Vancouver Fitness: Preventing Diabetes Through Exercise

Most people know that diabetes is a chronic disease caused by high blood sugar, and that it can be controlled, though not cured, by insulin. Fewer people know that diabetes can cause kidney damage, nerve damage, blurry vision, blindness, and heart and circulation difficulties. And, even fewer know that in many cases, Type 2 diabetes can be prevented or controlled without medication, by a commitment to exercise and healthy living habits.

After you eat, and the glucose you ingested leaves your intestine and enters your bloodstream, there are only two places in your body that sugar can be stored: your muscles and your liver. When your muscles are not exercised they become full of sugar, leaving nowhere for it to be stored after it enters your bloodstream. Over time, this can cause diabetes.

There are different types of exercise that help prevent the onset of diabetes, and they work in a variety of ways. To begin, there is strength training. Strong muscles help fight diabetes, because they use the insulin in your body to change excess glucose into glycogen. Your body then stores this glycogen in your body as fuel instead of storing sugar, thus lowering your blood sugar level. Moreover, when you are engaged in the actual act of lifting weights, you are using the glucose stored in your muscles as fuel to complete your exercises, resulting in a further decrease in your blood sugar level. Essentially, you empty the sugar from your muscles by exercising them.

Next is “intense” exercise. A study done at Yale, and published in the Journal of Applied Physiology in January 2006, showed how exercising intensely does far more in preventing diabetes than working out at a more leisurely or moderate pace. In this study, a group of healthy, non-obese, inactive women aged 72 and older were divided into groups, and participated in hard, moderate or easy exercise training programs. All three groups burned 300 calories per exercise session, but the intense group was the only one to show a significant improvement in their ability to use sugar and suppress fat formation. In other words, when you exercise more intensely, you empty the sugar from your muscles more quickly.

But don’t let this information scare you. Jumping into strength training or an intense exercise program might sound intimidating, especially if you aren’t used to living an active lifestyle. The good news is, they aren’t the only ways to help prevent the onset of diabetes. Cardiovascular exercise, such as jogging, swimming or using an exercise bike, increases your blood flow, therefore burning the extra glucose your body doesn’t need. And, a combination of strength training and cardiovascular exercise will help keep your weight down, further lowering the risk of getting Type 2 diabetes.

Still intimidated? There’s more good news. A recent study published in the British Medical Journal showed that simply walking, running or jogging 10 000 steps per day improves your insulin sensitivity, which in turn reduces your risk of developing diabetes. This study, conducted by the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, showed that middle-aged adults who increased the number of steps they took daily over a five-year period to reach 10 000, had a threefold improvement in their insulin sensitivity when compared to a similar person who increased to only 3000 steps.

10 000 sounds like a lot; it’s the equivalent of approximately eight kilometers. So while it’s an excellent goal to aim for, don’t be discouraged if you don’t get there right away. And, there is more good news: a 2006 study called the Diabetes Prevention Program shows that walking just 30 minutes per day five days per week, along with maintaining a healthy diet, can cut the risk of diabetes in half for high-risk patients.

So what does this all mean for you? It means that no matter where you are on the activity scale, or how comfortable you feel with exercise, there are steps you can take to prevent the onset of diabetes. Even better: there’s always room to grow, and new goals to strive for.

Shaun Karp is a certified personal trainer. For further information call 604-420-7800 or go to www.karpfitness.com.

Getting the Skinny on Types of Fat

“Fat” gets treated like a dirty word. We avoid it like the plague, searching for “fat-free” labels on food and depriving ourselves of a spoonful of ranch dressing on our salads. But the truth is, fat is an essential part of a healthy diet. Fat helps maintain our body temperature, protects our organs and body tissue, and is absolutely essential for carrying fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. In addition, some fats play a large role in brain development, proper wound healing, vitamin absorption, regulating metabolism, controlling inflammation, and skin and hair growth.

So why does fat get such a bad rap? Because over-consumption can cause serious problems. Obesity is an excessive accumulation of body fat. Excess body fat clogs blood vessels and makes it more difficult for the heart to pump blood through our bodies. Obesity can cause stroke, cardiovascular disease, sleep apnea, high blood pressure, gall bladder disease, osteoarthritis, Type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease and some cancers. Furthermore, excess body weight can lead to depression and anxiety. The key to healthy fat consumption is to discriminate between the “good” and “bad” fats, and remember to enjoy fats only in moderation.

There are two types of “bad” or unhealthy fats: saturated and trans fats. Saturated fats are found in animal products, like pork, beef, poultry (with the skin on), and dairy. They can also be found in some vegetable oils, like palm, kernel and coconut oil. The other “bad” fat is trans fat. Trans fats are made through a process called hydrogenation, where manufacturers add hydrogen to unsaturated fatty acids. This increases the shelf life and improves the flavour of foods that contain hydrogenated oil. Trans fats are found in a wide variety of foods, including potato chips, frozen foods, fast food, cake mixes, margarine and many other packaged and processed foods. Both saturated and trans fats raise the levels of total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in our bodies, reduce our levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or “good” cholesterol, and increase the risk of coronary heart disease.

Then there are the “good” fats. These are unsaturated fats, specifically polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. These fats are usually plant-based, though they are occasionally found in certain meats, and they are usually liquid at room temperature. Unsaturated fats actually reduce blood and LDL cholesterol, and raise HDL, or “good” cholesterol. Thus, this type of fat is considered beneficial because it cleans excess cholesterol out of our bodies and transports it to the liver for processing. Unsaturated fats are most commonly found in vegetable oils and nuts.

Now that we’ve distinguished the good fats from the bad, it’s time to look at the amount of fat we consume in a day. Health Canada recommends no more than 30 per cent of your daily caloric intake be made up of fat, and only 10 per cent of that should be saturated fat. Trans fats are non-essential, and should be left out of a healthy diet. In fact, The Trans Fat Task Force, a partnership between Health Canada and The Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation, has been pushing the Canadian government to regulate the amount of trans fat found in foods to two per cent of the total fat content in spreadable margarine, and five per cent in all other foods.

Fats come with benefits, but it’s important to remember to be careful about your fat consumption. Calories from fats are easily stored in the body, and contain more energy than both carbohydrates and protein. This means that if you’re smart about your intake, you will stay fuller longer, and it may cause you to eat less. On the other hand, fat is not burned in our bodies as quickly as carbohydrates or protein, which means if you eat an unbalanced diet high in fat content, you are at risk for over-consumption, leading to excess weight, obesity and all that comes with it.

Shaun Karp is a certified personal trainer. For further information call 604-420-7800 or go to www.karpfitness.com.

Don’t Forget Your Feet

Our feet withstand incredible amounts of force during exercise, but unless they’re in pain, the feet are easily neglected.

Not all fitness buffs focus on their feet when their real focus is on upping cardio endurance or making the biceps bigger. This is unfortunate, because a proper pair of shoes prevents damage to the feet that could cause chronic pain and difficulty when exercising.

Consider these four aspects of shoe selection:

Wear Pattern

If you have an old pair of running shoes hanging around, you can inspect them to learn about your personal biomechanics. (If you don’t have old shoes, an alternative is to inspect the prints you leave after walking around with wet feet.) If the old shoes are worn on the inside, near your arch, this means you pronate your feet. If they are worn on the outside, this means you under-pronate your feet. If you fit into the former, you’ll need a stability shoe with lots of medial support. If you fit into the latter—or somewhere between the two categories—neutral shoes will do the trick. High arches require neutral shoes with added cushioning.

Type

Shoe companies aren’t trying to make more money by offering multiple types of exercise shoes; running shoes really are designed for running, and cross trainers really are for—you guessed it—cross training. Running feet hit the ground in a heel-to-toe pattern, for instance; running shoes are designed with extra support where it’s needed, so the force of weight transfer from the body to the feet is properly absorbed and dispersed. Cross-training shoes are designed to provide proper foot support for gym workouts, aerobics and shorter durations of running.

Fit

Having the right shoe type means nothing if you don’t have the right fit; an improper fitting shoe will not provide the support needed. You might also have to sacrifice the exact style of shoe you want to ensure the best possible fit. When looking at a pair of shoes, try on three sizes—your regular size, one size up and one down—and don’t rush to make a purchase. Give yourself a minute or two to see if your feet feel neutral in the shoe; the feet should not roll to either side when you walk. Shoes should be snug around the middle of the feet and have one-half to three-quarters of a thumb width between your toes and the toe-end of the shoe.

Replacement

Old, worn out shoes stop giving proper foot support. Replace your workout shoes every eight to 12 months—eight if you exercise daily and 12 if you exercise less frequently. Runners can also know when to replace their shoes based on distance—a great reason for keeping a running log. Runners need new shoes every 400 to 600 miles (or 650 to 970 kilometres). Bottom line: don’t forget your feet!

Shaun Karp is a certified personal trainer. For further information call his office at 604-420-7800 or visit their web site www.karpfitness.com.

Five Resolution Mistakes Not To Make

1.    Avoid dramatic dietary changes.  Before you make any changes to your diet ask yourself if you can realistically maintain the change for a period of years rather than just a few months.  If you lose weight fast you are usually going to gain it back fast, and that is when the dreaded yo-yo epidemic starts.  To be successful in the long term, it is essential to make changes that you can live with.  For instance, reduce your food portions, or limit your fat intake.  You can also get good results by eliminating “nibbling” between meals and preparing healthy snacks.

2.    Do not place too much emphasis on the scale.  A body-fat measurement will tell you how much of your bodyweight is fat compared to muscle.  This is important because muscle weighs more than fat; so trusting the reading on your scale could be misleading.

3.    Do not do two hours of cardio per day!  Cardiovascular exercise is great because it helps to burn off extra calories and also helps to strengthen the heart; however, excessive amounts can cause you to burn out.  A balanced cardiovascular program can be achieved by performing 20-45 minutes of cardio 3-5 times each week.

4.    Do not rely on meal replacement supplements.  There are many great supplements out there; however, they are best used to replace the occasional meal if you get too busy, or to help supplement an already balanced diet.  Planning your meals ahead of time can help to reduce your reliance on supplements.  It is also important to focus on eating less refined foods because many vitamins and minerals are stripped during processing.

5.    Do not leave out the strengthening component.  To achieve the best results it is important to perform a balanced strengthening routing three times each week.  After the age of thirty we lose approximately a half a pound of muscle per year.  Muscle is the body’s most efficient calorie burner.  The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn while at rest!

Shaun Karp is a certified personal trainer.  For further information call 604-420-7800 or go to www.karpfitness.com.

Get Your Workouts Back On Track

It is difficult to maintain a workout regimen without interruption.  Life sometimes interferes; you might get sick or have to take a long business trip, or perhaps you just have a lot of parties to attend and give up on your health kick for a while. But that doesn’t mean you can’t get right back into it. There are a few different things you need to do to successfully get your fitness routine back on track.

1.) Get the first workout out of the way.

Getting back into your fitness routine for the first time after an absence is always the most difficult step. You simply have to force yourself back into the gym, into a yoga or aerobics class, or possibly on a hike or other activity. Rather than thinking about the big picture, you need to focus on the first workout as something independent of your entire fitness program. Just put on your runners and get out there. Then worry about the rest after that.

2.) Take care of any nagging injuries.

An injury often keeps us out of the gym. It is important that you see your physician and determine the severity of the injury, then proceed with your fitness regimen accordingly. You can continue to work on the areas of your body that are not affected by injury while you’re healing.

3.) Set a realistic workout schedule.

It is fantastic to be ambitious and hope to attend the gym every day, five times weekly or even three or four times a week, but if it has been a long time since you maintained a regular workout schedule, it may be best to start small and work up to something ideal. Commit to twice-weekly workouts initially, and make one of them something fun that you’ll look forward to. It will become progressively easier to attend the gym more often.

4.) Develop a gym and home workout.

There will certainly be days when you find it almost impossible to get to the gym, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still work out. There are many functional exercises that can be performed at home, or even at the playground down the street. Get creative, and make time for exercise no matter what the environment. You can purchase dumbbells and a mat and perform many of the exercises you’ve learned in the gym in the comfort of your home.

5.) Take the approach, “Every little bit counts.”

Don’t be discouraged if you only manage to fit 20 minutes of exercise into your day; that amount of activity is better than none at all. Be proud of yourself for making time for exercise at all, rather than beating yourself up about it not being enough. If your busy schedule does not permit a one-hour-daily gym routine, simply walk to and from work, or take the stairs instead of the elevator. Your body will thank you, and you are on the way to a healthier lifestyle.
Remember to focus on why it is important to include exercise in your lifestyle and not on how much or to what intensity you are executing it, and take it one step at a time. Sometimes it is the smallest steps that take us the furthest in the long run.

Shaun Karp is a certified personal trainer.  For further information call his office at 604-420-7800 or visit their web site www.karpfitness.com.

Keeping on track in the New Year

If every New Year’s resolution were easy to follow, it probably wouldn’t have become a resolution to begin with. Keep that in mind if you are struggling with your own, and try these five steps:

1. Understand the importance of situations in dictating behavior. People who pride themselves on their superior willpower and seem to epitomize self-control probably have no more willpower than you do. Their trick—almost always—is avoiding situations that cause temptation. These temptations might be to eat, to smoke, to be sedentary or to procrastinate. When directly confronted with temptation, the best of us give in. Most psychologists agree this is because of brain pathways that are hard-wired to make us react in a predictable fashion to certain situations. To succeed in controlling your behaviour, you should first try to control your environment. Avoid situations that confront you with temptation.

2. Make your goals health-oriented, rather than appearance-oriented. Weight loss is an exceedinglycommon New Year’s resolution. You’ll have more success losing weight and keeping it off if you focus on losing weight to become healthier, and not more physically attractive. A focus on health leads to positive lifestyle changes that can make weight loss permanent—not temporary. Quick and easy weight loss following crash diets almost never lasts.

3. Make incremental goals. It can be daunting to think about a lofty goal like losing 25 pounds of fat orgaining 15 pounds of muscle before summertime. It’s less intimidating to think about losing four pounds in a month, though. Write down a series of short-term goals and monitor your success over the course of several months or a year. Hiring a personal trainer who can measure your body-fat and let you know how you’re doing week-by-week also helps you stay on track.

4. Don’t be discouraged by failure. Many health and fitness goals are not achievable unless accompanied by permanent lifestyle changes, like eating a healthy diet. Much like trying to quit smoking, trying to make lifestyle changes can take multiple attempts. If you slip up and eat poorly for a length of time, it doesn’t mean you’ve failed. Forget about it, move on and get back on track. If you tell yourself you’ve failed, you’ve essentially made an excuse to stop working towards your goals.

5. Small changes can make big differences. While it is hard to make long-lasting lifestyle changes, don’t forget many small changes you can make that have huge impacts on your fitness and well-being. For instance, keep pre-cut vegetables around for whenever you have a craving to snack. Instead of juice or soda, drink water with a slice of lemon in it. Walk as often as you can—get off the bus a stop early or park a few blocks from where you need to go. Combined, these small changes, which are easy to make, can be transformational.

Shaun Karp is a certified personal trainer. For further information call his office at 604-420-7800 or visit their web site www.karpfitness.com.

Forget About New Year’s Resolutions for 2010 – Start Now!

If you want to make sure you don’t gain two pant sizes over the holidays, try adhering to a fitness-related resolution before your grandmother rolls out her famous buttertarts, and not a month after. Start your resolutions early.

It’s far easier to get something done if you are motivated by positive feelings rather than by guilt and a sense of failure or loss of control. This principle applies to many of our goals in life, including goals to lose weight or become more active and healthy.

Indeed, some psychologists have found that those positively motivated towards succeeding yield better results than those motivated by anxiety and the fear of failure. If you gain weight over the holidays and meanwhile assure yourself you can turn it all around come January, you’re starting off on the wrong foot. Don’t let yourself get to this point. Know that you can succeed in achieving your goals by starting today.

Try capitalizing on the festivity and excitement of the holiday season to gain motivation to be active. Engage in seasonal sports before rewarding yourself—in moderation—with holiday goodies like hot chocolate. If you have the money, you could try snowboarding or skiing. A cheaper alternative is to take your children or friends out ice-skating at a local recreational centre. Even more simple, go for a walk around the neighbourhood and check out the holiday lights and decorations, or enjoy some freshly-fallen snow.

As far as diet goes, avoid eating baked goods or sugary foods on an empty stomach. Save them for dessert, if possible, when you have already eaten a full meal and feel satisfied. Are you hosting an event this holiday season? Include healthy alternatives to holiday treats on your menu, like vegetable trays with low-fat dips.

A key to staying positive—which in turn helps you achieve your goals—is to know how to promote good mental health. Again, focus on the positive aspects of the holiday season, like time with family and an opportunity to be giving. Allow yourself to enjoy life; make time for laughter. Many studies have suggested that laughter has numerous health benefits. A 2006 article in Nursing magazine describes what laughter can do for our bodies: it reduces stress-hormone levels, it increases our blood circulation and respiration levels, and it actually makes our immune systems work better.

The cliche “new year’s resolution” doesn’t work for many people, as they tend to use the remaining weeks of the year for unrestrained indulgence. Resolutions, though, do work. Let’s say your goal is to walk from one end of the country to the other. Would you start by spending one month swimming across the ocean in the opposite direction of the shore? Not likely. So, if your goal is to become healthy, fit or slim for the upcoming year, why spend the month of December slacking and eating to your heart’s desire? You will be more likely to fail. Instead, think about starting your new year’s resolution today.

Shaun Karp is a certified personal trainer.  For further information call 604-420-7800 or go to www.karpfitness.com.

Twitter Your Way to a Fitter Body

Usually, when you think of measuring your fitness with technology, you think of hospital machines and scary tests.

This isn’t always the case. The combination of fun, fitness-savvy technologies—there’s the Wii Fit or the myriad iPod fitness apps—is a recent phenomena. The former can take you through an interactive exercise routine and monitor your weight, body mass index and fitness level. The latter is somewhat less interactive—but it can go with you anywhere, in your pocket. Both are great for beginners or those who need some external motivation to stay active. They’re also great for techies.

With the iPhone or the iPod touch, you can download programs—known as “apps”, short for applications—that can provide you with a fitness routine, monitor your daily activity level, help you maintain, gain or lose weight,  give you fitness advice, show you how to perform a stretch or exercise, help you eat healthful foods, and more.

Apple boasts a program on its website, called iWorkout, that has 101 workout videos and many of the features already mentioned. This app can be downloaded for $ 2.99 CAD, or—if you already went broke buying the iPhone—you can get a lite version for free. The free version  includes a pedometer and metronomes to assist with timing exercise repetitions.

If you’re looking for more than a basic pedometer, there is StepTrak Lite. (Also free.) This program counts walking and running steps separately, and also totals the minutes of moderate and vigorous exercise the user gets. You reset the counter whenever you’d like. You can adjust the sensitivity of the device, and adjust the “classification bias”, which ensures the program properly differentiates between walking and running. Not interactive enough for you? StepTrak Lite is also connected to Twitter. You can log on when you’re using the app, and send Tweets about how many steps you’re taking towards your fitness goals.

Another great, free application is called Lose It! When you open it up, you have to enter your weight (be honest), height, age, and weight loss goals. The program tells you how many calories you require every day to reach your goal by a certain time—you decide how quickly or slowly you want to lose the weight—and allows you to log the food you eat and the exercise you get. There is an extensive list of searchable foods to chose from, and an easy-to-use scrolling menu to enter the quantity you ate. You can also keep track of “nutrient preferences”, and the program will tell you how much sodium, fiber, protein, etc. you are consuming. When you’ve lost the weight, you can keep using the program to maintain your new figure.

These are only a few of seemingly endless health & fitness apps you can download. From free to a few bucks per app, there will be something out there to motivate just about anyone.

Shaun Karp is a certified personal trainer. For further information call his office at 604-420-7800 or visit their web site www.karpfitness.com.

Walking Your Dog is Good Exercise

Having a dog can be like having a personal trainer.

Well—one who can’t talk or show you how to do a reverse dumbbell fly on a stability ball. But they are motivating!

According to a 2008 study published in the American Journal of Public Health, dog owners—only 23 percent of whom take their canines for a stroll at least five times each week—are 57 to 77 percent more likely to get enough exercise. Another 2008 study, published in Preventative Medicine, found dog owners who take time to walk with their dogs may average 150 additional minutes of exercise every week.

One-hundred-and-fifty minutes of exercise a week—or 21 minutes a day—can have a huge impact on your fitness level. Dog owners who spend this time walking at a brisk pace will burn 14 300 extra calories in a year. That’s four pounds—just from walking the dog. Owners who run with their pets—based on the rate of calories burned during strenuous exercise—will burn an extra 52 000 calories each year. That’s nearly 15 pounds.

Getting your kids to walk or jog with the family dog is also a great way to encourage fitness in children. Especially for parents whose children would rather play video games than a game of soccer, regular dog walking can play a role in preventing a sedentary lifestyle. It can also imbue kids with a sense of responsibility.

Before regularly exercising with your pet, some considerations need to be made. The website of the Partnership for Animal Welfare, an American non-profit, details what dog owners should have in mind.

Just as it’s a good idea for people to consult their doctor prior to beginning a new exercise routine, dog owners should consult their veterinarians before starting canines on an exercise plan. Some breeds are not suitable for strenuous exercise—think short-nosed bulldogs or pugs—as they can have trouble breathing.

If you are already in great shape, don’t assume your dog is. Gradually increase your dog’s endurance. Dogs have a tendency to keep up with their owners, even to the point of overexertion. Try to avoid exercising midday, as dogs can both get heatstroke and burn their paws on hot pavement. Never bike or rollerblade with your dog on a leash—both you and your dog can easily be injured in a fall or misstep.

Exercising with your pet is a fun alternative to the treadmill. It’s easy to incorporate into your daily routine—especially if you live in an apartment and don’t have a backyard—and improves the fitness and health of you and your dog.

Shaun Karp is a certified personal trainer. For further information call his office at 604-420-7800.

Variation Provides Abdominal Results

Welcome to the second part of our two-part series designed to provide variation and effectiveness to your abdominal workout. A good abdominal workout is essential for any fitness program as strong abdominals can reduce back pain and improve your athletic ability. Because your abdominals are at the center of your body, they can enhance your athletic performance by increasing your core strength. You will notice the difference when you are twisting and turning on your skis or snowboard or even when you are trying to maneuver your mountain bike on difficult trails. If you are bored with performing the same exercises all of the time, the following exercises will provide an effective change you will be able to see and feel.

Medicine Ball Crunches

Lie face up on an exercise mat on the floor. Holding a medicine ball in your hands, extend your legs straight in the air above your hips. Extend your arms until they are straight and reach up trying to touch the medicine ball to your toes. Once you are as close to your toes as possible, return to the starting position and repeat for 12-20 repetitions depending on your comfort level. Medicine balls can weigh as little as two pounds and as much as twenty pounds so be sure to start at a comfortable level and progress at your own pace.

Hip Lifts

Lie face up on an exercise mat on the floor. Place your hands on the mat beside your hips. Hold your legs straight in the air above your hips. Once in this position slowly lift your hips a few inches off of the floor and slowly return to the starting position being sure not to bounce or use momentum. Repeat for 12-20 repetitions depending on your comfort level. This exercise isolates the lower abdominal area. You should not feel your lower back while performing this exercise.

These abdominal exercises will not only tighten up your mid-section, but they will also increase your abdominal strength. By varying your workout regularly, you will prevent adaptation and boredom. To be effective, you should perform your abdominal routine three to five times each week in conjunction with a regular cardiovascular routine. Consult your doctor before starting an exercise program.

Shaun Karp is a certified personal trainer in Vancouver. For further information call his office at 604-420-7800.

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