Diabetes Mellitus is a condition where a person has too much glucose in their blood. As you may or may not know, glucose is the primary fuel for our bodies, and the process in which glucose is converted into energy occurs at a cellular level. This process is regulated by insulin, a hormone which is secreted by the pancreas. There are two types of Diabetes Mellitus – Type I and Type II. The difference between the two is seen at the molecular level.

In Type I diabetes mellitus, a person’s pancreas is not functioning properly and starts to lose its ability to secrete insulin. Normally, when a person eats, the pancreas secretes insulin to allow the glucose to begin to convert to energy. When a Type I person eats a meal, the pancreas does not secrete enough insulin (or any insulin), and the glucose cannot gain entry into the cells and just piles up in the blood. The results can be devastating and sometimes life-threatening. A Type I person can inject insulin into their bloodstream which can help replace that which is lacking, and they can lead a fairly normal life.

Type II people have a different condition. These people typically have normal insulin levels, but for a reason that medicine has yet to fully understand, their cells begin to stop responding to the insulin. Essentially, the glucose gets blocked from entering the cells and their blood glucose levels go up.

Research has indicated that chronic overeating, combined with a sedentary lifestyle can increase the risk of a person developing Type II diabetes mellitus. On the other hand, studies have shown that as little as a 5% reduction in weight is enough to prevent Type II diabetes mellitus.  Along with keeping diabetes at bay, or reducing the risk of contracting it, exercise also helps the person avoid other chronic diseases such as high blood pressure or cardiovascular disease.

Some benefits associated with exercise for the person with either Type I or Type II diabetes mellitus are: Increased exercise tolerance, increased glucose tolerance, increased maximal O2 consumption, increased muscle strength and mass / decreased body fat resulting in a raised metabolism, increased lipid profile, decreased blood pressure as well as an improved overall sense of well-being.

Exercise can help to control diabetes mellitus by burning more calories, which utilizes more glucose than if a person were sedentary. Exercise has been shown to increase the cell’s ability to utilize glucose, as well as increase the functionality of insulin. Increasing cardiovascular output also reduces blood pressure as stated above, which can help to alleviate the constriction of blood vessels, especially in the eye, brought on by diabetes mellitus. Exercise can also reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol and raise HDL (good) cholesterol. This has been shown to help control diabetes mellitus. Also, lowering the triglycerides is important in maintaining a healthy weight, since excess glucose is stored in the body’s fat tissue as triglycerides.

So, now you know that if you have diabetes mellitus, you need to exercise. So, what kind of exercising should you do? The only type of exercise that is not safe for a diabetic to perform is heavy lifting or any other type of exercise that would cause a lot of straining. Walking and light jogging are great exercises for those with diabetes mellitus, as long as the person's feet are healthy. Swimming may be a decent alternative. As always, stretching is recommended and the person may also engage in light weight lifting or yoga.

Basically, get moving! A still, sedentary lifestyle is a death sentence for a diabetic. To recap, as little as a 5-10% reduction in weight is enough to eliminate Type II diabetes mellitus in some people. Now, unfortunately, those with Type I will always be insulin dependant, but a good exercise program can promote longevity and a good quality of life.

There's a lot of buzz lately about the recent study that shows women are not exercising enough. It indicates that women should be engaging in an hour of exercise three days a week just to MAINTAIN their weight. I'm not going to go into how this is really not news, and that this is really something we all knew all along, but I will say that I definitely do agree that women, and people in general, are not exercising enough.

We spend the better part of our days at our fitness facility talking to women (and men) who have gotten to that place in their lives where they are tired of being overweight and out of shape. Let me tell you that I fully understand how that feels. I thought that I was in pretty decent shape until my doctor told me that I was headed for a heart attack. What an eye opener! All of a sudden, I began to realize that I had been fooling myself into believing that my health was just fine.

So, where do you stand? How's your health? While you ponder that, let me enlighten you with the following facts. These are just a few benefits of regular exercise:

• Reduces the risk of dying prematurely
• Reduces the risk of dying from heart disease
• Reduces the risk of developing diabetes
• Reduces the risk of developing colon cancer
• Reduces feelings of depression and anxiety
• Helps to build and maintain healthy bones, muscles and joints
• Helps older adults become stronger and better able to move about without falling
• Promotes psychological well-being
• Helps to control weight, build lean muscle mass and reduce body fat
• Prevents or delays the development of high blood pressure and helps reduce blood pressure in adolescents and adults with hypertension
• Helps release stress

I make this plea to you now: get real - be honest with yourself and really take a good, hard look at your health. Stand back and look at your condition as if you were analyzing someone else. Go ahead, be critical, this is one time when it is completely appropriate. Don't lie to yourself and say, "I'm in good shape considering [fill in the blank]." Don't make excuses. Outside of teetering on the brink of death, there really is no good excuse for not exercising, and even then I'm sure I would be doing everything I could to not slip over the edge. Regardless of your condition, you could be doing something. If your health is not where it should be, make the decision NOW to do something about it. Give me a call (951-283-9473), or stop by our place (4300 Green River Road, #114, Corona, CA 92880) and let's talk about getting you back where you should be. Every day you wait is a day you are not improving. Also feel free to visit our website for motivation.

Well it’s happened once again. We’ve gotten the wool pulled over our eyes one more time. It seems that those helpful little nutrition guides that a lot of restaurants and fast food places are providing us to make us feel better about our food choices, are loaded with a lot more than chicken nuggets. One could say they’re full of baloney.

A new study by the American Dietetic Association revealed that the “low-calorie” foods that you buy in restaurants and frozen meals from grocery stores may not be as low in calories as you think. What, you say? They’ve been lying to us? Yup, once again.

According to the study, researchers selected meals from fast food and other restaurants and frozen meals from grocery stores. All of these foods were listed as having less than 500 calories, or were among the lowest calorie items on the restaurant menu. On average, the restaurant items contained 18% more calories than expected, and the frozen grocery store meals contained, on average, 8% more calories than listed. These increases are not considered statistically significant, and for the frozen grocery store meals, are considered well within government guidelines for accuracy. However, these guidelines do not apply to restaurants, and some of the restaurant items actually contained TWICE as many calories as expected.

Think about that for a second. You walk into a restaurant for an after-meeting meal with your co-workers. You think, “I’ve got a handle on this. I’m going to have the low-calorie meal and stay on my plan.” And then, BAM! You get slammed with twice as many calories as you thought you were getting. Not to mention the little extra amount of fat and carbs that no one is talking about. And you didn’t even know it. Those sneaky little guys. And you wonder why you can’t drop the pounds.

Now, consider this: If you take in just 5% more calories than you burn off, you can gain 10 lbs over a year. Tell me, how good was that restaurant meal? Was it worth it?

So, what do we do? Well, you have to make your own healthy meals, and avoid pre-prepared meals from restaurants and markets whenever possible. And if you do have to eat out, be aware that that “low-calorie” meal being hawked on the menu may be just another load of junk food cleverly disguised as healthy.

Losing weight is never easy, and the only safe way to do so is through proper nutrition and exercise. However, you can increase the amount of weight you lose through what you eat. Instead of dieting to cut calories, stick with these metabolism-boosting foods.

Boosting Your Metabolism

Your metabolism is how you burn calories. When you're not exercising regularly, your metabolic rate slows down considerably. Increasing your metabolism helps you burn calories faster, thus producing quicker weight loss results. By eating well-balanced, portion controlled meals with foods that boost your metabolism, you not only feel better eating healthy, but also make your body work harder to get rid of calories.

Beverages That Boost Metabolism

Water is the best thing you can give your body and the easiest way to transition into eating healthier. As a natural appetite suppressant, water keeps you feeling full so you don't eat more than you should. It also flushes out sodium and toxins from your system. You need at least 64 ounces of water a day to keep your body healthy.

Green tea is another drink that helps boost metabolism. This tea also has properties that could help reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease. Best of all, green tea has a great taste and makes an excellent substitute for sugary sodas.

Foods That Boost Metabolism

Fruit in general is going to increase your metabolism, since its natural sugar satisfies your sweet tooth while the vitamins help your body. Grapefruit is especially beneficial and packed with vitamin C, which cuts down on insulin levels and promotes weight loss.

Vegetables, of course, are necessary and help you lose weight as well. Broccoli in particular is full of vitamin A, folate and fiber, with powerful phytochemicals that boost your immune system.

Hot peppers may seem like a strange thing to eat, but capsaicin, which is found in cayenne peppers, stimulates your body and releases stress hormones that speed up your metabolism.

When it comes to protein, lean turkey is the best metabolic boosting food, with a lower number of calories compared to beef.

Oatmeal is a great breakfast option, since it's high in fiber and keeps you full until lunch. Mix it up with low-fat yogurt, which provides calcium for your bones.

Notice the difference in your body right away when you replace your old diet with metabolism boosting foods.

The other day, I had the news on the TV in the background while I was working. I like to know as soon as possible if the world begins to crumble (Oh, wait, it already has begun to crumble!). Being who I am and what I do, I like to watch the stories regarding health and wellness. This particular day, they were reporting on a study on cholesterol medications. This definitely caused the old Rhino ears to perk up.

Allow me to digress for a moment or two. A couple of years ago, my beloved doctor told me, in no uncertain terms, that we had to do something about my cholesterol. You see, I was about to hit the big 5-0 (and that had nothing to do with Hawaii) and the requisite physical exam revealed that my cholesterol levels were not within the safe range. In fact, I think my doctor labeled me a "walking heart attack." Not great news for a guy who took seriously good care of his body and tried to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Doc said, "Sometimes it's just genetic." Thanks, Dad. Anyway, I had to do something. My doctor suggested a regimen of statin drugs. I told him what he could do with those drugs. "Let me try to get this under control myself," I told him, "Give me six months, and let's see where I am by then. If I can't get it under control by then, well, there's always the drugs." ("Like hell!" I thought under my breath.) I was going to beat this.

So I embarked upon a quest to lower my levels. I changed my exercise habits by adding a lot more cardio, and really began to watch what I was eating. I cut the red meat down to once a week and added a ton of greens. I spent a considerable amount of time searching for a protein powder that contained low amounts of cholesterol. Believe it or not, I found several decent formulas. Then, I added a healthy dose of Niacin to my supplement schedule. I followed this regimen for the six months preceeding my 50th birthday and saw some decent changes. I lost about 25 lbs of pure fat within the first two months. And by the next exam, my heart rate, blood pressure and cholesterol levels had all receded to the normal levels.

So, now the news reveals this study about cholesterol medication. They were looking at the effectiveness of the statin drugs, such as Vytorin and Zetia among others. Guess what? The study revealed that these drugs were no more effective, and in most case less effective, than Niacin. Yes, Niacin. that lowly B vitamin that has been in use for roughly 50 years. That inexpensive and safe Niacin that you can buy at your local vitamin store. And, without the serious, sometimes life-threatening side effects of the statin drugs. (A subject for another day. Ask me about this.) The only side effect of Niacin is flushing, where the user feels warmth and redness on the skin, as though he has a sunburn, though this is temporary and easly ameliorated by utlizing a buffered or time-released form.

Not so side, side note: this particular study was conducted by the American Heart Association and paid for by Merck Laboratories, the company that manufactures Vytorin and Zetia. I'll bet they're red-in-the-face.

So, I ask you two questions. First, why would anyone submit themselves to drug treatment with its dangerous side effects when simple Niacin would do the trick? Just because the doctor says so? Now, I know that there are some cases where Niacin alone will just not accomplish the task, and in these scenarios, statins are indicated. But, why not do as I did; try the Niacin, exercise and nutrition plan. If it doesn't work, you still have the drugs.

Secondly, I have to ask, "Why didn't they just ask me?"