can lead to broken hips or other bones But the best reason for doing these exercises
is an improved sense of well-being Day-to-day activities such as carrying groceries, picking up a toddler, housework, and yard work are all easier and more enjoyable with muscles that are up to the task Quick facts: A For information
about specific exercises to do: Books Posters Gyms Physical therapists B Components of a good fitness program: Muscle-building exercise Aerobic or cardio exercise Flexibility exercise C Benefits of muscle-building exercise Faster metabolism Shapely curves Lower post-meal sugar levels Fewer low sugar symptoms Improved well-being Susan T Wingo, MD Endocrinologist
