Are you feeling stressed out during this holiday season, perhaps you’re worried about gaining an extra 5 - 7 pounds around the midsection between now and New Years. Maybe you have high blood pressure, or even high sugar levels leading to Pre diabetes or full blown diabetes. Well, in this video, I’m going to tell you what I do to not only lose weight but, what I do to lower my blood pressure and high sugar levels.
Strength Training: A Powerful Tool for Blood Sugar Regulation
While cardiovascular exercise has long been the cornerstone of diabetes management, strength training, or resistance exercise, is emerging as a potent ally in the fight against high blood sugar. This form of exercise, which involves working your muscles against resistance, offers a multitude of benefits that can significantly impact blood sugar control, and works wonders to lower blood pressure as well.
I’m going to provide you with 5 ways in which Strength Training Impacts Blood Sugar?
- Increased Muscle Mass regardless of your age: When you engage in strength training, your muscles grow and become stronger. This increased muscle mass acts as a glucose sink, absorbing glucose from the bloodstream and using it as energy. This process helps to lower blood sugar levels and improve insulin sensitivity. And that brings me to #2. Enhanced Insulin Sensitivity: Insulin is a hormone that helps your body use glucose for energy. When you're insulin-resistant, your body's cells don't respond effectively to insulin, leading to elevated blood sugar levels. Strength training can improve your body's sensitivity to insulin, making it more efficient at utilizing glucose.
Reduced Inflammation: Chronic inflammation is linked to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, as well as asthma, heart disease and other chronic ailments. Regular strength training can help reduce inflammation in the body, contributing to better blood sugar control.
Improved Lipid Profile: Strength training can help lower levels of triglycerides and raise levels of "good" HDL cholesterol. These changes can improve your overall cardiovascular health and reduce your risk of heart disease, a common complication of diabetes.
Weight Management: Strength training can help you build muscle and lose fat, both of which are beneficial for blood sugar control. Excess weight, particularly belly fat, is strongly linked to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
Now, how do you Incorporate Strength Training into Your Routine?
To reap the benefits of strength training for blood sugar control, aim for at least two to three sessions per week. Each session should include exercises that target major muscle groups, such as squats, push-ups, rowing exercises and more. The reason I want you to focus on the large muscles is because, when you do exercise that focus on the large muscles, more energy is required and you push more glucose into your cells. Makes sense? Good.
It's important to start with a weight that challenges you but doesn't cause pain. As you get stronger, gradually increase the weight or resistance to continue challenging your muscles.
If you're new to strength training or would like some guidance, my contact information is in the comment section below.
The new year is coming whether you like it or not. Don’t be like countless others who make New Year’s resolutions only to fail to keep them.
This year is going to be different, why? Because you know that by incorporating strength training into your lifestyle, you can take control of your blood sugar levels, improve your overall health, and enhance your quality of life.