Diabetes Checkup
Did you know that there are over 600 muscles in the human body? We have muscles that help us move and muscles that make up our various organs. And we have one extremely important cardiac muscle—our heart! To help keep our muscles active and healthy, everyone is encouraged to get regular physical activity. Exercise is a pretty common recommendation, whether you have diabetes or not.
So…it’s winter and the temperature is 7 degrees, with a wind chill of 15 degrees below zero! A friend of mine has been going to the gym regularly but has lately felt that it’s too cold even to go outside. He needs ideas for exercising inside, so let’s look at some factors that influence his ability to exercise regularly.
- He’s in bad physical shape.
- He is just starting an exercise routine and any changes (like bad weather) disrupt the routine.
- He has certain body parts that are weak or painful, or both.
- He doesn’t have the money to buy a treadmill, or space to put one in his home.
- He has a DVD player.
- He has a computer with access to the Internet.
- He subscribes to cable TV.
Exercise resources on the Internet and cable TV
I recommended that my friend check out fitness workouts on YouTube or on one of my favorite exercise spots on the Internet, Paul Eugene’s website. There, you can select a workout anywhere from 10 minutes long up to 30 minutes, and follow along in front of your computer.
Since my friend has cable TV, he can also check out “on demand” fitness programs too. YouTube and the fitness programs on cable TV are available for free and he can work out in the morning, late at night, or when it’s raining or snowing or it’s too hot to go outside.
Exercise and fitness DVDs
My friend can also purchase fitness DVDs. I recommend having one or two of these discs at home to provide you with some variety. I don’t know about you, but I get tired of doing the same couple of activities over and over. Fitness DVDs are available for standard exercises, kickboxing, all types of dancing, yoga, and more. Just browse Amazon for “exercise videos” or “exercise DVDs.” The key is to find something that you will enjoy and that will also challenge you, make you smile, and have you coming back again and again.
If you’re a beginner, or have health issues
What if you haven’t exercised before, or have bad knees, a bad back, or arthritis, or are carrying a lot of extra weight? A crucial first step: See your doctor for a check-up, to make sure you can safely start an exercise program.
You’ll then want to start slow and build up your routines gradually. Regular exercise will not only help you to build strength, endurance, and flexibility but it can also help you improve your balance and reduce your risk for falls. Here are some ideas for starter exercises: short walks, chair exercises (done while sitting in a chair), and yoga. Always work at your own pace and learn each routine gradually. And remember: You don’t have to keep up with the instructor!
- For walking, check out DVDs by Leslie Sansone; she has a variety of them with the theme of “walking away your weight.”
- For chair exercises, two of my favorites are Jodi Stolove’s Chair Dancing and the Paul Eugene website.
- For yoga, check out Easy Yoga for Arthritis with Peggy Cappy. Cappy provides instructions for doing yoga either while sitting in a chair or while standing up, with or without using a chair for support.
Think exercise is a good idea but not for you?
Did you know you’re already exercising? You use the muscles in your eyes to blink over 100,000 times a day! And your heart also beats over 100,000 times a day! So please, get started now and exercise all your other muscles. After all, your muscles were made to move!
Original post found at: http://health.yahoo.net/experts/diabetescheckup/muscles-were-made-moveP.S. Now you have no excuses for not exercising. There are resources on the net, at Walmart, on Amazon and elsewhere that you can start at your own pace, if you prefer not to go to the gym.
P.P.S. Or you can visit exercises for diabetics today and get started right in your own home – no one to judge you or criticize you.
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