Over eighteen million Americans have
diabetes. They shouldn't. Although heredity plays a role in the disease, most
patients with the general form of diabetes have themselves to blame, not their
parents. Guilt is not the issue, but health is. Diabetes can lead to heart
attacks, strokes, blindness, kidney failure, amputations, and early death. Various
studies show that regular exercise cuts the risk of diabetes by 16 to 50
percent. Moderate exercise, such as walking, will give you lots of protection,
but this is one area in which more exercise is even better. In the University of Pennsylvania College Alumni Study
You can find out if you have diabetes by
taking a simple blood test, the fasting blood sugar. Values of 100 mg/dL or
lower are normal, levels above 126 mg/dL indicate diabetes, and scores between
100 and 126 reflect increased risk. But even if your fasting blood sugar is
normal, you should take steps to keep it that way—and exercise plays a crucial
role. It promotes weight loss, but it can even help folks who remain
overweight. But the most important physiologic benefit of exercise is to
increase tissue sensitivity to insulin so more sugar enters cells even though
the pancreas puts out less insulin. And this important metabolic asset persists
for up to twenty-four hours after a single exercise session.
Obesity is a terrible health hazard, actually
weight-loss therapy may be a more effective solution in the control of diabetes
than the routine lifestyle change. As our waistlines expand, our wallets empty
to purchase a bewildering variety of diet books, special foods, and unregulated
diet pills and potions. Everyone who shells out for a quick fix is headed for
disappointment. Don't fall for the weight-loss shell game. There is no quick
fix. Instead, weight loss requires a long-term commitment to diet and exercise.
To lose weight, you need to burn up more
calories than you take in. The math is unforgiving, the progress slow, and the
lifestyle changes substantial. But it works. The National Weight Control
Registry maintains a roster of people who have succeeded where so many fail.
About four thousand Americans are on the list. On average, they have lost
sixty-seven pounds each and have kept it off for more than five years. How did
they win at the losing game? Their methods vary, but a few themes are common:
adhering to low-fat, calorie-restricted menus; eating breakfast; weighing
themselves regularly; and getting lots of exercise, typically by walking for an
hour a day.
If you are one of the 30 percent of
Americans who are overweight, one of the 30 percent who are obese, one of the 5
percent who are very obese, you'll consider three facts about exercise and body
fat:
1. Even without dieting, exercises
can help. A 2000 Canadian study, for example, found that volunteers who
participated in an exercise program without changing their diets lost an
average of sixteen pounds in twelve weeks. That took about an hour of daily
exercise. But you can do as well or better with half as much exercise if you
also cut your calories.
2. Exercise
is most effective at reducing abdominal fat. And when you reduce abdominal
obesity with exercise (and diet), you'll earn the metabolic benefits that
reduce your risk of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and other illnesses.
3. When
it comes to exercise for weight loss, more is better. It's just a case of the
math: burn more calories, lose more weight. keep in mind though, that you will
undo your gains if you eat more. Fortunately, exercise itself won't make that
happen; if anything, physical activity is more likely to reduce your appetite
than to stimulate it. Remember, people who perform steady, moderate exercise
are more likely to lose weight than people who burn the same number of calories
with briefer, more intense bursts of action.
