Diabetes…a Preventable Epidemic

Quick Facts About Diabetes, From the World Health Organization


1. There is an emerging global epidemic of diabetes that can be traced back to rapid increases in overweight, obesity and physical inactivity.
2. Type 1 diabetes is characterized by a lack of insulin production and Type 2 diabetes results from the body's ineffective use of insulin.
3. Type 2 diabetes is much more common than Type 1 diabetes, and accounts for approximately 90% of all diabetes worldwide.
4. Reports of Type 2 diabetes in children - previously rare - have increased worldwide. In some countries, it accounts for nearly half of newly diagnosed cases in children and adolescents.
5. A third type of diabetes is gestational diabetes. This type is characterized by hyperglycaemia or raised blood sugar, first recognized during pregnancy.
6. In 2005, 1.1 million people died from diabetes. The full impact is much larger because, although people may live for years with diabetes, their cause of death is often recorded as heart disease or kidney failure.
7. Lack of awareness about diabetes combined with insufficient access to health services can lead to complications such as blindness, amputation, and kidney failure.
8. Diabetes can be prevented. Thirty minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity on most days and a healthy diet can drastically reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.

Type II diabetes in completely preventable, let's make the decision to take control of your activity levels and our eating habits!

This week will we include a few sample routines/activities that are designed to be an efficient way to kickstart a healthier lifestyle.

Wayne Campbell
www.athleticadvantage.ca

Body-weighted Exercise

Whether you weigh 350lbs or 115lbs, everyone should be able to ‘handle’ their own bodyweight. If you cannot, then you are either too big, too weak, or a combination of both. I don’t mean to sound harsh (there are many body-weighted exercises that I personally, cannot perform…and yes probably due to a combination of both reasons listed above). However, individuals should realize that sitting in a leg press or performing a few sets of preacher curls will not translate directly into performance of daily living activities. Take some time to include some lunges, jump squats, push ups, supine pull ups (etc) into your routine. These exercises (and a plethora of others) will be a great compliment to your traditional workouts and can also increase your strength while performing other lifts in the gym (barbell squats, bench press, deadlifts).

Wayne Campbell
www.athleticadvantage.ca