Showing posts with label exercise. Show all posts
Showing posts with label exercise. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 9, 2018

Can Weightlifting Help With Diabetes?



The numerous health benefits of weight training has been known for many years.  There are dozens of scientific research studies which show various aspects of weight training benefitting different conditions and situations.

Many people do not realize that the scientific studies also show a direct benefit of weight training, for those with type II diabetes. Some studies like Shiroma et al., 2017, and Grontved et al., 2014, are general in nature and only speak of the risk reduction benefits of weight training, for those with diabetes. Other studies, such as Cheng et al., 2007, show that frequent weight training may lower your fasted insulin levels, and increase insulin sensitivity.

Bird & Hawley, 2017 report that resistance training and aerobic training combined in a program, may be the optimal prescription of exercise for maximal benefits. Of course, nutrition and lifestyle factors weigh in on this heavily.

Ultimately, mindset, fitness, nutrition and lifestyle are the foundational pillars upon which all health matters reside.

Instead of taking another expensive synthetic drug with many negative side effects, try hitting the weights, going for a walk, eating healthy, and lowering your stress levels by breathing drills and meditation.

Popping pills is a shortcut that rarely leads to health. Hitting the weights, however, puts you on the right path to control your glucose levels and manage your diabetes. And for those of you who do not have diabetes, weight training will greatly reduce your risks of developing diabetes in the future.

The weight set is your friend. Hit the weights! Start today.

If you are interested in learning stress management techniques, you can look here.

God bless you! Have a great week.

Eric Dempsey
Master Sergeant, US Army Retired
MS, ISSA Master Trainer
Dempseys Resolution Fitness

for

The Chaplain Paul Voorhees Ministry

Tuesday, February 6, 2018

Can You Lower Cholesterol Quickly Following a Healthy Diet?



If you are looking for a stock answer to the question of how long it may take to lower your cholesterol with a healthy diet, well, there is no such thing. Everyone is uniquely and marvelously different.

There are so many factors in your life that may or may not apply to someone else. Your body weight, the amount of exercise and physical activity you get, your age, environmental influences, heredity and so many other factors all come into play. These make you not only the person you are, but determine how you respond to various inputs and changes.

Diet - the Biggest Factor

That having been said, you can actually lower high cholesterol levels rather quickly with simple dietary changes.

Multiple studies have shown that a smart approach to nutrition is as effective as, and sometimes more effective, than statins and other drugs for lowering high cholesterol. That is marvelous news for anyone concerned about their health, and looking for defective ways to improve it.

Statins Carry Risks

As you probably know, a lot of medications carry with them unfortunately negative side-effects for some people. Recent research into the effects of statin drugs paint a very concerning picture for patients. In many cases a medication prescribed by your doctor may cause more concerning health problems than the condition you are trying to treat.

With diet, that is not the case.

If you eat too many beans you may get gassy, and if you take a fish oil supplement you may or may not get a case of bad breath. However, thee effects don't have lasting negative impacts on your health, wellbeing and longevity.

All in all, there isn't a real downside to eating smart. Given that all people are different and your time-frame may be greater or shorter than global averages, here is the good news ...

How Quick are Dietary Effects?

In as few as 2 to 3 weeks the right diet plan can significantly reduce an abnormally high cholesterol level.

Your body wants to be healthy. It really does. All it wants you to do is give it the things it needs to be as healthy and strong as it possibly can. Your emotional, physical, mental and hormonal health levels will all regulate themselves naturally for your best possible performance, if you let your body do what it does automatically.

Steps to Take

This means eating more high-fiber foods like beans and whole grains. Avoid processed meat, fried foods and fast food. Eat only small amounts of whole milk, cheese and butter.

Drastically limit the amount of added sugar that is present in your diet. Reducing the intake of sugary foods and other simple carbs is essential to cholesterol balancing.

Consuming too much sugar not only raises your cholesterol level, but it puts you at risk for a number of health problems including overweight, obesity, diabetes, cancer and neurological problems like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.

Eat Whole and Fresh

Start eating more fruits and vegetables, organic and raw or at least minimally cooked, whenever you can. When you are hungry and are contemplating an unhealthy snack, grab a handful of high-protein, high-fiber almonds, walnuts or other nuts instead, foods which also deliver high levels of healthy fats. Drink water throughout the day and wait until thirsty.

That simple diet plan can be extremely effective for lowering high cholesterol, and it begins to work immediately. When you combine a cholesterol-beating diet with at least 150 minutes of moderate to intense aerobic exercise every week, you can see truly miraculous things happen to your cholesterol levels.


Eric Dempsey
MS, NASM Specialist in Fitness Nutrition
Dempseys Resolution Fitness

Sunday, November 26, 2017

7 Ways to Prevent and Cope with Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS)



     Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) refers to the muscular aches and pains that you experience anywhere from 24 to 48 hours after a workout. This pain could be due to microscopic tears in the muscles because of weight training or it could lactic acid production in the body when the training takes on an anaerobic nature.

     While doctors have not been able to fully determine the cause of DOMS, the general consensus is that it’s not harmful and your muscles will only ache if they’re stretched, contracted or you place pressure on them.

     For example, if you did several sets of barbell squats today; your thigh muscles may be aching badly the next day. However, if you’re sitting or lying down, the muscles won’t hurt. It’ll only hurt when you walk, squat or do other movements that affect these muscles. Generally, the pain will dissipate after a few days. So, there’s really nothing to panic about.

     In this article, we’ll look at 7 ways you can help to alleviate the aches and pains in your muscles.

Foam rollers

     Foam rollers are great for helping to get the blood circulating around your muscles. You can purchase one of these from Amazon or your gym might have a few for you to use. By using foam rollers, you can enhance your recovery time and also reduce muscular fatigue and pain.

     All you need to do is lie on the roller and roll on the affected areas. Your bodyweight and gravity will do the rest. The roller will apply pressure on the tight muscles and improve flexibility and sort out any ‘kinks’ in the muscles.

Compression tights
     
Compression tights are most effective when worn during the actual workout to prevent DOMS. This especially applies for training that involves the leg muscles such as running or resistance training that targets the legs.

     These tights will hold your muscles in place and boost blood circulation to the areas that are affected by the stress and strain of exercise.

Hot and cold baths

     This is a simple technique. All you need to do is adjust the temperature of the water during your shower. So, you’ll be showering in cold water for 3 minutes followed by warm water for the next 3 minutes. Alternate this for about 5 or 6 times.

     What this will do is that it will cause your blood vessels to expand when the water is warm… and when you switch to cold water, the body will send the warm blood to the vital organs.

     This will boost blood circulation and reduce the amount of lactate in the blood. It’s also said that this method of showering has detoxifying properties.

Muscle rubs

     Muscle rubs could be creams or solutions that are topically applied to your affected areas. You can easily purchase them from any health store. Most can be bought over-the-counter and you won’t need a doctor’s prescription.
Sea salts

     Soaking yourself in a bath tub of Epsom sea salts will help reduce your muscular pain too. Your body will absorb the magnesium in these salts through the skin and flush out the lactic acid in the muscles. This will help to relax your body and bring about pain relief.

Massage

     Massage is another great way to relieve pain. While studies have shown that massage doesn’t really reduce the pain, it does get the blood circulation going and helps to hasten recovery.

     Always get someone who is trained in sports massage to massage you. It may cost you money but you’ll be safer. Asking an inexperienced friend or family member to massage you might lead to injuries that cause more pain than DOMS and may actually need professional medical treatment.

Stretching

     Stretching is highly underrated. All too often people hastily do a few simple stretches before a workout and rush to get to the actual workout. Light stretches for about 7 minutes will really help to get your body warmed up.

     While you shouldn’t stretch too much before a resistance training session, it does help to do some light cardio to get the blood flowing and warm up the muscles. Even a 5-minute brisk walk on the treadmill followed by a few stretches will be really helpful.

     Your muscles will be warmed up and you’ll be less likely to get severe muscular aches and pains the next day. Do remember to stretch for at least 10-minutes after your workout is over.

     Stretching several times the following day will help too. It’ll keep your body limber and improve blood circulation which will aid in mitigating any possible DOMS that may arise.

     Do apply these 7 tips where possible and you’ll not be prone to muscle soreness. Other than that, train progressively and don’t try to do too much too soon. Most people who suffer severe DOMS usually take on more than the body can handle. Exercise prudence and train sensibly and you’ll be able to train more often without having to rest too much due to pain.

Eric Dempsey
MS, ISSA Master Trainer