Use Your Elliptical Trainer To Prevent Type 2 Diabetes

World Wide Web | Use Your Elliptical Trainer To Prevent Type 2 Diabetes  | Type 2 diabetes is a serious disease that can cause a number of serious health problems such as heart disease, stroke, diabetic retinopathy which can cause blindness, kidney failure, and poor circulation to the limbs which can cause amputations. The incidence of type 2 diabetes in the United States has doubled over the last 30 years. Diet, exercise, and weight management have all been shown to help to prevent type 2 diabetes, but exercise in particular can have an immediate impact on blood sugar levels and is a great way to prevent this disease and keep your heart and circulatory system strong.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released data from 2007 estimating that 57 million Americans have prediabetes. It is estimated that more than1/3 of those born in 2000 will end up developing diabetes. We need a way to bring this trend down or we will drown in the healthcare costs associated with treating this disease and its complications.

Exercise is an effective tool for preventing type 2 diabetes and its complications. Exercise causes your muscle to be more sensitive to insulin, a hormone that moves glucose from your blood into your cells. As a result, exercise speeds the clearance of glucose out of the blood and into the muscles cells, which need glucose for energy during times of higher activity. Exercise also increases blood flow to muscles, thereby making more glucose available for the muscles to absorb. Another way the glucose in your blood can get into your cells is by an enzyme called AMP kinase. Exercise has been shown to increase the levels of this enzyme.

Strength training is especially important because when we move weights the main fuel our body uses is the glucose stored in the muscle. Also, increased muscle mass provides a larger storage area for glucose, so its larger size requires the body to take more glucose from the blood for energy.

An elliptical trainer is a particularly effective fitness machine to help prevent diabetes because of its ability to exercise multiple muscle groups. Moving the pedals exercises and strengthens the lower body muscles such as the glutes, thighs, calves and hamstrings. Your core muscles are worked as they stabilize your posture throughout the exercise. And if you elliptical trainer has moveable arms you can exercise your upper body as well, including your arms, chest, and back.

The prevalence of diabetes is on the rise and its complications threaten the quality of life for tens of millions of Americans. Exercise has been shown to have a significantly positive impact on blood glucose levels. A new or refurbished elliptical is a great fitness machine to prevent diabetes because of its ability to give work so many muscle groups simultaneously.

Article Source: EzineArticles