[foodahollic]

Rather than watching Blood Glucose alone as a standard of success in Diabetes treatment. We should focus on keeping whatever muscle we have. When muscle cells die, they do not come back.

It is easy to envision my having a great look Blood Glucose number, while killing off my muscles.

Healthy muscles, building them, helps me to stay flexible, and control Blood Glucose.

What I have to worry about, is what should I be doing to keep and build more muscle? What should I avoid doing?

 

[itissteve]

As much as I've read and learned, diabetics have to do what others have to do -- with the occasional proviso that strenuous exercise can raise BG levels. The best exercises for maintaining healthy muscles include strength training (rather than just aerobics). How you do that (free weights, Smith machines, kettlebells, etc.) is your preference.

The older we get, though, particularly around 60 years old, building muscle gets more difficult. It's harder to build muscle within an individual session and recovery time goes up. Days off between sessions seem to work for some people; training different muscle groups on different days works for others.

I can't speak to my incredibly uneven schedule of strength training, however.

 

[foodahollic]

I once worked with a Physical Therapist, who told me that with their older patients, they often focused on Flexibility training. Stretching out muscles. The older people, once they did the exercises correctly for a few days, where very happy.

Insofar as training. Yes, Itissteve you are correct, exercise can cause 'Liver Dump,' where the liver starts releasing its version of sugar, Glycogen. even though it is un needed. It is relating itself to high insulin levels, and how long since the person last ate. I don't like the term 'Liver Dump,' but I don't know another term for it. The liver in a healthy person acts as a buffer for blood sugar. A better description is in the book about Carbohydrate Addiction by the Hellers.

I am not sure if Type One Diabetics much have "Liver Dump," but more commonly have some issues, cringe, that we type twos don't have.

There is another phenomena which relates to weight training. Some of these guys with the really big muscles can use so much blood sugar that they can walk across a room, and suddenly go into hypoglycemia.

Sorry, I am going off the topic. I would point out that if a person is brought into the ER, with extremely high blood glucose, the solution is not always to give more insulin, but some form of sugar.

High Blood sugar can occur with dehydration. Which often includes high Blood Pressure. Obviously they not quite correct treatment is to try to reduce blood pressure with blood pressure medication alone.

For the diabetic who wants to exercise, it is important to leave a message as to recent treatment by medication, and when we ate, what. Possibly, exercise with someone around who knows what is going on, and the potential of things going bad.

I used to have a friend, non-diabetic, who was like 88 or 89. He had never had a cardiac or vascular problem. He got up every morning, and did 45 minutes of exercise. He told me several things. Never get a treadmill. Nobody keeps using a treadmill. They will use a treadmill, then something will come up, and they take a day off. then sometime it will be two days off. Then, they will realize it has been more than a week since they were on the treadmill. I can read on a treadmill, and the time goes by fast. Right now my doc has told me to limit my exercise time. Which makes sense, if I am balanced in my blood sugar levels, and insulin amounts. I can suddenly not be getting enough sugar into my cells, because I am out of insulin, while my blood sugar levels look great. That can kill muscle cells.

My doc is trained to get me to a point where I do not go to ER. Which is to stay within the lanes of good control of my Diabetes.

My thought is, that if I want to accomplish what I want now. I have to figure out where the guard rails can be, to build muscle. I can use flexibility training, where all the muscles get stretched. Itissteve is correct, some kind of weight training sounds likes a good thing. Maybe using the elastic resistance bands.

For a machine to train on, the 88 year old guy had something like a Glider. https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51UAjny0W+L._AC_SL1000_.jpg

He used that for thirty minutes every morning. He was adamant, he had used every other machine and said this is the one that a person could stick with using, and was enough exercise to matter.

Looking for input from others??????

I am looking at taking some kind of Protein shake. Maybe Glucerna plus Protein. How concerned should I be with kidney damage and taking Protein?

Anyone with experiences to share???

 

[mbuster]

Definitely nothing wrong with stretching and flexibility exercises. It should be part of everyone's program regardless of age or type of work out. That's coming from someone that knows its good advice but doesn't practice it enough and just tore something in a calf muscle when over-stretching it while walking rafters in the attic the other day. Everything hereafter is just opinion, so take it with a grain of salt unless you're on a low sodium diet.

I think your idea of elastic fitness bands would be more likely to build muscle than the glider. There would be a broader range of muscles that could get worked, worked from different angles, and being able to add resistance. It would be safe to do alone if you didn't have a workout partner for lifting weights. Free weights would probably be the most beneficial, but at our age even some weight machines would be safer with a partner. The glider looks like it would be the same motion, working the same muscles from the same angle, with the only variable being the speed. It would be great for a cardiovascular / endurance exercise, burning fat, maintaining the muscle that it does work with its fixed range of motion. Not knocking it, just doesn't sound like it would accomplish your goal.

As far as protein, I've heard that some in excess is not going to harm your kidneys if they are not already damaged, but it would be best to discuss that with your doctor if you have concern. Protein is the building block of muscle, amino acids are the building blocks of protein. I'd look for ways to add more protein without the extra carbs that come in a lot of protein drinks, even those for diabetics. Canned tuna, chicken breast, etc. seemed to be a favorite right after a workout, way back when. I usually use L-Glutamine, an amino acid, right after a bike ride, it's supposed to help with muscle recovery after a workout. I've read you can take it before working out as well. I've taken BCAA (branch chained amino acids) as well. I've also taken L-Arginine at night, it helps build and maintain muscle which supposedly happens when we sleep and its supposed to be good for our cardiovascular health.. I'm sure they probably make more advanced protein drinks and powders than they did back in my younger days. What I remember from back then, they were expensive then. probably so now too. Tuna and chicken breast, I knew there was another good reason.

 

[foodahollic]

Just for completion. If the pain in your calf was at the top of the calf, just behind the knee. It might be from a cholesterol medication.

 

[mbuster]

No sir, its happened once before several years ago. First time I was standing at the end of the bed and leaned over to pick up my keys to go to work. Heard a little pop and felt something around the top of my sock, like an elastic band in the sock broke. I bent back straight up and took a step and hit the ground. The other day I was in the attic with the guys installing a fiber optic cable and was in the middle of the house leaning back into an upright board and stepping on a brace going up and away from me which had my toes pushed back toward my shin. I felt something like a bad charley horse and then felt a little pop in my calf. Luckily I didn't go down and was able to hobble back and get down without doing more damage to me or the house.

I do know the feeling of statins though. I was first put on Zocor, and my calves really hurt. They changed me to Lipitor, that was much better but still some soreness. I quit taking it a few years ago after figuring out that if it can cause muscle damage, and my heart is a muscle, the benefits not worth the risk. I did take a pravastatin after heart surgery, but only agreed to it because of its anti inflammatory properties. I quit it a couple or three of years ago.

 

[foodahollic]

Also, while you are surely correct, That is, do not continue to take Statins if they create problems. I had problems with all of them, one being the cough. Glad to be rid of that. See doctor to stop.

To be complete though, I now take RePatha, the injectable Cholesterol Lowering drug. This drug works quite well, does not have, for me, side effects. I can take an injection of Repatha, and I can feel my heart more able to pump blood around. Good Feeling. Although I my BG might cruise a bit higher for a few days.

Problem being is that Repatha is expensive. Medicare price for Repatha is $650.00 a month. with the additional help I get on Medicare Part D is now about ten dollars for two pens (fourteen days apart). By the end of the year, I expect my Co-Pay for Repatha will be zero. I am aware a lot of folks have much different insurance, even with traditional Medicare being their Primary (I have Original Medicare, fee for service as my Primary)

Curious how much Repatha costs in Canada, UK, France?