The Positive Impact of Exercise

Exercise is an important part of getting control of Diabetes-the goal of everyone with the disease. Exercise while important for everyone, doesn't have the same impact on type one diabetics as it does on type 2 diabetics. 20 minutes a day can do wonders. Over 90% of the 21 million Americans who have diabetes have type 2 Diabetes.  Type 2 Diabetes is characterized by the pancreas not producing enough insulin to control glucose levels. When a cell doesn't respond to insulin it is insulin resistance. When a patient is diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, weight loss and diet are the usual suspects to gain control of the problem. If that fails medication is usually prescribed.  Inactivity, being overweight or obese, hypertension, high cholesterol, and coronary artery disease are all markers pointing to diabetes. Inactivity as you may well imagine leads to being overweight. The image of a couch potato comes to mind. 20 minutes a day can do wonders. Exercise impacts diabetes in several ways. First, strenuous exercise leads to weight loss given all other things being equal. Exercise causes the body to process glucose faster which lowers blood sugars. Exercise helps build muscle tissue which burns calories even when you sleep. 20 minutes a day can do wonders. Exercise helps keep you limber which is very important as you grow older. Exercise helps lowering stress and increasing blood flow. Exercise will lower your cholesterol and blood pressure too. 20 minutes a day can do wonders. For anyone who doubts this try a good little workout in the morning and tell me how you feel. Weight training for me actually works best followed by a nice twenty minute walk.   But it doesn't have to be in a gym, housework, yard work, playing with your kids, washing the car, anything that gets your heart rate up. And it doesn't even have to be in one stretch, break it up into two ten minute sets. 20 minutes a day can do wonders. Everyone should check with their physician prior to an exercise program. If you're trying to lose weight, a combination of physical activity and wise food choices can help you reach your target weight and maintain it. All of these benefits can be yours even if you haven't been very active before. 20 minutes a day can do wonders.   Photo Credit : Flickr.com