This article was originally appeared in IDEA Fitness Journaland was written with the holiday season in mind, but summer picnics are in fully swing and 4th of July festivities are right around the corner, and the same advice applies.

Enjoy!

Sugar Facts & Fiction

“What is it about the holidays and sugar? Decorated cookies, homemade candy, pumpkin pie–without sweets and treats, the festive season would hardly seem complete. But should you be worried about all that sugar in your diet?
The answer is yes–and no. Most nutritional experts agree that indulging in holiday treats need not be a serious concern, as long as your indulgences are moderate. After all, the holidays are a special time of year.
However, over consumption of sugar year-round is a growing problem. According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, Americans eat 20 percent more sugar now than they did in 1986. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) says the average American consumes 20 teaspoons of added sugar a day (added sugar doesn’t include the naturally occurring sugars in milk and fruit); that’s equivalent to about 16 to 20 percent of total calorie intake! This may seem hard to believe, but many two-ounce candy bars, 12¬ounce sodas and one-cup servings of ice cream contain 10 or more teaspoons of added sugar. The USDA recommends adults get no more than 6 to 10 percent of their daily calories from sugar (about 6 teaspoons per 1,600 calories).
If you’re getting too many of your daily calories from sugar, you will have a hard time getting enough of the nutrients you need for a healthy, balanced diet, says nutritionist Debra A. Wein, MS, RD. Research has shown that people who eat all the recommended servings of food eat the least sugar.
How can you moderate your sugar intake? Here are some tips from nutritionists:

1. Be Wary of Soda. Soda contributes more sugar to our diets than any other food. Some fruit drinks and canned teas are also high in sugar content, with 20 to 30 grams per one-cup serving.
2. Eat Foods That Provide Long-Lasting Energy. While high-sugar foods on an empty stomach may give you a quick burst of energy, it won’t last. Complex carbohydrates, such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains, will give you energy that can stand the test of time.
3. Be Careful With Nonfat Foods. You may be substituting high sugar for fat-¬not the best trade-off. For example, some servings of low-fat or nonfat ice cream have 40 or more grams of sugar per one-cup serving.
4. Have Your Triglycerides and Cholesterol Checked. This is one way to determine if you’re insulin resistant, which may make sugar more dangerous for you. Although there is no evidence that sugar consumption causes the body to store more fat (as some diet plans have claimed), excessive amounts of sugar may boost blood triglycerides and insulin levels more than other carbohydrates do in insulin-resistant individuals. This phenomenon can increase the risk of diabetes or heart disease. Being overweight and/or inactive increases the likelihood of insulin resistance, although genetics also plays a major role.
5. Eat Plant-Based, Not Processed, Foods. You can greatly decrease your intake of added sugars by eating fruits, vegetables and grains rather than packaged convenience foods.
6. Watch Your High-Fat, High-Sugar Intake. Some researchers believe that certain people (more often women) actually crave high-fat, high-sugar foods, such as ice cream, chocolate and other rich sweets. This craving may be linked to endorphins, but the relationship has not been studied conclusively. Foods high in fat and sugar are generally also high in calories and can contribute significantly to weight gain.
7. Practice Portion Control. Increasingly, large dessert and pastry portions are part of the problem. Opt to split a slice of cheesecake or eat just the top of your chocolate muffin.
8. Focus on Eating the Right Stuff. Your sugar craving may indicate you’re not getting enough nutrients. Eat all the recommended servings of fruits, vegetables, grains and protein and you may be less likely to supplement your diet with sugar.
9. Eat Healthy Mini-meals Throughout the Day. These will help keep your blood sugar stable so you don’t find yourself desperately reaching for a sugar lift.
10. Don’t Make Sugar the Bad Guy. If you restrict yourself from eating all added sugar, you may foster a deprivation mentality that can trigger sugar binges. Take a moderate approach. We’re born with a natural taste for sweetness, and a little sugar is good for the soul.”

Source: © 2009 by IDEA Health & Fitness Inc.
IDEA Fitness Journal
IDEA members may reproduce this information in a business newsletter or in handouts they distribute to their customers and staff as long as the information is reproduced verbatim with no changes or editing. In addition, the author’s byline (where applicable) must be reproduced completely and the IDEA Health & Fitness Association must be credited as the source of the information.

If you suffer from diabetes, you well know that exercise can and should be a part of the comprehensive treatment of both type I and type II diabetes. However, the potential for complications associated with diabetes often means that exercise is neglected, leading to inactivity. Inactivity, in turn, can further affect the complications of diabetes.

According to the American College of Sports Medicine, relatively healthy persons with diabetes can engage in walking, jogging, cycling, cross-country skiing, and similar forms of aerobic activity for 20-60 minutes on 3-5 days per week, with exercise intensity ranging between 60-90% of max heart rate.  Recent research also indicates that regular resistance training may be beneficial for patients with diabetes. Therefore, including both cardiovascular and strength training exercise into a weekly fitness regimen may be beneficial for diabetes sufferers.

It is important to note that the possible glucose-altering effects of exercise make close monitoring of blood sugar before, during, and after exercise very important.  Because exercise makes the body more sensitive to the way the body responds to insulin, use of an insulin pump for individuals with type I diabetes is recommended in order to closely monitor blood sugar levels.

Before you begin an exercise program, it is important to get the okay from your physician and/or diabetes specialist.  Then, follow these tips to ensure that your exercise sessions are safe and effective.

1. Immediately  before exercising, test your glucose levels, then again during exercise (especially if you are just beginning a new program). You should re-check immediately after your session as well.
2. If your blood glucose level drops to less than 70 mg/dl or is higher than 250 mg/dl, and you know you have ketones in your urine, do not exercise. If blood glucose is 300 mg/dl or higher (regardless of the presence of ketones),  you should not exercise.
3. If you suffer from diabetes-related foot problems, make sure you were well-cushioned shoes and dry-wicking socks that keep moisture away from your feet.
4. Be aware that certain conditions associated with diabetes, such as autonomic neuropathy, neuropathy, or retinopathy, it is a good idea to seek your physician’s approval before beginning an exercise program. If you have one of these conditions and your physician gives you the go ahead to exercise, it is important that your trainer or exercise physiologist works closely with your physician, as there will likely me restrictions as to what activities you may participate in.
5. Know the warning signs of hypoglycemia: trembling or shaking, rapid heart rate, increased sweating, excessive hunger, headache, irritability and mood changes, impaired concentration, mental confusion, and drowsiness. Stop exercising if you experience any symptoms of low blood sugar and test blood glucose to confirm hypoglycemia.
6. If you are suffering from low blood glucose, eat or drink 10-15 g of simple sugar immediately to restore glucose levels. It is a good idea to keep foods such as raisins, hard candy, crackers, or boxed juice in your gym bag where it can be accessed easily, just in case you need it.
7. After replenishing your glucose, rest for 10-15 minutes before resuming any activity. This will allow the intestines time to absorb the glucose.
8. Continue to monitor blood glucose, preferably within 30-40 minutes of resuming exercise, if possible.
9. After exercise, replenish glucose immediately with complex carbohydrates.

[Sources: ACSM’s Resource Manual for Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription, 4^th ed, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2001.

Exercise Physiology, 5^th ed, McArdle, Katch, and Katch, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2001

IDEA Fitness Journal, Peggy Kraus, MA,  “Working with Diabetic Clients,” Nov-Dec 2007]

Before you get all excited and think I just gave you permission to toss back a dozen Krispy Kremes for breakfast (are they even still in business?), I did not. I didn’t even give you permission to eat just one (not that you need my permission, of course.) A healthy breakfast – one that you will actually prepare and eat – is a great goal to shoot for.

I bring this up because I hear on a fairly regular basis the following: “I don’t have time for breakfast,” “I’m not hungry in the morning,” and “I don’t like eggs.” Um, did he know there are other foods besides eggs? More to the point…breakfast is super important!

1.) Breakfast brings your metabolism out of slow-mo. When you go to sleep at night, your body’s metabolism goes into resting mode too. One of the best ways to wake it up and say, “hey, metabolism, start your engines and burn some calories!” is to eat a healthy breakfast.

2) Breakfast clears the brain fog. Yes, caffeine works too, but try food with your coffee – you’ll be even MORE awake.

3) Breakfast, especially when it is low-glycemic, has the ability to stabilize your blood sugar levels, and keep them level all day (provided you don’t eat sugary snacks between meals). You know that after-lunch sleepy feeling you get? Breakfast can help with that.

4) Breakfast will let your body know that you aren’t trying to starve it to death. If you typically eat a big dinner because you skipped breakfast, didn’t have time for lunch, and were too busy to snack, the message you’re sending your body is, “I might feed you, or I might not.” In response to this sketchy feeding plan, your body will cling to any calorie you give it, just in case you “forget” to eat for another 24 hours. Feed your body every 2-4 hours, and it will reward you with a consistently good metabolism. You will likely find it easier to lose weight when you eat regularly too. Bonus!

So, what to eat? I have my favorites, but there are lots of options.

If you are super busy in the morning and tend to grab food when and where you can, Cooking Light’s list of the healthiest “fast food” breakfasts is worth checking out. From Starbucks to Subway, there are enough options that you should be able to scrounge up something healthy to eat.

Real Simple magazine has a list of easy breakfast ideas to make at home.The peanut butter, whole grain waffle and also the breakfast pizza look delicious. All of the ideas are simple.

And if neither of those options suits you, try Fitness Magazine’s “No more excuses breakfast recipes for every morning. I like the “no more excuses part.”