Day 59 - Diet vs. Exercise Part 4: Diabetes

 

This category will be a shock to many of you. You automatically assume that diet is the winner here correct? Well, not exactly.

Diet goes a long way here, as you should limit your consumption of certain foods (sugary garbage), but if you train your body to be a well-oiled machine, then dietary choices will not seem as drastic any more.

I don't want to blur the lines here, however. Diet plays a large part in weight gain and glucose insensitivity which can lead to conditions like diabetes, but exercise and keeping a healthy, fit body, can go a long way to preventing this disease. I am not advocating a diet rich in high-sugary, high-calorie foods, but a healthy, active body uses and distributes carbohydrates much more efficiently.

Carbohydrates must play a role in our diets. Our bodies need them for energy, and our brains need them to function. The problem most folks run into is that they consume FAR too many carbs than what their body needs on a daily basis. If, however, you get your butt up and off the couch and get active, the amount of carbs (healthy carb options) you ingest is less important.

Overweight individuals are at a higher risk for diabetes (refer to Part 1), but healthy active muscles gobble up glucose out of the blood for energy like it's their job! Routine exercise goes a long way to stabilizing your blood sugar levels so even if you do go for that dessert treat every so often, you are mostly covered.

If we were discussing this category from a flipped perspective, then I would say that diet is much more important in managing diabetes, but I feel that exercise is actually more important in the role of helping to prevent this condition.
 

Winner: Exercise 

Quote of the day:

"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal."
-Henry Ford