My long time trainer has asked to meet the trainers and members at her gym about exercise and T2 diabetes. Tonight I watched the news about tripling insuline cost, , it seems everyone is insulin dependent,that diabetes has quadrupled (referencing t2’ full clip was of maybe a four year old administering insulin) Of course we are all fat and lazy and eat crap.
The meeting sounds like a waste of time. I will do it, if one person is interested it will be worth it. Maybe.
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I understand…We spread “the Word” as we can…One doesn’t know when one might plant a little seed of enlightenment…
I prefer to believe that any encounter might do that…but who knows?! So many horror stories of the “diabetes epidemic”. So I say go for it…Such is life…Blessings…
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This could be a useful and fruitful thing. I suspect most trainers carry the misconception that everyone with T2 “caused” their diabetes by becoming obese. So they see their job as being on the show “biggest loser.” Actually, this misconception is harmful. Exercise is very important to T2 (and any diabetes), but it is about maintaining fitness and insulin sensitivity. Trainers should focus on improving fitness (at any weight), increasing muscle mass and developing consistent and fun exercise habits. Putting clients on a scale every week is not only useless but misleading.
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Amen, Brian.
Now, I’ll be the first to admit I have had a history of eating too much and not getting enough activity. I had asthma as a kid, and that didn’t make the latter part of the equation easy, and the asthma and allergy meds didn’t help my metabolism.
Ironically my weight really started to pile on after puberty and during the low fat craze. Go figure. I have PCOS (Poly-cystic Ovary Syndrome) of which one component is insulin resistance. So there my poor mom is feeding me “healthy” things like whole grain Triscuit crackers, low-fat Snackwells cookies, fat free salad dressing, fat free this that and the other… and there I am, with weight just stacking on for no understandable reason, even when I cut calories. PCOS wasn’t as known back when I was 16 as it is now, and the link between it and Type II diabetes certainly wasn’t understood. It is now, to the point that metformin and a lower-carb diet are recommended for those with PCOS.
I honestly believe the low-fat craze did a huge disservice to a whole generation.
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Hello Everyone,
While it is good that attention is being brought to the importance of engaging in physical activity as way to manage one’s blood glucose, it is important to remember (and you all are very well aware) that diabetes, whatever the etiology is a chronic illness and that according to ACSM guidelines, people living with diabetes are classified as high risk and should get clearance from their physician before engaging in moderate intensity activity.
In the realm of fitness one can determine whether their trainer has met the criteria to work with populations of high risk by visiting www.usreps.org. You’ll need to look for ACSM Clinical Exercise Specialists and ACSM Registered Clinical Exercise Physiologists. Simply put the name of your trainer in the appropriate box to find out whether your trainer is credentialed or not. Anyone else who is working with people with diagnosed disease who is not in possession of the above-mentioned credentials is working out of their scope of practice, and in the unlikely event something untoward should occur, their insurance won’t cover them.
Good health to you all!
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Sorry Brian, that is not my trainer
Jojee my trainer is extremely focused on all my needs including t2, a knee injury and my desire to keep on running 10 K’s, I would not have her as a trainer if she did not
Almost 5 years working with her, Tomorrow running with her in the park and TRX.
The post was about dealing with the negative press out there.
Just in case you have not noticed. 70 here still out there running.
A1c at diagnoses 7 years ago 12.0 last month 5.6 no meds, just diet and exercise. Pretty good if I must say myself.
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Sorry I guess I just did not understand your post.
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Just to follow up, I did the meeting and as expected the first questions about recent tv coverage about obesity and diabetes.
I said that I was not here to discuss obesity and weight loss. That I was there to discuss the techniques that they could use to help a T2 control his condition.
Weight loss is one, strength training is another, intraval training can help, understanding the effects of moderate and extreme exercise on glucose levels, etc…
They listened. At the end the question was how much weight had I loss. (
Dx 196 current 188. Much better shape, I run three miles now,
I pointed I that I choose to hire a trainer to improve my overall body fitness,
Flexibility as I age, I also wanted to learn about various exercise program,
I have even tried some boxing. Hope they understood.
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Here is the issue. I am not overweight have trained all my life. I am fit and most likely a little underweight. Have run over a 100 marathons and numerous ultra marathons. Even done a racing the planet event of 7 days in the Sahara dessert. So you T2 because you overweight and don’t look after yourself makes me go off the frigging handle. So what has been T2 meant to me. The biggest effect is the fact that I can not decide on the spur of the moment to go for a quick run or cycle. It all goes about the sugar levels and what will I have to carry to make it back and to be able to run or cycle like I would like. It is almost impossible to do ultra events anymore as the food planning and logistics involved are just to complex. Through the fact in that the body is never the same on any given day makes it that much more complicated. So my life now is trail runs,cycle and gym. Not complaining but it does make me angry that people can be so narrow minded about something that they have no idea about .
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yes i agree I don’t have the big D but my hubby dose but I am very over wieght. And most likley will get the D if I don’t drop the wieght as it runs in the fam. But I was a very skiny kid until the low fat thing started.
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Not nearly in your peer group of fitness level, @Neil1, but, though I gained weight when taking injected insulin “changed all the rules” for me, I was also fairly active and not overweight when diagnosed. It gets me angry every time I see the blanket statement that “Type 2 Diabetes is a lifestyle condition” – especially when it is said without qualifiers (like “often” or “sometimes” for example). There is no question that exercise and fitness are valuable to improve overall health of T2Ds and EVERYONE ELSE, it even improves blood sugar management – for some, even many – T2s, but the association between lifestyle and diabetes is not necessarily a causal relationship (unless you consider that diabetes can cause obesity).
Ok, I’ve just opened a fresh box of BonBons and there’s something I want to watch on the television, so back to the couch! 
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@Neil1 - I know the subject of this article is T1, but I thought you might find it interesting even so. Your post reminded me of this article, which I read while sitting in a doctor’s office a few years ago. It’s about Nat Strand, a T1 who competed (and won) CBS’s “The Amazing Race.” It definitely speaks to the logistics involved being too complex!
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This a T2 thread
Especially if it works for you
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Frazer it is a great story. Pretty much my daily life. Running and cycling is just made more complicated and you have to mach sure that you are prepared. It is fun buying cloths as you always looking for something that can carry glucose, meter,insulin and the rest of the pack of tricks.
My work life is much the same as work in the Security Industry in Iraq and have to keep the fact that I am a diabetic to myself. The plan is too call it quits at the end of the year and then get a normal job
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I was on a moderate walking program, like 2 hours a day, until about a month ago. That and following my low carb diet was my diabetes management.
However, I work as a security guard and a month ago I was assigned to what is called firewatch patrol duties., It means that if the fire alarm system, pull stations, smoke detectors etc. in a high rise building are out of order, the fire department requires 24/7 firewatch patrols. Wow, that has definitely got my bgs down. It means 8 patrols per shift walking down 3 x 15 story stairwells once an hour. I activated a pedometer in my cellphone and after one shift it said 14,000 steps which is great.
And the wonderful thing is I am being paid to do this for the next six months at least. Beats injections, meds anytime.
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