Are you aware that if you have a low amount of lean muscle tissue – lost because of a sedentary lifestyle you are much more at risk of having insulin resistance? And if you have insulin resistance your risk of getting diabetes increases.
What’s insulin resistance you ask?
When you eat food it is turned into sugar (glucose). Insulin is released to help move this sugar into the muscle cells for energy. However the cells can become less able to do this job due to a number of circumstances including becoming overweight, eating too many high sugar foods and lack of proper physical activity.
More and more insulin is secreted to try and remove high levels of sugar from the blood as having it there is highly damaging to the body. The high sugar levels plus the high insulin levels in the blood travel through the body affecting all the organ systems.
As this continues over the years the cell’s resistance to insulin and the job that it does worsens. This syndrome affects day-to-day living as wild swings in blood sugar lead to a roller coaster of food cravings and hunger signals that cause more overeating of high-sugar snacks as the body craves a quick energy fix.
This resistance to insulin continues to increase over time and precedes the medical condition diabetes. This is a condition you do not want to get as it causes the aging rate to double in sufferers. You do not die from diabetes but from the damage it does and it will dramatically shorten one’s lifespan due to complications like heart problems and a weakened immune system.
Researchers have found that a good body composition (muscle/fat ratio) reduces insulin resistance. They also found that those with low muscle mass from not doing enough muscle strengthening activity were 67 percent more likely to be insulin resistant than people who keep themselves strong.
So, strong healthy muscles are the key as they soak up blood sugar to use as fuel. The more toned muscle you have the more blood sugar they process and the lower the risk of continuing high blood sugar levels that lead to the devastating condition diabetes.
There is only one way to get that muscle toned back up to help you stay healthy and that is with proper strength training exercise. We lose muscle tissue as we get older as we become less active so rebuilding it with strength training is critical for everyone over the age of 30 (preferably younger).
Along with lowering blood sugar levels you will speed up your metabolism (your body’s engine) and burn more calories which will help you lose excess fat weight which again lowers diabetes risk.
When you engage in strength training you also promote heart health which is vital in people with high blood sugar as it can double and even quadruple the risk of heart disease.
After just a few months of regular strength training cells throughout your body become more sensitive to insulin, that vital hormone needed for sugar to enter cells. Then less will be needed to do its job which will reduce stress on overworked organs that are struggling to keep up with the high demands.
No matter your age you can quickly get started on your proper exercise program. All it takes is 2-3 sessions each week of an all over body program. You will be more in control of maintaining important blood sugar levels which will reduce the risk contracting diabetes which will give not only a longer life but a better quality of life as well.
