“What the heck does that mean?” he asked, as he shoved another lolly in his mouth.

So that, of course, got me thinking about what a great topic this is for the festive season, when we can’t help but be surrounded by lots of sweet goodies.

Uh Oh... all that sugar is making me sleepy!

The thing is, lollies and refined sugars = human intervention into how our body naturally works.  Eating lollies, sugars and manufactured products causes an overuse of our Pancreas in order to secrete insulin to help get our blood back in check.

Why does this happen?  Well, once our body consumes refined sugars we become hyper-glycemic, meaning our blood levels have more sugar than they require in order to meet the body’s needs and to function.  Our body is clever and detects  that we have too much sugar, so the Pancreas then secretes vast quantities of insulin to get our blood back into a normal range.

However, what happens the great majority of times is we then have more insulin than is required and within about 30-40 minutes (because of the excess insulin), we become hypo-glycemic, meaning we have lower sugar levels than we originally started with and feel fatigued and tired.  Generally that’s nothing to get stressed about, because that’s what the body is supposed to do.  But, for some people, this whole cycle happens very, very regularly because they eat a lot of junk food, lollies and refined sugars, therefore putting undue strain on the Pancreas, causing it to secrete more insulin than it should naturally need to.  And that’s when the onset of diabetes becomes a very real concern.

But it doesn’t stop there.  When the body is in a state of being hypo-glycemic (that point 30-40 minutes after), our body’s natural response is to produce your fright, flight, fight hormone… adrenaline!  That adrenaline drives you to go and eat something to take the symptoms away (i.e. something high in sugar) which is again going to get you in the same situation and cause your blood glucose level to go back up again!

So, what’s the solution?  Take a leaf out of your parents and grandparents’ book (and even further back down the family tree!) and eat the way they ate years ago – more whole foods and natural ingredients and less refined sugars.  They were definitely on to something, because back then there were far less cases of diabetes.

On a final note, it’s the festive season where we’re surrounded by a whole load of tempting treats and sweet delicacies.  Don’t stress yourself out about the consequences of indulging in these goodies… it’s Christmas and it’s okay to enjoy the festive fare.  But I hope that what you’ll take from this post, is that it’s all about balance.  If you eat well, with good healthy, natural foods for the majority of the time, then you’ll be able to enjoy the moments of indulgence guilt free!

Manage your diabetes with regular walking.

Why?  Because, exercise improves the insulin sensitivity of your cells and, as a result, improves your blood glucose levels.  In a nut shell, everything runs much more smoothly when you exercise.

So here are some key exercise principles for managing and preventing diabetes:

• Make sure you move during the day – any opportunity you get to move should be grasped eagerly.
• Increase your lung fitness – how?  Get a little bit out of breath every day.
• Get rid of the glucose in your muscles and liver – combine interval training and resistance training to drain out the excess glucose.
• Build muscle – no, you don’t have to be The Incredible Hulk, but a little bit of muscle goes a long way.
• Stop before you get too sore – some soreness is good but don’t go overboard on your first go; try and build up gradually.
• Exercise regularly – short, daily bouts of exercise are much better for you than one long session a week.

Above all, remember what your purpose for exercising is… getting fit is far more important than getting thin, so don’t measure your success by how much weight you’ve lost!

Information in this blog has been sourced from “The Sugar Daddy“ by Dr Adam Fraser and Christine Armarego.

But, did you know, in 2006 1.4 million Australians had diabetes?  In fact, it has been rated as the fifth leading cause of death in the world.  Now that’s serious.  And, guess what?  Those figures are rising dramatically and, before you get too complacent, a recent study has found 1 in 4 Australians over 25 have some sort of glucose control problem.  1 in 4!!!!

So, what is the result of excess glucose?  It puts you at greater risk of:

• Heart attack, heart disease and stroke
• Amputation of limbs, particularly lower limbs
• Blindness
• Kidney disease
• High blood pressure
• Loss of nerve sensation and feeling in feet and hands
• Obesity
• Impotence
• Depression
• Decreased life expectancy of up to 15 years

Wow!  So what can you do about it?  In a way, it’s simple – it’s all about lifestyle changes.  Increasing physical activity and improving what you eat has shown massive improvements in insulin sensitivity and glucose control.

I know what you’re thinking – it’s expensive to join a gym.  However, an Italian study has found that simply walking every day has SAVED people with diabetes a whole swag of money:

• A person with diabetes who doesn’t change their lifestyle has to spend $828 a year in direct medical and social costs
• Walking 30 minutes a day reduces their costs by $386 a year
• Walking 45 minutes a day reduces their costs by $1452 a year
• Walking 1 hour a day reduces their costs by $2000!!!

There are a number of ways Type II Diabetes can be prevented and controlled and I’m going to look at a few of those ways in future blogs… so stay posted.

Information in this blog has been sourced from “Sugar Daddy“ by Dr Adam Fraser and Christine Armarego.

Ann Cramp, one of the trainers on the Strong Project, has been doing a fantastic job of keeping us updated with what’s happening in the project and I thought I’d share some of the things I’ve observed and some of the feedback I’ve had.

To date the Strong Project has been a phenomenal success!  Our Type II Diabetes candidates have taken huge strides in their health, fitness and general well-being.  And it’s great to see the big smiles on their faces when they arrive at the gym.  And guess what?  They’re still smiling at the end of their workouts and telling their friends what a difference it’s making in their lives!

Many of them have reported that they feel stronger, more stable, more flexible and their quality of life has improved drastically.  And, on top of that, they are feeling fitter than they have felt for a long time.

Wouldn’t you like to feel that way too?
Wouldn’t you like to feel fit, strong and energized every day – even on the days that you’re not exercising?

Well, you can.  Health and fitness is essential to a long and happy life.  But the good news is, it’s not difficult to achieve.

Just ask any one of the Strong participants and I’m sure they will tell you that they wish they’d started on this journey years ago!

So stop procrastinating.  It doesn’t matter what shape your body is in; it doesn’t matter that you haven’t exercised for years; it doesn’t matter that you have been battling a condition like Type II Diabetes…

You can start making some positive changes to your lifestyle, general health, fitness and strength TODAY!

So what’s stopping you?