Hello, readers!

One topic we rarely analyze is diabetes, which definitely touches all masses of people and families. This month’s ICAA Volume 8, No. 15 addresses a study of the link between monitoring your own glucose levels and developing a state of depression. This study, however, pertains to “non-insulin treated type 2 diabetes.” One thing I like to consider is this: monitoring is made much easier by new technological advances that make having diabetes less of a dreaded chore, especially for individuals forced to check glucose levels daily, as well as administer themselves daily shots of insulin. I encourage everyone to question medical service providers about new, more convenient methods and tools to treat his/her diabetes.

Also included in this issue:

1) “Eating regular meals lowers risk for metabolic syndrome”
2) “Hip and knee replacements rapidly increasing”
3) “Older adults receptive to personal monitoring technology”

….. And many more! Just click on the reference link below to access the article:

http://www.icaa.cc/Newsletters2008/ICAAResearchReview_8_14.htm#1
ICAA Research Review April 2008, Volume 8, No. 15

Well the experts all agree on this little gem: Stop sugar-coating the terms for when our kids are fat! Stop saying they are “at risk for being overweight” or “simply overweight” when the kids are in fact, overweight or obese respectively. The crisis time is now, and it’s time to stop glossing over what is arguably the largest hurdle facing our country in decades.

In a world where everything has to be very politically correct, we’ve sugar-coated ourselves fat in this case. You think we would have realized by now that all that sugar we’re glossing over our terminology would end up somewhere! The bottom line is, experts are agreeing that henceforth, kids that are obese should be called obese, kids that are overweight should be called overweight, and the diplomatic ways of referring to these children needs to stop, and stop NOW.

The committee spokesperson put it best: “We need to describe this in medical terms, which is ‘obesity’….When we talk to an individual family, we can be a little more cognizant of their feelings and more gentle, but that doesn’t mean we can’t discuss it.” I couldn’t agree more; the truth, as they say, will set us free.

What has long been a huge concern in the obesity world, is now becoming even more of one. The link between Diabetes and Obesity and people who are overweight has long been known; now, with more and more children becoming increasingly overweight at increasingly younger ages, the dangers of both the obesity and Diabetes are becoming much more apparent.

The bottom line, the simple truth is, “complications abound for teens with Type 2 Diabetes.” The fact that Type 2 Diabetes USED to be called “adult-onset Diabetes” should be troubling enough. Now, more and more children, teenagers and adolescents are getting it, and the complications are dangerous. Some of these new complications include, “a high incidence of serious co-conditions, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and kidney and eye disease…” The trouble is, as this younger age of onset is a relatively new phenomenon, the true long-term effects have yet to be truly researched.

Part of the problem is beyond clear: the youth of today are far more Inactive than the youth of years gone by. Actually, I should rephrase that, the PEOPLE of today are far more inactive than in any other time of history. Not near enough people get up, get moving, and exercise anywhere close to the recommended amount each day/week/month and year. Now we are beginning to see the consequences of this inaction. Now we see.

Last one for today, and while it’s not exactly “Good news” it is very important news for any and all of us out there that happen to be overweight or obese. In this industry, I’m always finding articles, studies, research and documentation on why the obese are obese, why it’s harder to get out of that cycle, and what things are different for people who are overweight, versus those who are not. I just found another one that sheds a lot of light on this subject, and if read, and applied properly can be extremely helpful.

A new article published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research is showing that overweight and obese get less out of exercise than their normal weight counterparts. What this means is, there is a very good chance that overweight and obese people have to work even harder to get the same benefits as those who are not overweight. Does this mean you should give up? Absolutely not, in fact, the article says, “People who are overweight and obese experience numerous health benefits from exercise training programs even in the absence of significant amounts of weight loss or improvements in cardiopulmonary physical fitness.”

The study tested over 680 adults aged between 18 and 39, so the results are pretty accurate and conclusive. If anything, I hope people read this as initiative and a challenge to get up and make the changes their life needs. Some scientists also believe that the future of supplements can possibly play a role here, stepping in to help accommodate for the discrepancy in strength gains. I guess we’ll see, in the meantime, stick to it!

Yesterday I had a post about something to file in your “not-so-shocking” file…today, I have another one. How about this: New studies are showing that too much time in front of the television is bad for kids with Type 1 Diabetes. No!? Really?!

Apparently, the exact results of the study showed that, “Diabetic children who spent the most time glued to the TV had a tougher time controlling their blood sugar.” While this is not exactly shocking, it is important and just stresses once again how negative TV time truly can be. Not only does this study show its crazy influence in kids with Diabetes, it’s been proven time and time again that the more time in front of a television a child spends, the more likely he or she is to become overweight, obese, and suffer all the illnesses associated with both. Now imagine how deadly the combination of the two is, which happens altogether too often.

Bottom line, we need to turn the TV’s off, and open up the doors. The good news for all you parents out there is this: It’s almost Summer, with Summer comes nicer weather, more free time to spend OUTSIDE, and actually getting exercise. Want some help? Take the whole family to a Fit Express and show them how FUN fitness can be!

Listen up guys, this one is aimed absolutely, positively at you. If you, in your near, or far future want little yous running around, you’d better start watching your weight, hitting the gym, and putting down the donuts now. Now.

That’s right, some bad news circulating in the medical world as of late, diabetes in men is being linked directly to infertility. Yikes. That’s right, if you have diabetes, you are far more likely to be rendered infertile than if you don’t. I have no idea what this means, but the study concluded that, “Diabetes is associated with increased sperm nuclear and mtDNA damage that may impair the reproductive capability of these men.” In short, diabetes increases the chance that you will be able to create a child. Wow.

With Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes increasing around the globe, this “modern disease,” is running rampant and its effects are being seen all over the map. The time is now to get up, get moving, get eating healthy and heck, check out a Fit Express gym. Exercise and proper diet control are still the best weapons against Diabetes.

All the riff raff about how BMI is antiquated and no longer should be used; all these opinions about what we Should be using to monitor the “True” status of a persons weight and health, so what DO we use?! Well, if you’re on the side of the article I just read, one of the most important things to be monitoring, is also one of the most simple.

That’s right, by simply wrapping a tape-measure around your waist and getting your true waist measurement, you will get an amazing idea of the state of your health. While your body weight and body fat percentage are extremely good indicators, the TYPE of fat you’re carrying matters a whole lot too. That’s where measuring the waistline comes in, according to the article, “An overweight woman with a waist 35 inches or larger, or an overweight man with at least a 40-inch waist, is at increased risk for diabetes and heart disease.”

As you can see, monitoring this often overlooked type of measurement can be extremely beneficial. Diabetes is absolutely nothing to mess around with, and any tool you have to fight back against it you should use. Just as the article said, “If a doctor were to use B.M.I. exclusively to evaluate Linda, the conclusion would be that her weight was not a serious health risk.” Clearly we, and the doctors that help us need to take it All into consideration!

Want a very tangible, very real reason that has nothing to do with your health, but everything to do with your pocket book, on why to avoid obesity, and thereby avoid Diabetes? Yeah, money. How about the fact that treating Diabetes is costing BILLIONS each year. How about the fact that the Average cost to treat one patient for a year of Diabetes is $10,000.

That’s right, Diabetes levels are rising each year, faster and faster and right along side that are the costs of such a terrible disease. Here are some of the notable findings in a very much needed, and very surprising study recently done:

“* The cost of treating diabetes complications in the U.S. was estimated at $22.9 billion in 2006.
* 3 out of 5 people with type 2 diabetes have at least one other serious health problem related to their disease.
* The cost of treating the complications of diabetes averages $10,000 per patient per year, with patients paying nearly $1,600 of that out of their own pockets.”

One of the biggest problems is just that people are not taking the disease or its risks seriously. Even people WITH Diabetes are treating it like a second-class disease with minor implications when in reality, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Take it seriously folks, please.

In honor of Good Friday, and Easter Weekend, I’m going to duck out early today and spend the weekend with family. Happy Easter to each and every one of my loyal readers. I hope so far this year you’re finding what you’re looking for, meeting your exercise goals, and having a healthy, happy life.

Happy Easter everyone!

We all know that not eating healthy and neglecting your exercise can lead to obesity. We all also know that obesity can, and very often does, lead to Diabetes. Now, I just found out the FDA has officially approved a drug to work in tandem with proper diet control and of course, exercise, to help control the negative effects of Type 2 Diabetes.

You heard right, the new drug, Janumet is “approved for use in addition to diet and exercise for patients with type 2 diabetes whose blood sugar is not adequately controlled by the diabetes drugs metformin or Januvia.” According to the article I just read, it is taken orally twice daily with meals and is “the first and only tablet that combines Januvia and metformin.” The patients taking the drug in clinical trials had vastly improved results getting their blood sugar into recommended control levels compared to people just taking metformin. So, bottom line, it worked.

As I said, we’re all well aware of how often Diabetes and obesity come together in a packaged deal. By avoiding the latter you can avoid the former and the guru’s behind this new drug also agree that to give the drug, and yourself the best chance at success it must be taken along with a proper diet and exercise routine. Ask your doctors about this, get informed and get active. Come to Fit Express if you need help on the exercise end of things!