Different Medical Conditions and Exercise

P

PT1983

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Hi everyone,

I have an interest at the moment in researching different conditions and what exercise is best.

Basically the reason why is....... we now live in a world with more and more conditions which personally i think is down to lack of activity / poor diet.

I'm basically posting to see what research or interest people have on different conditions. You may even suggest a condition i have never heard of or might interest you.

I'm looking at different conditions like
Metabollic Syndrome
Angina
Hypertension
Cardiac Rehab
Diabetes
FIBROMYLAGIA
Sleep Apnoea
COPD
Lower Back Pain
Hyperlipidemia
Chronic back pain
OBESITY

The list can go on and on so basically let me know your thoughts.

What type of exercise is best?
Do you agree with no overhead work for hypertention / cardiac rehab etc?
Can some of these conditions be reversed?
Have you seen this happen?

Anything guys, show me your experience and knowledge and hopefully i will learn something.

Cheers,

PT
 
I'm diabetic and the only exercise I have difficulty with is endurance exercise. I bonk and then I'm done for. Everything else seems to work out for me.

My background is ballet, gymnastics, track, powerlifting, and now just working out with weights with HIIT and SS cardio (rowing machine).

I'm not sure I understand what you're getting at here, so you might want to elaborate on why you're collecting this information and what specific information you want from individuals afflicted with disease.

By the way, my diabetes is NOT a result of lack of activity or poor diet. Type 1 Diabetes is an auto-immune disease.
 
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well what i was looking at was roughly what you answered but ideally more.
So with regards to diabetes, what would a person ith diabetes need to take into account. Whatr about sugar levels? what about time of exercise? things like neuropathy can affect diabetes?

Basically i'm asking for people to give me information to help my own research on conditions.

Any more info would be appreciated.
 
Almost all of those conditions are a result of excess weight, poor diet and/or lack of exercise. The only 3 that most likely aren't, are Fibromyalgia, COPD and back pain. And, even a lot of the back pain could be related to obesity.

As ILM said, type 1 diabetes is an auto immune disease so there isn't much that can be done about it. However, type 2 diabetes is often (but not always) related to obesity, lack of exercise and poor diet. There is also what is called essential hypertension. It is more genetic than lifestyle related. However, I would say the majority of hypertension is diet/fitness/obesity related.

To answer your other question, diet, exercise and weight loss can improve/lessen these conditions if not alleviate them altogether. That is one of the main things seen with people who have gastric bypass and lose a bunch of weight. The majority of them who have type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure will be able to come completely off their medication for these conditions or drastically reduce their doses once they lose a significant amount of weight. In my case, even losing 30 pounds and exercising regularly has significantly reduced my blood pressure and resting heart rate. Even on the same medication I'm on now, my blood pressure used to run 140/80-90 with a pulse of around 90. Now, same medicine, my blood pressure is running somewhere around 110/65 with a heart rate in the 60's.

Hope this helps. If you have more questions, let us know.
 
PT1983 said:
well what i was looking at was roughly what you answered but ideally more.
So with regards to diabetes, what would a person ith diabetes need to take into account. Whatr about sugar levels? what about time of exercise? things like neuropathy can affect diabetes?

Basically i'm asking for people to give me information to help my own research on conditions.

Any more info would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

Neuropathy is a result of high blood glucose levels on a perpetual basis -- that's what destroys the nerve endings. It's not an absolute with Type 1 Diabetes. I have no neuropathy whatsoever. As long as a diabetic keeps their BG levels at an optimal level, you don't have to worry about that.

Time of exercise? Depends on the diabetic. I know diabetics who swim at 6:30am. I prefer to work out after 5:00pm.

I always take my BG before and after my workouts. I know where my BG should be sitting at before I workout (depending on what I'm going to be doing). I sometimes eat prunes, raisins or drink grape juice during my workout if I feel as though my BG is dropping. Afterwards I always need to eat carbs because I'm borderline hypo. I don't know if all diabetics are like that, but I am. So that's my "normal" setting. And just like MS Windows, everybody's "normal" settings are different. It's a very personal thing.

I have difficulty regulating my BG when I do SS cardio. My body seems to respond better to anaerobic exercise, although that's probably not the norm with the majority of diabetics.

Endurance sports are challenging for diabetics because we have to take our BG all the time so we know how much glucose to dump in our bodies. I do know diabetics who do half marathons and triathlons (half ironman), but they have to stop and take BG readings, so it's not like you can be ultra-competitive and expect to place in the top 20. 10-20 minutes is a lot of time to be diddling with your glucometer and insulin syringes in a race ... and you can't bring insulin with you when it's cold outside, so for the most part, XC ski loppets are out unless you're Kris Freeman.

My BP is 106/65. My HR is around 64. My cholesterol is to die for and always has been, regardless of what I stuff into my body (I honestly think it's genetic).

Is there anything specific that you want to know?
 
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Im also a type 1 diabetic like "i_love_muscle" Ive been diabetic for 3 years now. Im ok with it but its kinda hard when I need to eat 5 meals a day as I allways have to do my injections :S
 
Great posts!! With regards to diabetics, what do you think a beginner's BG should be with regards to exercise. I'm generally telling people below 5 is too low but some doctors say they want there BG's around 4. I can't seem to convince them exercise is different and comes down with exercise, meaning hypo. Also at what point do you think BG is too high to exercise. Higher than say 13 to me would mean they not looking after their BG's and may mean unstable diabetes (IS THIS RIGHT?) i therefore let them start exercise and check it after say 10-15mins and if it has lowered then i let them continue.

I'm also looking after knowledge on certain exercises what shouldn't be given.

There is a big thing on overhead work with hypertensives is wrong? whats peoples thoughts.

Any knowledge on fibromyalgia? What exercises should/ shouldn't be given?

Any help around any condition is greatful
 
PT1983 said:
Great posts!! With regards to diabetics, what do you think a beginner's BG should be with regards to exercise. I'm generally telling people below 5 is too low but some doctors say they want there BG's around 4. I can't seem to convince them exercise is different and comes down with exercise, meaning hypo. Also at what point do you think BG is too high to exercise. Higher than say 13 to me would mean they not looking after their BG's and may mean unstable diabetes (IS THIS RIGHT?) i therefore let them start exercise and check it after say 10-15mins and if it has lowered then i let them continue.

I'm also looking after knowledge on certain exercises what shouldn't be given.

There is a big thing on overhead work with hypertensives is wrong? whats peoples thoughts.

Any knowledge on fibromyalgia? What exercises should/ shouldn't be given?

Any help around any condition is greatful
Click to expand...

My average BG levels are between 5 and 7 mmol/l. Most diabetics are between 5-8mmol/l. It's not easy to keep them stable.

4.5mmol/l is my borderline hypo setting. At 3.9, I'm starting to get the sweats and shakes. At 3.0, I can't walk in a straight line and I start getting defiant and resisting help. Once I've gone under 2.8mmol/l, I'm ready to pass out because everything starts to get dark and I get horrible tunnel vision and I can't hear anything anymore. Every diabetic has a different hypo threshold.

A friend of mine started a triathlon at 19mmol/l. It depends on how aerobic or anaerobic the exercise is, and how long you're going to be doing it. Athletic diabetics know how their bodies react because we've used ourselves as our own guinea pigs.

I don't workout until my BG is over 7.5mmol/l because I will run out of gas halfway through my workout if it isn't that high. I prefer it to run into the 9's.

Any diabetic can start to exercise, and I think the diabetics that have crappy BGs should be exercising more than the athletic ones!!! They're the ones who need to learn how to control their BG. When you exercise, it forces you to pay attention to your body and to take your BG more frequently.

When diabetics join a gym, I think it's very important for them to tell the staff they are diabetic. I always do, and I tell them that if I'm acting weird, they need to bring me to the front, sit me down, try to get me to eat some simple carbs, and if that doesn't help, to call 911. Nobody has had an issue with this. I think as long as people know what to expect, most people can handle it just fine. And there always seems to be at least one person in a gym who knows first aid :)

The best case scenario would be to work out with a friend who knows how to administer glucagon, or knows what signs to look for. That way the diabetic can get used to how their body is responding to whatever exercise they are doing -- and the friend is there just in case something happens.

As for what particular type of exercise to start out with, in my opinion (and in the opinion of the other athletic diabetics I know), for the most part, diabetics can do everything most everybody else can. We just have to be cognizant of our blood glucose.

Eventually you get the hang of it ;)
 
Well I have Type I Diabetes and I can do any exercise that anyone else can. You obviously have to make sure you have enough carbs beforehand. I generally have juice before a short workout and juice and a complex carb before a longer workout. I have to check my blood sugars before and after my workout as well. I have gotten hypoglycemia a few times after intense cardio. In that case, I would stop my workout completely. On the other hand, of your blood sugars are high before a workout, they can actually become higher during the workout.

I've lost over 80lbs and I've lowered my insulin quite a bit (20 units of one type and about 15 on the short acting...depending on what I eat, of course).
 
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PT1983 said:
So with regards to diabetes, what would a person ith diabetes need to take into account.
Click to expand...

Note that with respect to diabetes, it depends on whether it is type 1 or 2.
 
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