What if you could dramatically improve the way cells throughout your body “grab” and process blood sugar—and, as a result, cut your odds for diabetes, heart disease, and even some forms of cancer? What if you could slim and tone your body’s most troublesome spots at the same time, boost your energy, and raise your spirits—without using up more minutes than it takes to watch your favorite TV show?
You can—simply by lacing up your sneakers and heading out the door for a walk most days of the week; working your muscles just 10 minutes a day with a gentle strength-training routine; and taking advantage of opportunities to get more calorie-burning everyday activity such as washing the car, playing with the kids, or tending your rose garden.
Physical activity is a cornerstone of the Sugar Solution plan not only because it blasts calories and transforms puffy, jiggly fat into sleek, firm muscle—mountains of medical studies prove that exercise helps your body process blood sugar more efficiently. The exciting research:
Walking (or riding an exercise bike) reverses dangerous insulin resistance. In a University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, study, women who walked or biked every day for just 7 days improved their insulin sensitivity significantly—meaning their cells no longer ignored insulin’s signals to absorb blood sugar. A University of California, Los Angeles, study of 31 men with metabolic syndrome or type 2 diabetes reported similar results: Daily treadmill walking, in 45- to 60-minute sessions, cut insulin resistance in half after 3 weeks. Why that’s such good news: Insulin resistance raises levels of the hormone insulin in your body and, as a result, increases your risk for diabetes, heart disease, some cancers, and even memory problems and infertility.
Active fun offers serious protection against insulin resistance and prediabetes. A University of Buffalo study of 7,485 men and 5,856 women, ages 20 to 69, found that those who got the most activity during their leisure hours were half as likely to be insulin resistant—putting them at low risk for prediabetic conditions including high-normal blood sugar and metabolic syndrome (a combination of insulin resistance, slightly high blood pressure, slightly high levels of heart-threatening blood fats called triglycerides, and low levels of “good” HDL cholesterol). While some study volunteers engaged in intentional exercise, others simply played sports, gardened, and took walks for pleasure.
Strength training makes cells absorb and burn more blood sugar. In a small but well-designed study from Japan’s Osaka City General Hospital, nine women and men with diabetes performed a short strength-training routine 5 days a week for 4 to 6 weeks. Their insulin sensitivity improved by 48 percent, while a control group that didn’t pump iron saw no improvement.
Combining aerobic exercise and strength training is even better. A Greek study of nine women with type 2 diabetes found that after 4 months of regular strength-training and aerobic workouts (two sessions per week of each), study volunteers lowered their blood sugar by nearly 13 percent and insulin levels 38 percent—signs that muscle cells had become more insulin-sensitive.
Physical activity works its metabolic magic in several ways. As your muscles contract and relax during exercise, they sip more and more glucose from your bloodstream and burn it for energy. But that’s only the beginning.
Exercise also makes muscle cells more sensitive to signals from insulin, the hormone that tells cells to absorb blood sugar. In a University of Missouri–Columbia study, researchers found that sedentary lab rats had fewer insulin receptors on the surface of their muscle cells, giving insulin fewer opportunities to dock and relay its important message. Inside the muscle cells of couch potato rats, proteins that normally accept glucose and begin the process of converting it to energy were also less active. It’s as if muscle cells fall asleep when they’re not used—and it can happen fast. The researchers found that after just 2 days of inactivity, the animals decreased their insulin sensitivity by an amazing 33 percent. The same process occurs in human cells, too, the scientists note. Think about that the next time American Idol or the Home Shopping Network wins out over an evening walk or a trip to the gym.
Exercise also cuts intra-abdominal fat—the fat wrapped around internal organs deep within your belly. This nasty visceral blubber pumps out fatty acids and inflammatory compounds that raise your odds for insulin resistance and, ultimately, type 2 diabetes. You’re at risk if your waistline tops 35 inches for women, 40 inches for men. But a brisk cardio workout, three to five times a week, can melt belly fat. “The length of time should be 40 to 60 minutes,” says Syracuse University exercise physiologist Jill Kanaley, PhD, who found in a recent study that exercise trimmed abdominal fat better than a diet for women who already have diabetes.
Our program combines an easy walking plan geared for your fitness level, a simple strength-training program even a beginner can master, and smart strategies for fitting more movement into your day even when you’re not formally working out.
We believe this three-part plan gives you a distinct edge: You’ll burn more calories; improve cardiovascular health; and build denser, stronger muscles that raise your metabolism so that you burn even more calories all day long. (Studies suggest that weight training can prompt your metabolism to burn 100 or more extra calories per day!) You’ve also got a built-in “fallback” for those busy days when time and your exercise schedule slip away from you. When you’re in the habit of parking farther from the supermarket front door, taking the steps rather than the elevator at work, and playing tag with the kids instead of watching them from the kitchen window, exercise becomes a no-brainer—it’s simply part of your day!
We’ll also show you how to rediscover the pleasure of movement—and find ways to match your personality with fitness activities you’ll truly enjoy. Take the quiz later in this chapter and find out whether you’re a social butterfly or a thoughtful introvert, a competitor or an outdoorswoman—and which activities will best suit your fitness personality.
The details of the Sugar Solution fitness plan:
Walk! If you’ve never walked for fitness before, we’ll show you how to start slowly for big results. By the end of the 28-day plan, walking rookies will be stepping out for 30 minutes of calorie burning every day. Walking veterans will learn how to gradually ramp up to 60 minutes or more. (Of course, you can substitute or mix and match other aerobic activities such as jogging, biking, swimming, cross-country skiing, or an exercise class or video.) You’ll find more information about our walking plan in Chapter 14.
Strength-train! Nine simple exercises—most of which use only your body weight to work your muscles—tone you from head to toe. You can choose to do your strength training in 10-minute segments 6 days a week, in 20-minute bouts 3 days a week, or in 30 minutes just twice a week. What could be more convenient—and you’ll love the way this easy routine builds sleek muscle, whittles your waist, and slims your hips while boosting your metabolism so you burn more calories all day, every day. Read more about our strength-training program, designed by Prevention magazine Fitness Director Michele Stanten, in Chapter 15.
Everyday activity! Ever wonder why women, men, and even kids in 1950s-era snapshots and movies look so svelte? They weren’t swimming laps or training for a 5-K charity run. They simply built more activity into every moment of the day—by rolling up car windows by hand, “spin-drying” clothes through a hand-cranked wringer, washing dishes by hand, and walking to the bus stop and the grocery store. Thanks to modern technology, we’ve got automatic windows; a spin cycle on the washing machine; and a landscape of drive-thru doughnut shops, fast-food joints, banks, even (in some states) beer stores. The result: We’ve engineered about 700 calories’ worth of activity out of every single day. Keep reading—we’ll show you ways to put more calorie-burning movement back into your day wherever you can.
Here’s how various everyday activities stack up as calorie-blasters.
| 10 minutes of… | Burns this many calories… | |
| If you weigh 175 pounds | If you weigh 250 pounds | |
| Washing windows | 48 | 69 |
| Dusting | 31 | 44 |
| Washing floors | 53 | 75 |
| Gardening | 42 | 59 |
| Weeding | 68 | 98 |
| Pushing a mower | 52 | 74 |
| Preparing a meal | 46 | 65 |
| Washing or dressing | 37 | 53 |
| Shoveling snow | 89 | 130 |
| Painting your house | 40 | 55 |
| Chopping firewood | 84 | 121 |
| Working on your car | 43 | 59 |
| Caring for children (babies or toddlers) | 41 | 63 |
| Playing the piano | 32 | 47 |
| Dancing | 60 | 80 |
| Doing electrical work or plumbing | 45 | 65 |
Mayo Clinic endocrinologist James Levine, MD, burns a few extra calories every time he answers his ringing office telephone—because he keeps it stashed in a desk drawer, not out in the open. Dr. Levine, whose research has illuminated the dramatic calorie-burning potential of everyday movement, even hooked up his own computer workstation to a treadmill so that he can walk slowly while he works.
His strategy? Take full advantage of non-exercise-activity thermogenesis, or NEAT—physical activities that can burn hundreds of extra calories every day. In a recent study that monitored 10 overweight couch potatoes and 10 slim couch potatoes for 10 days, Dr. Levine discovered that while neither group bothered with formal exercise, the slim folks burned 350 more calories every day simply because they moved around more. While slim folks walked around the house during commercials, twirled their hair, jiggled their knees, and fidgeted, the overweight folks sat very, very still for 150 minutes longer every single day.
“A person can expend calories either by going to the gym or through everyday activities,” Dr. Levine notes. “Our study shows that the calories burned in everyday activities are far, far more important in obesity than we previously imagined.” And while you don’t have to hide your phone in the kitchen junk drawer, you can make plenty of small changes that get you up and moving. “Use your creativity when looking for ways to overhaul your daily NEAT expenditure,” encourages Dr. Levine. “It’s unlimited and will lead to success.”
You might turn on the radio and dance while your morning coffee perks or vacuum one room of your house before breakfast. Plan a lunch-time excursion every day if you’re home with the kids, or do some stretches when you’re stuck in a traffic jam. “Exercise doesn’t have to be grueling to do you some good,” says Michele Olson, PhD, professor of health and human performance at Auburn University in Montgomery, Alabama. “Research shows it’s the accumulation of movement that counts—whether you walk the dog or do yoga, regular activity is more important than the specific activity.”
One study conducted at the Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research in Dallas, for example, tested 235 formerly inactive men and women for 2 years; participants followed either a lifestyle activities program or a structured exercise program. Both programs produced the same improvements in fitness, heart health, and reduction of body fat percentage, indicating that an overall increase in lifestyle activity is just as effective as a structured exercise program.
How powerful is lifestyle activity? When researchers from the Medical College of Wisconsin crunched the numbers, what they found suggests that your house and garden deserve to be classed as “fitness equipment”—just like your sneakers, your bicycle, and your gym. To burn 100 calories without leaving home, they say, you could:
• Clean the house for 25 to 35 minutes
• Wash dishes or iron clothes for 45 to 50 minutes
• Mow the lawn for 15 to 25 minutes
• Dig your garden with a spade or tiller for 10 to 20 minutes
• Rake leaves for 20 to 25 minutes
• Wash and wax the car for 20 to 25 minutes
• Wash windows for 20 to 30 minutes
• Paint the walls or woodwork using a paintbrush for 35 to 40 minutes
• Shovel snow for 10 to 15 minutes
• Blow snow for 15 to 20 minutes
• Stack firewood for 15 to 20 minutes
More ways to keep your body moving (calorie burn is based on a 150-pound person; if you weigh more, you’ll burn a bit more):
Chew sugarless gum. Moving your jaw muscles burns about 11 calories an hour.
Play tag with your dog. In just 5 or 6 minutes, you’ll burn 40 calories.
Take the stairs, skip the escalator. Burn 16 calories on average per flight.
Window-shop while waiting for a bus or a friend. Burn 35 calories in 10 minutes.
Sing! Belting out “We Are the World” at a karaoke bar burns about 20 calories.
Play with kids. Impromptu games of basketball, touch football, or tag—or just jumping rope or throwing a ball—burn 80 to 137 calories every 10 minutes.
Dance, dance, dance! Turn on your favorite CD at home; hit the dance floor at a party. You’ll burn about 50 calories in 15 minutes.
Join a kickball game. It’s easier to kick a big ball with your foot than it is to whack a tiny, flying baseball with a stick anyway, so go for it—and burn 125 calories in a half hour.
Say yes to miniature golf. Getting your ball past the revolving windmill is as challenging as it was when you were 12 … and you’ll burn 211 calories in an hour.
Move your own furniture. Time to rearrange the living room? Do it yourself and burn 100 calories in 15 minutes.
Dust off your musical skills. Play your piano; pick up your violin, clarinet, or flute. An hour of homemade music could burn 150 calories or more. (If you play drums, the burn’s closer to 280 calories per hour.)
Be sporty at the next neighborhood picnic. Hit the lawn for a round of bocce, croquet, or horseshoes instead of hanging out on the chaise longue. You’ll burn about 100 calories in a half hour.
Turn TV time into exercise time. Between the credits and commercials, at least 20 minutes of every television hour is stuff you don’t really have to watch closely. Use this built-in downtime for a simple workout routine: Do warmups during the opening credits (try walking in place or jumping jacks). During the commercials, march or jog in place or do crunches, toe touches, and squats. You could even use TV time to do your strength-training routine (for details, see Chapter 15).
Whether you need a change from your current exercise routine or are ready to tackle exercise for the first time, the quiz below will help you identify activities you will enjoy and stick with, based on your personality, schedule, and workout goals. Take each section of the quiz and combine the results of the three parts to get a profile of your workout preferences—what we call your fitness personality.
1. As a kid, the activities I liked best were:
a. Gymnastics, cheerleading, jumping rope, or dance classes
b. Playing outside—building forts, climbing trees, exploring the woods
c. Competitive sports
d. Playing with dolls, reading, coloring, or art projects
e. Parties, playing with my friends
2. My favorite hobbies today are:
a. Anything new and challenging
b. Outside activities: gardening, walking the dog, watching the stars, etc.
c. Tennis, card or board games, team and/or spectator sports
d. Reading, movies, needlecraft, painting, or anything that provides an escape
e. Group activities with friends—anything from a walking or book group to just talking
3. I get motivated to exercise if:
a. I get a new exercise video or piece of equipment, or I try a totally new class
b. I get a new piece of exercise equipment I can use outside, I discover a new walking or jogging path, or the weather is nice
c. I’m challenged with some competition
d. I find an exercise that I get really into to the point that I forget my surroundings
e. I exercise in a group
4. I prefer to exercise:
a. Indoors, in a gym or at home
b. Outdoors
c. Wherever there’s a chance to win
d. Wherever I’m not the center of attention
e. In a gym or fitness center
Mostly a’s or a mixture of letters: The Learner. “You’re always trying something new—today you’re painting; a few years ago you did photography,” says Dr. Olson. You also welcome physical and mental challenges.
Choose activities that help you explore new moves, such as aerobics classes, African dance (or any form of dance), Pilates, Tae-Bo, tai chi, seated aerobics, in-line skating, skipping rope, fencing, or rebounding (aerobics on a mini trampoline).
Mostly b’s: The Outdoors-woman. Fresh air is your energizer, so why not include nature in your exercise routine? Try hiking, biking, nature walking, gardening, or crosscountry skiing. If you have a piece of home exercise equipment you love, drag it out to the patio on a nice day. Or sit and do yoga on your back porch.
Mostly c’s: The Competitor. “You naturally like one-on-one, competitive types of activities,” says Dr. Olson. Try fencing, cardio kickboxing, Tae-Bo, tai chi, or spinning classes.
If you excelled in or enjoyed a sport when you were younger, take it up again. “If you can’t play anymore due to injuries, consider coaching—you’ll stay active by demonstrating the drills and exercises, and you’ll help others learn to play,” says Dr. Olson.
Mostly d’s: The Thoughtful Introvert. You’re a “disassociative exerciser,” meaning you fantasize or think of events in your life when you exercise, rather than the exercise itself. “Because you enjoy activities like reading, where you get lost in a story and forget your surroundings, you will like mind/body activities like yoga,” says Dr. Olson.
Also try nature walking or hiking. “You’ll probably prefer walking in a beautiful place out in the country or on a neat nature trail to treadmill walking,” Dr. Olson says.
Mostly e’s: The Social Butterfly. As a people person, you tend to prefer the gym to exercising in your living room. Try aerobics classes, kickboxing, seated aerobics, yoga, spinning classes, step classes, water aerobics, Tae-Bo, and tai chi classes. For weight lifting, find a buddy or two and do circuit training.
5. My primary exercise goal is:
a. To lose weight/tone up
b. To relax and/or relieve stress
c. To have fun
d. It depends on how I feel
6. I prefer:
a. A lot of structure in my workout
b. Some structure, but not too much
c. No structure
d. It depends on my mood
7. I prefer to exercise:
a. Alone
b. With one other person
c. In a group
d. It depends on my mood
Mostly a’s: The Gung-Ho Exerciser. You don’t mess around when you work out. “You’ll benefit most from doing what I call volume-based exercise, where you spend an extended amount of time doing a specific activity, like cycling, aerobics, or using elliptical machines, treadmills, stairclimbers, etc., at a moderate intensity,” says Dr. Olson. For optimal weight-loss benefits, you should burn 2,000 calories a week. One way to achieve this would be to perform 30 minutes of aerobic-based exercise daily and combine this with three sessions of weight training a week.
Mostly b’s: The Leisurely Exerciser. Your main exercise objectives are to relax and de-stress. Studies have shown a direct relationship between physical activity and stress reduction. “If you’re stressed and you have energy to burn, interval workouts work well,” Dr. Olson says. Hop on the treadmill or head outside and walk for 5 minutes, then pick up the pace for a minute, and then return to your usual speed. Repeat this sequence several times.
Circuit strength training is another great option. Here, you do one set of an exercise for one muscle group and then follow up with one set of another exercise for a different muscle group. Continue until you’ve completed one set of each exercise, then go back through the series of exercises for a second set and perhaps even a third set. These types of workouts help reduce overall stress hormone levels, Dr. Olson says.
Mostly c’s: The Fun-Loving Exerciser. Fifty straight minutes on the treadmill is not your bag. You’ll be most likely to stick to activities that are already an integral part of your schedule. “Instead of leaving your dog crying in the house while you head to the gym, run around with him in the backyard,” says Dr. Olson. Grab your in-line skates and circle the neighborhood. Put on your favorite music CD and dance around the living room.
Mostly d’s: The Flexible Exerciser. Exercise turns you on, but routine doesn’t. You’d rather fly by the seat of your gym shorts—which is fine. “If you don’t want to lift weights one day, go ahead and take a leisurely walk or yoga class instead,” says Dr. Olson.
To add variety, use the elliptical machine one day, the treadmill the next, and the cross-country skiing machine the next.
8. I have the most energy:
a. In the morning
b. In the middle of the day
c. In the evening or at night
d. My energy level fluctuates
9. I have the most time:
a. In the morning
b. In the middle of the day
c. In the evening
d. It depends on the day
10. I go to bed:
a. Early and get up early
b. And get up at the same time every day, but not particularly early or late
c. Late and get up late
d. Whenever I feel like it
Mostly a’s: The Morning Dove. You like to get chores out of the way as soon as you get up because that’s when you have the most energy. “Exercising in the morning will fit better with your whole psyche,” Dr. Olson says. Whether you go to the gym before you start your day or you head outside for a dawn walk, you’ll have an edge over those who hit the snooze button a few more times.
Mostly b’s: The Midday Duck. You’d rather plop down on an exercise bike than in front of a sandwich when noon rolls around. That’s fine. Whether you’re at home or work, exercise is a great way to break up your day.
Mostly c’s: The Night Owl. You haven’t seen a sunrise since that all-night party in 1974. If you have more energy at night, that’s the time to exercise.
Mostly d’s or an even mixture of letters: The Flexible Bird. The best time of day for you to exercise varies with your schedule. Just go with it. “In the summer, when I’m not teaching classes, I do all my exercise in the morning. But when my schedule changes in the fall, I do it in the afternoon—my body has to make a little transition, but it adjusts,” says Dr. Olson.