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5 Tips for Exercising When You Have Diabetes

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by Maggie Hammond

Exercise, as everyone knows, is an important part of living a healthy lifestyle, but it can be tricky to get right when you are living with diabetes.

Living with diabetes doesn’t mean you should sacrifice a love of staying active and healthy. It is perfectly achievable to have diabetes and still go to the gym regularly and be proud of your progress and your body.

Exercising with diabetes just requires a few more precautions than usual.

1.   Monitor Your Blood Sugar Levels

You would normally monitor your blood sugar or glucose levels before and after eating meals, but it is also crucial to measure them when you exercise. You should measure your glucose levels before, during and after you exercise using continuous glucose monitoring to get an accurate level.

Exercise and activity can lower your blood sugar levels. It’s essential that you monitor yours to avoid them getting too low.

2.   Do Aerobic Exercises

For those that are living with diabetes, they are more susceptible to cardiovascular diseases, especially those with Type 2 who generally have higher cholesterol and higher blood pressure. Aerobic exercises, also known as cardiovascular exercises, are great for improving heart health and fitness.

There are various types of aerobic exercises you can do, so you can take your pick of what you like from these and more:

Even walking is a fantastic form of aerobic exercise. Choosing to walk to and from work instead of driving can greatly improve your cardiovascular health.

3.   Stay Hydrated

While exercising, you should make sure you have water available and that you drink it at regular intervals. Vigorous exercise can cause dehydration, and in turn, dehydration can lower blood sugar levels. If your blood sugar level is generally low, you should also have a snack before you start exercising to get them back up.

4.   Talk to Your Doctor

Your doctor will know what is the best solution for you when it comes to exercise for your particular diabetes. Your doctor can help you to devise an exercise plan for you to stick to and that will consider your diabetes status.

It is recommended that most adults should do 30 minutes of exercise most days of the week, but your doctor may advise you to act differently depending on your current health and activity.

5.   Adjust Your Medicinal Plan

You should adjust your medicinal plan when you want to exercise. This means looking at when you take your insulin and what your dosage is. Your doctor will be able to advise you if and how you should make these changes, whether you should wait until after you have finished your workout or reduce your dosage of insulin before you exercise. This will depend on how vigorous your exercise routine is and your original dosage.

Exercising with diabetes is doable and is, in fact, integral to staying healthy even with the disease. It is vital that you don’t push your limits and that you consult your doctor should you make any huge changes to your routine or your insulin levels.

Author:
Freelance writer Maggie Hammond is a retired nurse and a keen advocate for alternative medicine and holistic treatments. Additionally, she feels passionate about raising critical awareness of the strain on public health organizations.

Six Easy Ways to Eat Less Every Day

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Don't Skip Breakfast!

Don’t Skip Breakfast!

Most people have the best intentions when it comes to their diet. Unfortunately, hunger pangs or cravings can encourage people making the wrong food choices, which can lead to excess weight, low energy, and health complaints.

If you are struggling to eat healthily each day, there are ways to stop reaching for sugary, fatty snacks, so you will only indulge in moderation. Read the six easy ways to eat less every day.

Use a Small, White Plate
If you want to feel full after every meal, you should use a small plate. By avoiding large plates, you’ll be more likely to enjoy smaller portions of food. A Cornell University study also found you’ll serve yourself less food if it contrasts with the color of your plate, so use a white dish when serving yourself some chocolate cake!

Try an Appetite Suppressant
A big appetite could lead to you indulging in all sorts of unhealthy foods in order to fill yourself up. Curb those annoying cravings with an effective appetite suppressant, which could help improve your relationship with food and transform your health. One of the most prescribed appetite suppressant on the market is Phentermine, which is FDA approved. The affordable suppressant can help you to take control of the food you eat, so you’ll be less likely to overindulge.

Focus on Your Food
How often do you eat meals or snacks in front of the TV? Probably a lot, right? Sadly, distracted eating could increase your hunger pangs, as you’ll be more focused on a TV series or movie instead of the food in front of you. So, turn off the TV, sit at the table, and focus your attention on your meal, and ensure you savor every bite.

Add More Low-Calorie Food onto Your Plate
Rather than piling plenty of fries onto your plate, load up on lower calorie foods, such as broth-based soups, salads, or vegetables. Doing so will ensure you’re not craving dessert or snacks after a meal, which could help you to create a healthier body.

Stop Skipping Meals
Are you guilty of skipping breakfast every morning? Or are you so busy at work that you miss lunch? This could lead to you indulging more than you’d like to by the evening, as you’ll want to fill up on food to increase your energy levels. Make time for three meals per day to help you feel fuller all day long. For example, eat a banana on the commute to work or pack a sandwich to eat at your desk.

Find Different Ways to Reward Yourself
Many people turn to food to reward themselves after a hard day. Rather than reaching for a tub of ice cream, you should treat yourself with a hot bath, a walk in the great outdoors, or a foot spa. Stop rewarding yourself with food and focus on other ways to spoil yourself after a busy day. Your body will be glad you did.

Healthy Ways to Increase Your Flexibility as You Age

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by Amanda Green

Have you considered getting into shape, but feel like working out vigorously is too hard on your body? As you get older, you may not feel as flexible as you did in your younger days. If you’ve found yourself with some extra pounds, sometimes weight loss isn’t enough for regaining flexibility in your joints—you really have to work at it. There are many ways that you can regain more flexibility in your joints as the years go by. Here are just a few healthier ways that you might be able to improve your overall movement.

Stretching Exercises

No matter what you do to help improve your health, whether diet, exercise or both, maintaining your posture and movement is vital. This starts with stretching your muscles and joints before engaging in any type of aerobic or physical activity at Pure Barre, or a fitness center in your own hometown. Proper stretching can help:

  • Improve your overall range of motion.
  • Increase blood flow.
  • Prevent the possible incurrence of injury.
  • Enable muscles to work properly and heal accordingly.

As blood flow is improved to these areas, muscles can be smoothed out and less likely to cramp up as you’re running or engaging in your workout. Another way to stretch and improve your flexibility is through yoga. Mindfulness of body and spirit in addition to bending and stretching can help open up tissue, calm your mind and manage stress. Yoga is a great way to see how far you can stretch your muscles and practice techniques for making breathing easier as well.

Removing Harmful Toxins

To reach a point of optimal flexibility, you need to stretch and flex throughout the day repeatedly without overdoing it. But there are other ways that you can make it easier on your body. This starts with removing toxins from your body. There are several different ways to do this. One way is through a heating method. This starts with raising body temperature through a hot tub or with a visit in a sauna. Sweat is eliminated through the pores and helps boost your immune system. Another way is through a foot detox. While somewhat controversial, a food detox uses minerals to pull toxins out of your feet. This may or may not help with removing toxic waste out of your body. Drinking plenty of water—at least eight 8 ounce glasses per day and flushing your system is a great way to maintain kidney health and keep you hydrated. When your veins are hydrated and your body is full of electrolytes, you’re less likely to suffer from dehydration as a result of working out.

Eating Right

Making sure that you’re eating right is important to keep your muscles healthy and strong. Eating a healthy, balanced diet rich in antioxidants and all of the food groups is beneficial to muscle health. Be sure to include a generous portion of vegetables, proteins, and grains with each meal. Build from there with a small amount of fruits and dairy. Keep your sodium and fat intake to a minimum. Don’t overeat and try not to fill up on unhealthy, sugary snacks and processed foods. If you have any dietary restrictions for high blood pressure, cholesterol or high blood sugar, be sure to talk with your doctor about the right meal plan and portion control based on your health needs.

Getting in Shape

Keeping your weight in check can also improve flexibility. Not having extra pounds around your midsection can make it easier to bend and get up from lying down. Having less fat reduces your body mass index and helps improve your lifestyle in many ways. If you’re currently overweight, now is the time to consider losing a few pounds. This starts with seeing your doctor to come up with the best plan for weight loss. If you’re cleared to exercise, your doctor will likely recommend a gradual start to working out and then increase your frequency and incorporate weights to build muscle. Making sure that your range of motion is in the proper order will help make sure you don’t pull a muscle or injure yourself accidentally.

Being consistent with your exercise and diet goals is the easiest way to improve or maintain good health and stay flexible.

How Business Owners Can Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle

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Are you a business owner who neglects your health? It’s a common problem that affects countless numbers of entrepreneurs around the world. Many business owners are so focused on running and managing their company that they fail to look after themselves. As a result, their business and personal lives can suffer because of this self-neglect. Below are some of the most effective ways business owners can maintain a healthier lifestyle, which has the potential to improve the fortunes of their business and lead to a more enjoyable, fulfilling personal life.

Get Advice from Successful Entrepreneurs

Knowledge is power and you should look for advice from leading business people who manage to stay fit and healthy and that succeed in business. The investor and business advisor, Tai Lopez is one such entrepreneur who has managed to do this and even gives advice to a wide range of clients and people online about how to strike the perfect balance between making money and staying fit and healthy.

Healthy Asian Salad

Change to a Healthier Diet

It only makes sense that the food and drink you consume will determine how healthy you are. However, many business owners live hectic lifestyles and often eat on the go. Much of this food could be classed as junk food, which can take its toll on your body over a long period of time.

In other situations, you may find that you have to entertain clients and business associates which often involves the consumption of alcohol on a regular basis. Trying to burn the candle at both ends in this way can also lead to a wide range of medical complaints later on.

Ideally, you should visit a nutritionist or other medical expert and find out what your diet should be. Eating healthier food, staying hydrated and cutting back on socializing are all simple ways you can alter your diet in a more positive way.

Get Regular Exercise

Staying fit and exercising is another obvious, yet overlooked way to improve a business person’s life. When most people think about doing exercise, they come up with all kinds of excuses, such as not having enough time or not wanting to go to the gym every day. However, there are plenty of fast and easy ways you can exercise. You could do some basic exercises at home, walk or cycle each day.

Get Plenty of Quality Rest and Sleep

Every human being needs to get a certain amount of rest and sleep every day. Unfortunately, deadlines and working long hours prevent many business owners from getting the required amount of rest and sleep they need. Eventually, this can lead to a number of different mental and physical health issues that could have been prevented.

Share the Load By Hiring and Outsourcing

Sometimes you need to realize that you can’t do everything yourself and you should look for help from other people. Sharing the workload in this way has the potential to reduce your stress levels and allow you to get the necessary rest and sleep you need each day.

Thankfully, it’s much easier to hire people and employ freelancers who are able to carry out all kinds of tasks on a short-term or long-term basis. This will be an additional expense, but the rewards and benefits of getting this help can be huge and will make your life much easier.

As the owner and leader of your business, it’s crucial to stay as fit and healthy as possible. If your health suffers, everything and everyone who depends on you suffers too. However, you can avoid this situation by following each of the tips mentioned above.

Infographic: How Dogs Improve Your Health!

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I am a bona fide animal-lover if there ever was one. I’m pretty sure you could tell from all the pictures of animals on Self Help Daily or in my Twitter timeline, but I thought I’d write it out loud just in case.

Left to my own devices, I’d have at least two of every animal known to man, but my cats (and husband, for that matter) don’t share my off-the-hook enthusiasm. What’s more, we are, primarily, a cat family. We are blessed to live out of the city, so we’re able to take in cats who need a forever home, a forever family, and all the love they can stand.

How much are we committed to these cats? Well, for one thing, forfeited our entire carport to house a couple of (heated in the winter, of course) cat houses, cat food stations, chairs, and toys… lots of cat toys. Their set-up is ridiculously sweet. At any rate, this is the only reason I don’t have a dog, or two, or twenty. Dogs are amazing, loyal, beautiful, sweet, intelligent…. but woefully an enemy of our cat family.

Dogs aren’t just wonderful and loving family members, they’re actually very healthy for you. Just one of the ways I’ve found this to be true has been with dogs I’ve had and loved in the past (before the cats took over our hearts and yard!). Over the years, I have, without question, walked more frequently (and for longer periods of time) when I’ve had a canine companion. They love it so much, you just don’t want to stop their fun!

The great infographic below tells more ways dogs are actually very healthy for you. As for my opinion on the matter – I think that dogs (like cats) add to your joy and happiness – and that, fellow-animal lovers, is a key component of having a healthy and worthwhile life.

If you are able, I wholeheartedly suggest heading to your local shelter and allowing a RESCUE to take place. Just be warned, it won’t be the dog (or cat) that’s rescued!

How Dogs Improve Your Health Infographic

Infographic Credit: A Place for Animals!