In the past two decades, diabetes rates in the United States have increased significantly. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 30 million Americans have diabetes—that’s 10% of the population. Another 86 million Americans are thought to be living with prediabetes—a condition in which blood glucose levels are above normal, but not high enough to be classified as diabetes. Public health experts estimate that one in three Americans will have diabetes by 2050 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014). Individuals with diabetes who are able to manage their condition can lead a full life, but uncontrolled diabetes can lead to amputations, vision loss, heart and kidney diseases, and even premature death.
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Wednesday, January 02 2019
A diabetes diagnosis can leave even the most optimistic eater feeling downright downtrodden. It seems there are so many foods you “can’t” or “shouldn’t” eat when you have diabetes. But the reality is, you don’t have to resign yourself to a life of deprivation. There is a huge variety of food and beverage items that work well within a diabetic diet. To help you get started, here are four types of foods a person with diabetes may consider healthful. Tuesday, December 11 2018
Wednesday, November 07 2018
We’ve all been there before: a tough day at work, with the kids or in school. We’re exhausted, both mentally and physically, but we still manage to push ourselves and get to the gym. Why do we do it? Because we know how much better we’ll feel after an evening indoor cycling class, an hour of kickboxing or a challenging weight workout. We leave feeling refreshed, rejuvenated and invigorated—truly transformed. Wednesday, October 24 2018
Some movement is better than none, especially when busy schedules get in the way, and there are countless ways you can get in physical activity. Even small bouts of exercise can add up to big benefits. Here are a few key exercises that work major muscles groups and improve overall strength. They also can help raise the heart rate, enhance balance and burn calories. Ideally, aim to perform each exercise for at least one minute, depending on your fitness level. Squeezing in multiple sets of these exercises each day will accelerate your progress. “Office variations” are offered if you’re more likely to exercise daily by sneaking in some movement throughout your workday, commute time or while in line at the grocery store. With some effort and planning, exercise can be squeezed in almost anywhere, so think about the spaces in your day that could be powered up with some movement. Friday, October 12 2018
Which comes first: shampoo or conditioner? Easy. It's always shampoo. If only exercise were that simple. No matter how good we get at understanding exercise science, there are still some topics that seem forever debatable. One of those topics is whether to do cardio or weights first. Which one comes first? We'd like the answer to be simple, but it’s a bit complicated. The good news? I’ll explain how it can be simple for you. It's only a complicated and difficult question if we are after an answer that applies to everyone. The answer for you is likely simple.
Monday, September 24 2018
It’s not uncommon for people to want a better-looking booty, but a great side effect of strengthening this area of the body is a healthier lower back. Your muscles hold your skeletal structure in—or out—of place, which can have a profound effect on how you feel and whether or not you experience pain. Strengthening and balancing your muscles helps to reduce both pain and fatigue, which means you’ll likely feel better as well as look better. Monday, September 10 2018
If the prospect of exercising has you conjuring up any excuse to get out of it, you’re not alone. Even though many day-to-day reasons for putting off exercise are legit, finding ways to overcome obstacles is a healthier approach in the long run. Here’s how to get past six common barriers to exercise. Wednesday, August 08 2018
Summer is just around the corner, which means we can get outside and enjoy many outdoor activities. Whether you’re biking, swimming or running, playing pick-up sports or simply taking long walks after dinner, summer is a great time to revive your fitness program or switch it up to keep things fresh, engaging and enjoyable. Monday, July 30 2018
When most people think of cardio, they think of long, boring jogs on the treadmill, or endless pedaling on the upright bike. But lately, the buzz in cardio training is high-intensity interval training (HIIT), which alternates between very high-intensity bouts of exercise with either a low-intensity bout of exercise or complete rest. This training style is a departure from the 30 to 60 minutes of continuous steady-state cardio that most people do on cardio machines. Sunday, July 15 2018
If you watch sports on TV, at some point you’ve probably heard a commentator talk about an athlete having explosive or powerful muscles. For example, professional football player JJ Watt has received a lot of attention for his off-season conditioning program, which includes flipping a large truck tire. A sportscaster was recently discussing Watt’s training techniques and mentioned that Watt was working on his fast-twitch muscle fibers in an effort to become more explosive. At first this sounds kind of hokey—fast-twitch muscle fibers? Is that really a thing, and is it possible to do certain exercises that focus on one type of muscle fiber? The answers, in short, are yes and yes. |