My Diabetes Information Blogs
Burning fat easier, more pleasant exercise
05/17/07
Nutrition & Exercise, Living Well, Treatment Options, Disease Basics, General
- by Matt Nilsen
I have not always been a good exerciser, but now it is a very important part of my life. It helps me thrive. I do a few different activities with an emphasis on swimming and riding a bike. The other day I tried a new kind of exercise bike at my local community recreation center. As I entered my settings for weight and age into the bike's computer, it hit me that I need to pass on a very valuable piece of information to all of our readers. Simply put, exercising to burn fat and lose weight is a lot easier than most other types of exercise.
There are a few different types of exercise, and virtually all of them get your heart pumping. Almost all exercise promotes weight loss, helps your heart, and strengthens your muscles. Still, the amount of effort it takes to burn fat is much less than the amount it takes to do significant cardiac conditioning. For example, a person who exercises every day with their heart rate at 132 beats per minute (bpm) for 30 to 45 minutes will burn quite a bit of fat. That is a very healthy and noteworthy accomplishment. It helps curb many risks, especially if you are living with diabetes. It is less work than the 145 to 152 bpm that the same person would need to do a lot of heart conditioning.
The difference is that some people can enjoy a workout in the fat burning zone, while a workout in the cardiovascular zone is unpleasant and uncomfortable. The truth is, you should be very content to enjoy a workout in the fat burning zone. In the world of diabetes, such a workout will likely benefit your liver and kidneys. It may also be able to reduce insulin resistance. So, be sure not to beat yourself up when you exercise and have a miserable time - unless you want to.
Be sure and talk to your doctor before starting an exercise program. It sounds like a disclaimer on the end of a commercial, but it's not. It's a good suggestion for people living with diabetes. Your doctor will be able to coach you about how to exercise with your type of diabetes—type 1 versus type 2— insulin resistance, liver imbalances, etc.