Friday, May 14, 2010

My top five reasons why I love exercise and you should too

Dear Conscious Diabetic readers,

I have joined fellow d-bloggers and am participating in Diabetes Blog Week. I will be posting new topics every day this week on living with diabetes. Click here to read my Conscious Diabetic Monday post entitled: Diabetes and loving kindness practice.

Have a great day,
Ophir


Diabetes Blog Week topic #5 is exercise: Love it or hate it?

A wise person told me a few years ago that the only way to get diabetes under control – the only way to really make a difference and achieve healthy blood sugars and A1Cs – is to exercise consistently five days a week.

I was always an exerciser as a kid – riding my bicycle for hours, going for walks, roller skating, and playing tennis mainly - but I was kind of on-again, off-again about the whole thing. Then as an adult, the off-again phases became more frequent until I received that priceless piece of advice. And I decided to commit to consistent exercise.

I have listed for you my top five reasons why I have learned to love exercising five days a week, and have stayed committed to it for at least three years now, and why I think that everyone should get up off the couch and start loving exercise too!

5. Attention all Type 1, Type 2, pre-diabetics, and non-diabetics, exercise helps control blood sugars and can prevent diabetes altogether in some cases! Studies conducted at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services found that “Physical activity 30 minutes a day on most days – or certainly five days a week – is a good place to start because that tends to maintain the blood sugar in a more normal range….And losing a few pounds, with proper eating and physical activity, can reduce chances of getting diabetes.”

Overall health improves as well through consistent exercise. I personally reversed some kidney problems I had developed when I was younger once I began exercising regularly and getting my blood sugars under control. I have also been taken off two medications, my cholesterol is superb, and I simply feel healthier, lighter, and more energetic.

Of course, this is mixed in with a healthy lifestyle as well: eating the right kinds of foods, sleeping properly, drinking lots of water, not smoking or drinking excessive alcohol, taking insulin and checking blood sugars, making my well-being a priority, and so on. Exercise is part of the overall health package.

4. Exercise is a great way to release stress, blow off steam, sweat it off, and burn off anger and frustration. Kick-boxing, martial arts, yoga, running, walking...all of the above and more…are great ways to let go of whatever is holding you back!

3. I’ve learned more about who I am. As you release the things that hold you back, you make room for who you really are to enter into your life.

I love yoga, walking, and aerobics that mixes in toning exercises. I love a good Jillian Michaels DVD because she pushes me to realize my potential, and I also love taking a nice walk outside and smelling the roses, being meditative, while also moving. Yoga is my all-time favorite exercise because of its mind-body-spirit approach – looking at the body as a whole.

I’ve come to learn that who I am as an exerciser reflects who I am in other parts of my life as well: Ambitious and driven while also staying attuned to mind-body-spirit.

2. You look better on the outside when you take care of what’s going on inside. I look better: Skin, eyes, hair, muscles, and all. I fit in my clothes, and they’re even loose at the moment! What a great feeling it is to walk into a store, pick out a pair of jeans or slacks off the rack, and fit in them! And look good!

1. I am happy, balanced, more confident, and at peace more oftentimes than not. We all deserve goodness in our lives, and you start to receive that goodness when you take care of what’s within you. Happiness comes from loving yourself, and what better way to do that than through exercise.

So, let’s get moving!

4 comments:

  1. Great post, Ophir - thanks!

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  2. Those are five great reasons to exercise!!! I'm going to come back and re-read your post often and use it to motivate myself when I'm going through my list of excuses to put off a workout.

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  3. great list. you made my faves: http://dontfeardiabetes.com/2010/05/diabetes-blog-week-day-5-faves/

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  4. This is an inspirational post and I like Karen's idea to come back often for motivation.

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