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Monday, July 10, 2006
Dumaguing: Walking is the best move you can make!
By Dr. Vic Dumaguing
To Your Health
THE Diabetes Prevention Program of the American Diabetes Association (Dppada) says that walking has proven to be the key to a successful weight-loss and fitness plan for many patients. Increasing your physical activity is one of the most helpful things you can do for yourself then, especially if you have diabetes. This doesn't necessarily mean joining a health club and working out but rather adding daily routines that can boost your activity level, from walking the dog to taking the stairs instead of the elevator. When you commit yourself to a regular 30-minute program five days a week, the following are likely to happen.
Increase your metabolism and muscles mass. By building and maintaining muscle mass, you can burn extra calories and naturally increase the uptake of glucose by the cells, thus decreasing the amount of glucose in the blood. It will also improve the response of the body cells to insulin, thus facilitating the entry of glucose into the cell, again reducing blood sugar. Walking also boost your ability to lose weight effectively and keep it off. As a result, you will have lower blood pressure and lower cholesterol levels, thus greatly reducing your risk for heart disease and stroke - leading causes of death for people with diabetes.
The first step towards a more active lifestyle is to make sure your fitness program is safe for you. Talk to your family physician about a check-up before you get started. Plus, working with your health care team will give you the confidence of knowing that you're doing all you can to avoid the pitfalls and reap the benefits of exercise.
Before you begin, set realistic goals for yourself. This may mean starting with a daily five-minute walk around the block and gradually adding to your program. Then, you may set new goals in order to keep making progress.
Make the commitment to exercise just as you would any important appointment. Habits are developed through practice. Get a training partner. We all have days when we are tempted to skip our workout. Thus with a partner, you help support each other and strengthen your collective resolve. You may also get a pedometer, a small counter that keeps track of how many steps you take. Wear it everyday. Or you cross-train. Doing the same thing every time you exercise can get boring. Many people alternate exercise daily or cross-train, which is having alternate forms of exercise in order to prevent putting a specific strain on a particular part of the body. In other words, you might ride a bicycle one day, walk the next or swim another day.
We cannot overemphasize the importance of water. Drink water, during and after exercise to prevent dehydration. Reward yourself. One good way to keep your motivation high is to reward yourself with a small treat when you reach a goal - keep away from food treats though - like a new pair of jogging shoes, a book or a CD or a favorite perfume - anything that will reward you and keep you moving forward.
Therefore, get out and move. Dance, even if you have two left feet. Or at least pretend you're dancing like the epileptic fits of AI Taylor Hicks. Walk the dog, rake the leaves. Park your car farther from your destination. Every extra activity counts towards a new healthier you!
And if you feel good, you will look good!
(July 10, 2006 issue)
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