We used to exercise – as a race of homosapiens - as a matter of daily living. Hunting, gathering, general life tasks involved what for most of us now seems like a daily marathon. Professor Harry Seftal of WITS says we have become slovenly sloths and pay the price with our health.
The American Diabetic Association (ADA) has just published its latest exercise guidelines for diabetics. As almost 10 % of the American population had diabetes in 2007 and the current stats sit at around 285 million people worldwide with 7 million added yearly, "diabetics" seems to extend to a very large portion of the population.
The guideline published on the 16 December 2010 was issued jointly by the ADA and the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and stresses the importance of exercise in managing and preventing type 2 diabetes. Exercise increases insulin sensitivity which in turn means that the sugar control is better. It also prevents onset of type 2 diabetes if you are diagnosed as "pre-diabetic". It has a beneficial effect on fat metabolism (lipids/cholesterol), blood pressure and heart problems. There is proof that individuals who exercise live longer as well as have better quality of life.
The new guideline for exercise in type 2 diabetics is: 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise (aerobic) spread out over 3 days (not consecutive) that corresponds to 40 – 60% of maximal aerobic capacity (e.g. brisk walking). Over and above this an additional session of resistance training on 2-3 days a week (non-consecutive) is proven to be beneficial.
The two American bodies suggest that exercise should be "prescribed" by one's physician and "followed-up" as part of therapy. The role of a biokineticist is crucial to facilitating exercise therapy and would be highly beneficial for any person wanting to start exercise tailored to their needs and health parameters.
In terms of preventing diabetes the research has proven that in high-risk adults 2.5 hours of moderate to vigorous exercise per week can prevent onset of diabetes and can prevent "gestational diabetes" (which is diabetes in pregnancy).
Diabetes is a "lifestyle" induced disease (unhealthy) and by the same token can be "prevented" and certainly the complications related to diabetes prevented by healthy lifestyle.
2013 – The year of exercise! Rather than sinking deeper and deeper into the sloth like stalemate which only makes you sick and have poor quality of life, why not induce a change and find the exercise that makes your pulse race, promotes excellent quality of life and a happy new year!!
You need to find the exercise that makes your pulse race – literally and figuratively. In order to enjoy the experience it needs to be something you are willing to repeat at least 3 x per week with people you enjoy spending time with (or alternatively alone – quality alone time). It also needs to get your pulse rate up and preferably to a target that can be discussed with an exercise therapist or biokineticist. This target will then change as you get fitter.
The options are truly endless especially in Pietermaritzburg from mountain biking, paddling, running to horse-riding, walking or working out in the gym. You might be interested to know that gardening can also be an exercise. Dancing is another type of exercise often overlooked - either with a partner or a dance class such as hip-hop or ballet.
In all of the studies done where a group that exercised was compared to a group that did not, both prevention of diabetes as well as improved control was proven beyond a shadow of a doubt. In other words if you exercised and you may have developed diabetes you did not and if you had poor control (high sugars) and exercised the control improved. The other interesting point was that the exercise done in the studies had beneficial effects for years to come. In fact the "effect" of exercise vs. medicine was measurably far greater than just using the medication. Need I say any more? Let us return to the physique and health of 100 years ago today.
Article submitted by Dr Claudine Lee, a General Practitioner in Hilton, KZN.