In my previous article I discussed how important diet can be when controlling your diabetes. However, exercise can also be a very important factor when treating diabetes. In this article I will discuss how exercise can help control your diabetes, the precautions you should take when exercising and finally which exercises are the most effective at fighting diabetes.

So how does exercise help control your diabetes? Well it actually helps in multiple ways. I have outlined three of the most important below:

1) BETTER BLOOD SUGAR CONTROL:- When you exercise you need more energy. Your muscles burn glucose to get this energy and as a result your blood sugar levels are reduced. Therefore, exercise can act as an effective substitute for insulin. In fact in certain cases involving type 2 diabetics, exercise has removed the need for insulin injections and medication completely.

2) IMPROVED INSULIN SENSITIVITY:- According to this article, exercise can improve insulin sensitivity in type 2 diabetics. Since one of the primary problems amongst diabetics is the body not getting enough insulin, this is another fantastic way in which exercise can help control your diabetes.

3) IMPROVED WEIGHT CONTROL:- Exercise helps you to lose weight in two ways. Firstly, cardiovascular exercise burns extra calories both during and after your workout. According to this article you can burn up to 15% more calories in the 48 hours following a cardiovascular workout. That means by doing a cardiovascular training session every other day you can be constantly burning up to 15% more calories, plus you will burn even more calories when you are actually doing the exercise.

Secondly, resistance training can help you lose weight because muscle requires more calories to maintain than fat. By increasing your muscle mass through resistance training you can increase the total amount of calories your body burns each day. The actual amount of calories muscle burns has been heavily exaggerated in the past but according to this article a pound of muscle can burn around 6 calories per day compared with a pound of fat which burns 2 calories per day.

Combining cardiovascular training with resistance training can therefore be a very effective way to burn excess calories and control your body weight. But why is this important for your diabetes? Well according to this article from Dlife excess body fat makes your body more resistant to insulin so keeping your body fat levels under control is essential if you want to stay on top of your diabetes.

As you can see exercise can be a really effective form of diabetes treatment. Not only does it help lower your blood sugar levels but it also improves your body’s resistance to insulin and helps keep your body weight under control. However, there are a number of precautions that you need to take before starting your exercise program:

1) MONITOR YOUR BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS:- As I have already stated, exercise can help reduce your blood sugar levels which is generally a good thing for diabetics. However, this is not always the case. If you have not eaten enough or you have taken insulin or medication prior to exercising, your blood sugar levels may be low already. In this instance, exercise could lower your blood sugar to hypoglycaemic levels. Furthermore, intense exercise can actually have the opposite effect by causing your body to release stress hormones which increase blood sugar levels. Therefore, it is highly important that you monitor your blood sugar levels before, during and after exercise.

2) CARRY GLUCOSE AND INSULIN:- You should carry glucose and insulin at all times when exercising because (as outlined above) your blood sugar levels can fluctuate massively. Intense exercise can cause your blood sugar levels to rise rapidly meaning you may require insulin or medication. Contrastingly, prolonged exercise can cause your blood sugar levels to fall meaning that you may need a quick fix of glucose during or after exercise.

3) STAY HYDRATED:- Dehydration can cause your blood sugar levels to rise and affect your performance whilst exercising. Therefore, it is highly important that you drink lots of water to keep yourself hydrated throughout your workout.

4) CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR:- It is recommended that you talk to your doctor before embarking on any exercise program BUT it is even more important when you are suffering from diabetes because the consequences of not exercising properly can be much more severe. Make sure that you inform your doctor of the type of exercise program you wish to participate in and ask them if there are any additional precautions that you should take. They will then be able to tell you if you need to combine any foods and/or medication with your exercise plan and provide further recommendations to allow you to exercise safely.

So now that you know the benefits of exercise and the precautions to take you should be ready to get started. But how much exercise should you be doing and what types of exercise are best? Ideally you should try and do at least 30 minutes of exercise each day. If this is not possible try and make sure you are doing at least 30 minutes of exercise every other day. The actual exercise (as I have mentioned above) should be a combination of cardiovascular exercise and resistance training:

1) CARDIOVASCULAR EXERCISE:- This type of exercise focuses on improving your aerobic fitness which increases the amount of oxygen that is delivered to your muscles and allows them to work for longer. Cardiovascular exercise is also a great way to stimulate the burning of glucose (which lowers your blood sugar levels) and control your weight (which makes your body more receptive to insulin). When it comes to cardiovascular exercise you have many choices including; jogging, walking, swimming, cycling and team sports.

2) RESISTANCE TRAINING:- This type of exercise focuses on strengthening the muscles, either through bodyweight training or through the use of weights (in the form of free weights or machine weights). Apart from increasing your muscle mass and helping you control body fat levels, resistance training has also been linked with the treatment of diabetes. According to the study in this article 16 weeks of resistance training produced improvements in glucose control amongst Hispanic men and women, that were so significant they could be compared with taking diabetes medication.

Along with diet, regular exercise is a great way to treat diabetes naturally. By doing a combination of cardiovascular training and resistance training you can really keep your condition under control and maybe even remove the need for insulin injections or medication completely. As long as you stick to your program, exercise regularly, stay sensible and take the necessary precautions, exercise can be a great weapon in your fight against diabetes.

Whilst every intention has been made to make this article accurate and informative, it is intended for general information only. Diabetes is a medical condition and this article is not intended as a substitute for the advice of your doctor or a qualified medical practitioner. Before making any lifestyle changes you should always seek your doctors advice. If you have any concerns regarding any form of diabetes then you should speak to your doctor right away.

Sources:
Blood Sugar/Glucose Information
Diabetes and Exercise Information
Does Exercise without Weight Loss Improve Insulin Sensitivity?
Exercise for Diabetics Information
How Many Calories Does Muscle Really Burn?
Hypoglycaemia Information
Insulin Information
Type 2 Diabetes and Exercise Information

Hello Everyone. As regular readers will know I have not posted for over two weeks now. This is for a variety of reasons. Mainly because I had exams the week before last and then I started a new job last week so it has all been quite hectic and I have struggled to find the time to post.

Anyway, this weekend I knew I had some free time so I thought I would dedicate it to getting a few quality posts added to the blog. At the same time I was also working on an idea I had for a new blog page. The page would contain full details of my entire workout with full text instructions and video demonstrations. I thought to create this page it would take a day at the most. However, I seriously underestimated the task and have spent almost the entire weekend getting this page ready.

Thankfully, it is now finally ready and to be honest I think it actually was worth the wait. The page contains a day by day account of my entire workout. All the weights I lift are here for you to see with full video instructions. Every rep, every set and every exercise has been documented in over 10,000 words and over 30 videos. I think it is one of the most detailed workout pages on the Internet and I hope you agree. You can view the page using the link below.

Click Here to view My Workout Routine

I really hope you enjoy this page and if you have any feedback at all please leave me a comment. Comments were up until recently not working on this blog - due to an unforseen problem. That problem has now been fixed and comments are fully functional.

Hi there everyone. Sorry I haven’t posted for a while. I’ve got exams coming up so my main focus is on them. My last one is next Friday so after that more regular posting should resume. Anyway, today’s post is on annoyances at the gym.

Regular gym goers will know that in the gym there are little things that can really get on your nerves. When I was doing my workout today there were a number of things that really distracted me. This got me thinking and the more I thought about it, the more I realised just how annoying certain things at the gym can be. Now don’t get me wrong – going to the gym doesn’t make my blood boil so much that I go home angry. This post is just meant to be a slightly humorous look at the little distractions and annoyances that I encounter in this part of my life. So without further ado I present to you, in chronological order, from least annoying to most annoying…My 5 Top Gym Annoyances.

5) GRUNTERS:- Grunters is the term I use to refer to those people who let out a grunt, shout, shriek or other random noise whilst lifting weights. Granted, grunters do usually lift heavy weights, work themselves to their limit and generally perform a good bodybuilding workout. However, that’s no excuse for some of the strange noises that come out of their mouths. Not only is it distracting but some of the sounds are just downright disturbing. Besides in some gyms grunters even run the serious risk of setting off the “lunk alarm”.

(Note: This is taking the issue way too far but it does make a point about how annoying grunters can be.)

4) CELL PHONERS:- Cell phoners refers to the people who chat away on their phones mid-workout. It is not specifically people chatting on the phone that gets on my nerves here. The problem comes when the gym is busy and all the benches, machines and weights are taken. You would expect most people in this busy gym to complete their exercises quickly, allowing the people who are waiting to use the limited resources. However, as I stand around waiting for a free bench or some free weights, I regularly see some people sitting on a bench with the weights at their feet, chatting away on their phone. What’s worse is that when I have been waiting for some time and go over to ask whether I can use the weights for one set or quickly use the bench whilst they chat, I am dismissed with comments such as “Excuse me, I’m on the phone”. This can get rather annoying because people are compromising my workout time by chatting on their phone. If they want to chat fine, but why not do it on their own time or go talk somewhere in the gym where they are not disrupting other people’s workouts?

3) STARERS:- Starers are the people who glare at you whilst you work out in the hope that you will abandon your equipment and leave it free for them. I understand that at busy times people will want to use the equipment I am using. However, it can get really distracting when you feel their eyes burning a hole in the back of your head. In fact if I am exercising in front of a mirror and see someone doing this I find it almost impossible to continue. I would much rather the person staring at me would come over and ask whether we can share the equipment and do alternate sets.

2) BANGERS:- Bangers are the people who bang, clang and drop their weights regularly whilst working out. I am not so bothered about people banging weights whilst they are performing the exercise as this is sometimes difficult to avoid. It becomes a problem when people finish their set and then drop their weights with an almighty crash. The noise this makes is not pleasant and very distracting. Plus, there is absolutely no need for it. If these people can control their weights for multiple sets then surely they can control them for a few more seconds whilst placing them on the floor?

1) ANNOYING MUSIC:- This is the one that really grates at me in. I understand everyone has different tastes in music so I am not going to cause an argument by listing the music my gym plays here. However, the music played is constant, repetitive and loud so if you are not a fan of this genre there is no escape unless you bring your own portable music player. Thankfully, I recently got myself an IPOD so this is no longer a regular problem for me but on the days I forget my IPOD it is a disaster. Unlike the other distractions listed this music is there all the time. I would much rather the gym played no music. This would then give people the choice to listen to their own music without disturbing other people in the gym.

So there you have it. My top five pet hates at the gym. Still, it could be worse. I could have this guy disrupting my workouts.

(Note: I’m not associated with Hagadone Directories. Just thought the video was funny and relevant to this post.)

As I said at the beginning of this post I’m busy with my exams till next Friday (May 9th). After that normal Free Fitness Tips service shall be resumed meaning a post every two or three days. In the meantime, why not reflect on this article and think about what annoys you at the gym? If it’s not on this list leave me a comment and let me know what winds you up while you work out.

Hey everyone. Friday is here again. As I mentioned last Friday I was having a bit of an off day. This Friday was different and I managed to get to the gym and complete my workout with no motivation problems whatsoever. However, it got me thinking about the excuses some people use to avoid exercise. There are literally so many that I could probably use what I have heard to start a new ‘Exercise Excuses Blog’. A lot of the excuses people use are pretty standard e.g. “I am too tired to exercise” or “I am too busy to workout” but some of the excuses are much more unique. Since it is a Friday and everyone enjoys a giggle after a long, hard week I have for you today five of the most ridiculous exercise excuses I have ever heard plus a bonus exercise excuses video above.

1) I AM ALREADY THIN SO IF I EXERCISE I WILL WASTE AWAY:- Yes just like alien abduction there are also some people who claim that they have wasted away as a result of exercising. Quite how they managed to make these claims after wasting away is beyond me but apparently they have.

2) I DO NOT NEED TO EXERCISE BECAUSE MY FAVOURITE TV SHOW IS CELEBRITY FIT CLUB:- Just seeing all those celebrities exercising is enough to make anyone break into a sweat. If you combine this with lifting up the remote and making regular trips to the kitchen and bathroom during the commercial break you have the ultimate workout plan.

3) I ALREADY GET MY DAILY EXERCISE BY WALKING TO THE DONUT SHOP:- Yes, ladies and gentleman new research has suggested that you will burn away those 1000+ calories contained in a pack of donuts in 10 simple minutes just by walking to your donut shop. Plus, the more sugar you get on the donuts the more calories you can burn.

4) I EXERCISE IN THE OFFICE BY SWIVELLING ON MY COMPUTER CHAIR, TYPING AND CLICKING MY MOUSE:- If this is you then there is no need to exercise at all. This highly intense office workout must be burning at least 5 additional calories per day. Combine it with the workout discussed in point number two and you are on your way to becoming a perfect fitness specimen.

5) I CANNOT EXERCISE BECAUSE THE NIKE AIR TRAINERS I NEED COST £150:- Very good point. I have difficulty walking without having a pair of expensive trainers strapped to my feet. It is far, far too risky to attempt any physical activity until you can afford the adequate gear.

If you have not gathered already this article has been sprinkled with a heavy dose of humour and sarcasm. You can read even more funny exercise excuses by clicking here.

However, there is a serious point behind this article. If you want to become fitter and healthier or lose weight, you will need to ditch the excuses and start exercising. Diet is one half of the equation but exercise is essential too. Do whatever it takes to avoid the excuses and start exercising whether that be making a dedicated exercise plan, finding a workout partner or even budgeting for a gym membership. Have a great weekend everyone.

Hi Everyone. Today I found this great video on burning fat using high intensity interval training and thought I would share it with you guys. The video’s by Craig Ballantyne, a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS). I found it particularly useful because I realised I had not been dropping the intensity enough during the rest periods of my fat burning cardio workouts. According to this video you need to be dropping down to a walking pace after doing a high intensity interval. Anyway, have a watch and see what you think.

Hi Everyone. I hope you are enjoying all the articles on the Free Fitness Tips Blog so far. Over the next few days I’ve got some great fitness videos for you. Today we have a short, fun video outlining how you can feel good and get fit in five easy steps. Enjoy!!

Hi Everyone. Today I have another free ebook for you - The Original Turbulence Training Bodyweight Workout from Craig Bannatyne. With this workout you can burn fat and build muscle using just your own bodyweight. In the ebook Craig discusses good and bad food choices, turbulence training guidelines and provides you with a wide range of sample exercises.

Click Here to Download The Original Turbulence Training Bodyweight Workout!!

The neck consists of at least nine muscles, each of which play different roles in the movement of the neck. It is one of the most versatile muscles in the body with some of the muscles allowing the head and neck to rotate, yaw and demonstrate roll and pitch. This is known as the “three degrees of freedom”. In this article I discuss the benefits of training your neck muscles and outline a number of ways that you can build your neck muscles.

Many people are unaware of how to build their neck muscles and often neglect it in their weight training routines. Even some professional athletes fail to train their neck muscles. Indeed, neck injuries are common in high contact sports and the level of neck injuries could be reduced if the athletes involved were taught how to build their neck muscles properly. Neglecting the neck muscles can also lead to an imbalance being formed around your shoulder and back area sometimes giving you a hunched look. Therefore, it makes sense to make your neck muscles part of your overall weight training routine.

Apart from reduced injury, building your neck muscles can also improve your overall performance in sports and give your body a better overall look. Below I have outlined some top tips to help build your neck muscles:

1) WARM UP:- Before starting to work your neck muscles it is very important to warm up properly. The neck is one muscle you do not want to injure. To begin your warm up lightly rotate the neck from side to side. Do not make full revolutions as this is not good for the neck.

2) LIGHT HAND RESISTANCE:- When you begin the actual workout, light resistance against the hand is a good idea. Using heavy resistance to train your neck is not a good idea as the neck contains many nerves that you do not want to get pinched. It is also unnecessary because the neck can benefit from just a few, simple, light workouts.

3) NECK HARNESS:- A neck harness is another useful way to build your neck muscles. They can be purchased for a reasonable price online.

4) SPECIALISED GYM EQUIPMENT:- This equipment is quite difficult to find because it is primarily used by physiotherapists to help those recovering from neck and back injuries. However, if you are lucky enough to find a gym which has such equipment it is useful way to diversify your neck training routine.

I hope this article has outlined the importance of building your neck muscles. This training does not have to be intensive. A light workout using your hands as resistance will do just fine. When training be aware that the neck can be easily injured so you should consult a qualified instructor before you begin. However, whatever you do make sure that you do not neglect the neck.

To gain muscle mass you will need to make changes to both your diet and exercise routine. You will need to consume a high protein diet and stick diligently to a specific training routine. It will take a lot of hours in the gym and a lot of the right foods but if you persist you will gain muscle mass. In this article I discuss a six distinct factors which will affect your muscle building efforts:

1) FREE WEIGHTS VS MACHINES:- Free weights and weight machines can both be used to train almost every muscle in your body. However, free weights are much more effective because they bring secondary muscles into action meaning you train additional muscles by using them. For example, if you use the shoulder press machine it is completely controlled when it goes up and down so you isolate very specific muscles when using it. However, if you do a shoulder press with the dumbells your range of motion is not restricted. You have to use additional muscles to balance the weights as you perform the exercise and new muscles are used because your range of motion is greater than that of a machine.

2) EXERCISE ROUTINE:- Most gyms have standardised exercise routines that you can follow. However, for weight gain a more individual training program is required. You should get a trainer at the gym and consult with them to assess your body type. With most people one area of the body will require additional attention. For example, if you have small biceps, you should do more weight training on your biceps compared with your triceps. This will allow your body to grow proportionately as you gain muscle mass.

Also, different people react differently to certain exercises. You might find that you gain lots of chest muscle from doing the chest press but struggle to pack weight on your biceps. Your friend might be exactly the opposite and build their biceps quickly whilst struggling to bulk up their chest. You will need to experiment under the supervision of your trainer until you find what suits you best and yields the best results. Once you have discovered the areas best exercises for you and the areas of your body that require extra attention, write them down and create your very own, personal exercise routine.

3) REPETITIONS AND SETS:- To gain muscle mass you have to follow very specific guidelines when performing exercise repetitions. The general rule is; very low reps (i.e. just 1 or 2) build strength, low reps help you gain muscle mass and high repetitions help you tone your muscles. Different people have different opinions on how many repetitions are the best for building muscle but I have found between 8-12 repetitions for each exercise to be effective. You should look to perform 3-4 sets of each exercise, so for example a typical chest day might look like:

- Dumbell Chest Press (4 sets with each set consisting of 8 repetitions).

- Barbell Chest Press (4 sets with each set consisting of 8 repetitions).

- Incline Dumbell Chest Press (4 sets with each set consisting of 8 repetitions).

- Decline Barbell Chest Press (4 sets with each set consisting of 8 repetitions).

- Dumbell Flyes (4 sets with each set consisting of 8 repetitions).

You should be struggling to do all the repetitions for each set. If you can do more than 12 then this is a sign that you need to increase the weight you are lifting. When performing the repetitions make sure that you are slow and deliberate to ensure that you are fully working all the muscles involved. Rushing will only lead to you not doing the exercise properly and not realising the full benefits of your training.

4) OVER TRAINING:- Above I have outlined the most effective ways to train if you are trying to gain muscle mass. However, this does not mean you can just take this advice and go all out. Training too much can be detrimental to your muscle building efforts and can be very dangerous. To ensure that you do not over train split your weight lifting routine into three or four specific days. For example:

- Monday = Chest and Triceps.

- Wednesday = Back and Forearms.

- Thursday = Legs.

- Friday = Shoulders and Biceps.

On the other days you should rest. A little cardiovascular exercise is OK on your rest days but no heavy weight training. By having rest days you will avoid over training and give your muscles time to rest, repair and grow. It may also be a good idea to limit each weight training session to under 2 hours and take a whole week off from training every 6-8 weeks.

5) DIET:- To gain muscle mass you need to be eating a high protein diet. Meats are a key factor in a high protein diet because they are rich in protein and help build muscle mass. It is advisable to stick mainly to lean meats (e.g. Chicken breast, white fish) so that you do not take in too much excess fat, but a little red meat also has its benefits when trying to build muscle mass. If you feel that you cannot get enough protein through your diet then you may want to consider protein powders. These are a convenient way to get additional protein in liquid form and used by the majority of bodybuilders.

You also need to increase your overall caloric intake. This might mean that you gain fat as well as muscle but this is not necessarily a bad thing. Additional fat stores means that you will have extra energy and calories to lift heavier weights and gain muscle mass. Once you reach your desired muscle weight you can always change to a fat burning diet for a short period until you reach a happy medium.

6) NUMBER OF MEALS:- If you are eating to gain muscle it is recommended that you increase your number of daily meals to 5 or 6. By eating more regularly you can saturate your body with amino acids and glycogen (gained from carbohydrates and proteins) and ensure that your body does not enter starvation mode (whereby it would start burning muscle tissues).

I hope this article has outlined what you need to consider if you are trying to gain muscle mass. Diet and exercise will determine the amount of muscle you gain but if you do not have accurate information on these topics your muscle building efforts will be frugal. Read the article again then remember this simple sentence; Train Right - Eat Right – Gain Muscle Mass.

*****
If you enjoyed this article and want to learn more about building muscle mass I recommend Vince DelMonte’s No Nonsense Muscle Building program. In this program Vince (a professional Fitness Coach and contributor to Men’s Fitness Magazine) outlines how to gain muscle quickly and naturally.

Bodyweight training is one of the most effective ways to burn fat and build muscle. When our weight gets to a certain level many of us decide that we need to join the gym or purchase training equipment. However, it is actually possible to train using your own bodyweight and achieve similar results. Many people neglect the potential of bodyweight training and in this article I intend to change that and make you aware of the benefits bodyweight training has to offer.

Bodyweight training can help improve your physique by starting with as little as 15-20 minutes work a day. As you get used to the training you should allocate more time which will in turn yield more impressive results. To ensure that you are getting adequate training time you need to make bodyweight training part of your daily schedule. Maybe you could get out of bed 20 minutes earlier or perhaps you could watch TV for 20 minutes less each day. As your bodyweight training progresses you should be able to come up with more creative ways to fit in your training times. If the appearance of your body is important to you then you will always be able to find the time. Stick with it, do it every day and you will begin to notice surprising results.

One of the main concerns with bodyweight training is the frequency with which you exercise. Many people think that you should exercise 3-4 times a week or every other day. This is partially true. Bodybuilders who participate in high intensity, high volume workouts require the additional rest between training and therefore should only train 3-4 times a week. However, bodyweight training is much less intensive. If you train for 15-20 minutes each day you will have a significant 1,420-1,425 minutes to recover. This is plenty of time. Plus, your overall training time for the week will be between 2-4 hours – a reduction compared with the time you would spend in 3-4 sessions at the gym.

So now that I have introduced you to bodyweight training and its benefits you are probably wondering what do I actually do? Well there are plenty of exercises you can do but I’ve outlined one of my favourites below:

THE BURPEE CHIN UP COMBO:

- To begin stand under a chin up bar (if you do not currently own one adjustable chin up bars can be purchased very cheaply on eBay or from the majority of department stores).

- Slowly squat down, bending your knees and keeping your back straight.

- Place your hands on the floor in front of you.

- Kick back with your feet so that you are in a push up position.

- Do a push up.

- Jump your feet back under your chest and stand up rapidly.

- Grab the chin up bar with your palms facing towards you.

- Do a chin up.

- Squat back down and repeat.

Try and keep this up for 15 minutes and you will quickly realise how tough bodyweight training can be. If you do this exercise every morning you will start to notice changes within the week. It will help you burn fat and build muscle in a very short space of time.

Bodyweight training has almost limitless possibilities. It does not stop at this one exercise. If you check out this Bodyweight Training Forum there are lots of great bodyweight training discussions happening which contain plenty of advice and exercises that you can use in your own routine. To progress with your bodyweight training set a feasible goal for each week. Once you achieve it set a new one for the next week. As long as you put in the effort you can burn fat and build muscle without attending the gym.