Lack of Movement?

The following was printed in the January Primetime issue put out by the Antigo Daily Journal. I found it interesting and am reprinting it here with permission of the editor:

Diabetes May be Linked to Lack of Movement

Diabetes increases the risk of heart attack and stroke two to four times. About 2,220 new cases are diagnosed every day in the United States. People with diabetes are about three times more likely to die of complications from influenza (flu) and pneumonia than are people without diabetes. There has been a six-fold increase in the number of people who have been diagnosed with diabetes in the last four decades.

The goal of the above introduction is to get your attention. Given the above numbers, you probably know someone who has diabetes or you may even have it yourself. So with the understanding that diabetes is a disease that effects many; the question becomes "What can we do about it?" All too often people believe once they have been diagnosed with type II diabetes that there is nothing he/she can do about it (except take insulin). Some persons also believe that they are destined to acquire type II diabetes if either mom or dad had it.

When researching the cause of type II diabetes the word "obesity" is used frequently. Another common cause in several studies included "sedentary lifestyle." So I propose to you that both obesity and diabetes are a result of moving less. For instance, in two recent studies appearing in Journal of American Medicine Association and the Annuls of Internal Medicine it was shown that sustained exercise for approximately 30 minutes three times per week lead to a 46 percent decrease in the risk of acquiring type II diabetes. So we know aerobic activity can reduce your risk, but what about strength training?

Let me summarize what the research states. Basically, researchers looked at groups of people who dieted to control diabetes, groups who dieted and aerobically trained, and groups who dieted and strength trained. The general result was that those who trained aerobically or with strength equipment had better insulin responses to the tests for blood sugar regulation. Although, the Finnish Diabetes Prevention Study showed that through individualized training programs (strength only) and nutrition counseling participants were able to reduce their risk of acquiring type II diabetes by 58 percent. According to a recent article in Physician and Sports Medicine (10/2000) "Exercise improves insulin sensitivity and glycemic control, even without weight loss."

So this brings us back to the original theory that the real culprit for the rise of diabetes in the US is lack of movement. Let's think about this for a minute . . . . . . What really changed about us in the last four decades that would predispose us to such a dramatic increase in type II diabetes (including teenagers). Have our bodies made some kind of mutation that we can no longer clear excess blood sugar from our blood. Or has our activity level decreased in the past 40 years. I would propose the latter. Look at the majority of technological advancement in the US, and almost all of them have resulted in keeping us on our butts more and more. Some examples include:

It may sound like I'm some kind of exercise freak. Realize that the body is designed to move us from point A to point B. And it flourishes, in health, when we allow it to move. I want you to think about one other concept. Think of the side effects of regular movement as they apply to all disease. Give your body what it craves . . . . . . . . movement.

Gregory J. Renfro
Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist
Antigo Athletic Club

(Pat's comment: This may be making it all sound so simple, but a little more moving around certainly couldn't hurt, and just may do your body some good - mine, too.)

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