Strengthen Your Exercise Routine

We've probably heard or read that Americans don't exercise enough and that more and more of us are becoming overweight. But what we don't think about is that by not exercising, we lose about one-half to one pound of muscle each year. Why worry about losing muscle? Muscle is the calorie-burning engine of the body. So if we have less muscle, even if we eat the same amount of food, we can gain weight. Excess weight increases the odds that we'll get diabetes.

Strengthening exercises are often the missing link in an exercise routine. They can improve the body's use of insulin, prevent the loss of muscle, make bones stronger and rev up our metabolism. The more muscle we have, the more calories we'll bum. In fact, adding just one pound of muscle burns 30 to 50 extra calories per day This could add up to 840 to 1,400 calories per month and 10,950 to 18,250 calories per year. Assuming we ate the same amount of food, this one pound of additional muscle means we'll lose three to five pounds per year. These are worthwhile numbers for those trying to lose weight to prevent diabetes.

Before beginning these exercises, it's important to warm up for three to five minutes and then do stretching exercises. When you are finished exercising, cool down and stretch again. An exercise specialist at your health club or an exercise physiologist -- recommended by a health care provider—can help you set up a specific program to enhance your efforts even more. These professionals can teach you how to lift properly and can tell you the type and amount of weight to use. The ultimate goal is to do these exercises two to three times per week for about 15 to 20 minutes.

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