Lift Weights To Fight Diabetes

Filed in archive on July 26, 2006

I was thrilled to find this article. I'm an advocate of weight lifting, for everyone. This article is geared towards teens, but lifting weights is fabulous for people of all ages.

I'm especially anxious to get women to try it, as many women fear that they will get too 'bulky.' It won't happen, I promise. This is one of the main issues that motivated me to become a personal trainer, so expect more articles on the subject!

Cardio is great, but it's only part of the equation. Everyone should lift weights, if at all physically possible. I especially like how the article linked weight lifting specifically to diabetes prevention and treatment.

Teenagers at risk of developing diabetes may be able to prevent or delay the condition's onset if they take up weight lifting, a new study indicates.

The researchers felt that overweight teenagers would be more likely to stick to a resistance training regimen compared to aerobic exercise because it is less physically demanding and gives visible results quicker.

After 16 weeks, the weightlifting teenagers' percentage of body fat had decreased significantly, while their lean muscle mass increased. Furthermore, 91% saw a significant improvement in their insulin sensitivity, compared to the control group.

"This shows that lifting weights is a good form of exercise that overweight teens can excel at and benefit from. Whether they lose weight or not is not important - they still benefit by increasing muscle mass", said lead researcher, Dr Micheal Goran of the University of Southern California.

Great news. Do you lift weights?