What Teenage Type 2 Diabetics Need to Know About Losing Fat and Gaining Muscle
Type 2 diabetes is hard to manage at any age, but it's especially difficult for diabetic teens.
Their bodies are still growing and need to build muscle, but in almost all cases body fat is excessive and the teen needs to lose weight.
Teens with type 2 diabetes don't just need to eat less.
They need to eat the right foods at the right times.
The right time for any teen-aged type 2 diabetic to eatis right after exercise.
Immediately after exercise and lasting for another 60 minutes, muscles are temporarily about 50 times more sensitive to insulin.
That is because muscle cells need to absorb both glucose and amino acids to repair and reshape themselves to grow larger and stronger.
If muscles don't receive the nutrients they need during this critical period, it becomes much more difficult for them to receive the needed amino acids and glucose later.
Also, the benefit of exercise for lowering blood sugars is wasted, because muscle cells don't take in glucose unless they also take in amino acids.
It's a great idea to use exercise as an "advance payment" for eating...
but it's important not to overindulge.
The muscles only need about 20 grams (less than 1 ounce) of protein and 20 grams of carbs.
That's about 200 calories, although just after exercise is also a good time for a regular meal.
A mistake many teens make is to try to starve diabetes away.
Building muscle mass requires that feeding of muscle after working out.
But how can teens lose fat? There are two ways to use exercise to burn fat.
One is to do easy exercise for a long time.
That's an hour on a stationary bike, an hour-long walk at an easy pace, or an hour at the slowest possible pace on an elliptical exerciser.
The other way is to do interval exercise for a shorter time.
Interval exercise starts with a 5 minute warm-up.
Then the exerciser works out at maximum capacity for 30 seconds, continues the exercise at a minimal speed for 90 seconds, sprints for another 30 seconds, etc.
, for 20 to 30 minutes, always ending the exercise with a 5 minute cool-down.
Overweight teens with type 2 diabetes, of course, should always get a doctor's approval before starting any kind of vigorous exercise routine.
Getting control over type 2 diabetes as a teenager is a real challenge, but it brings a lifetime of benefits.
Eating the right foods at the right times, and integrating exercise into diabetes management, brings the best results for teens with type 2 diabetes.
Their bodies are still growing and need to build muscle, but in almost all cases body fat is excessive and the teen needs to lose weight.
Teens with type 2 diabetes don't just need to eat less.
They need to eat the right foods at the right times.
The right time for any teen-aged type 2 diabetic to eatis right after exercise.
Immediately after exercise and lasting for another 60 minutes, muscles are temporarily about 50 times more sensitive to insulin.
That is because muscle cells need to absorb both glucose and amino acids to repair and reshape themselves to grow larger and stronger.
If muscles don't receive the nutrients they need during this critical period, it becomes much more difficult for them to receive the needed amino acids and glucose later.
Also, the benefit of exercise for lowering blood sugars is wasted, because muscle cells don't take in glucose unless they also take in amino acids.
It's a great idea to use exercise as an "advance payment" for eating...
but it's important not to overindulge.
The muscles only need about 20 grams (less than 1 ounce) of protein and 20 grams of carbs.
That's about 200 calories, although just after exercise is also a good time for a regular meal.
A mistake many teens make is to try to starve diabetes away.
Building muscle mass requires that feeding of muscle after working out.
But how can teens lose fat? There are two ways to use exercise to burn fat.
One is to do easy exercise for a long time.
That's an hour on a stationary bike, an hour-long walk at an easy pace, or an hour at the slowest possible pace on an elliptical exerciser.
The other way is to do interval exercise for a shorter time.
Interval exercise starts with a 5 minute warm-up.
Then the exerciser works out at maximum capacity for 30 seconds, continues the exercise at a minimal speed for 90 seconds, sprints for another 30 seconds, etc.
, for 20 to 30 minutes, always ending the exercise with a 5 minute cool-down.
Overweight teens with type 2 diabetes, of course, should always get a doctor's approval before starting any kind of vigorous exercise routine.
Getting control over type 2 diabetes as a teenager is a real challenge, but it brings a lifetime of benefits.
Eating the right foods at the right times, and integrating exercise into diabetes management, brings the best results for teens with type 2 diabetes.