By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=K_Martin]K Martin

We all know that exercise is important for everyone, and diabetics are no exception to that rule. Exercise helps control weight, regulates blood sugar levels, and improves circulation. Regular exercise can also reduce stress, cholesterol, and high blood pressure. If you’re ready to begin a new exercise routine, or if you’d like to reevaluate your current level of exercise, there is one question you might want to ask yourself: as a diabetic, what kind of exercise is best for me, aerobic exercise or weight resistance training?

Aerobic exercise, commonly referred to as cardio, raises the heart rate and the breathing rate while working major muscle groups. Cardio burns blood sugar and stored fat, and is recommended by most doctors for their diabetic patients. Dancing, swimming, aerobics, tennis, basketball, and bicycling are all forms of aerobic exercise. Cardio offers all of the benefits mentioned above, and is especially important for diabetics.

Cardio workouts, though, do little to increase muscle mass. To increase your overall fitness, the most effective way to do so is to add weight resistance training to your cardio routine. Using dumbbells or weight resistance machines two to three times a week can lead to a marked improvement in muscle gain and fat loss over the long term. Moreover, when you gain muscle, you increase the number of calories that you burn not only during your workouts, but all day long.

Another form of weight resistance training uses the weight of your own body: bodyweight exercises. Push-ups, crunches, lunges, squats, pull-ups, dips, and other bodyweight exercises require no special equipment and can be done in the privacy of your own home. If you abhor the gym, bodyweight exercises may be the right option for you. Many athletes today, such as gymnasts, martial artists, and wrestlers, use bodyweight exercises to develop a strong overall physique without overdeveloping specific groups of muscles. Even the military uses bodyweight exercises to whip new recruits into shape! Bodyweight exercises also offer the advantage of fewer injuries versus traditional weight resistance training.

If weight resistance training is truly unappealing to you, try to incorporate cardiovascular exercises that are also weight-bearing. These include walking, stair climbing, jogging, elliptical training, and other similar exercises.

To make your exercise routine well-rounded, flexibility exercises are important. Stretching and yoga are excellent ways to increase or maintain flexibility, and are gentle enough for anyone to do. In addition, warming up before exercise and cooling down afterwards help prevent injuries and will allow you to get the most out of your workout. Whatever exercise you choose, be sure to follow these three rules:

Check with your doctor before beginning any new exercise routine.

Monitor your blood sugar level carefully, before, during, and after exercise. Keep snacks available during workouts in case you experience a drop in blood sugar.

If you experience numbness in the feet, check each foot carefully every day for blisters, cuts, or other injuries. Be sure your footwear fits properly and offers as much support as you need. If your shoes become worn, replace them regularly.

Now get on out there and exercise! Whether you choose cardio, weight resistance training, or a combination of the two, all exercise is of benefit to diabetics.

You can find more articles about diabetes health and news at [http://destinationdiabetes.americandiabeteswholesale.com/]Destination Diabetes

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Avandia is a prescription drug that is used to treat type 2 diabetes mellitus. It can be used alone or in combination with other diabetes medications. It increases the response to insulin made in the body without stimulating more insulin production.

Other activities like diet control, weight loss, and exercise should be tried as an attempt to control diabetes before starting with Avandia. This medication works best if combined with exercises and proper diet.

People under the age of 18 should avoid Avandia. There are several chemical ingredients like rosiglitazone maleate, in Avandia. Anyone allergic to such substances should avoid this drug.

Your doctor should be made aware of your health conditions, before prescribing this medication. For example, if you have any heart disorders or history of heart failure, you should let your doctor know.

Furthermore, if you have juvenile diabetes (Type 1), a history of diabetic ketoacidosis, or diabetic eye disease known as Macular Edema, you should make this information available to your doctor.

If you have any sort of liver problems, a blood test is recommended. If you are taking any other diabetes medications such as Troglitazon make sure your doctor is aware of this. Better to be safe than sorry.

Any woman who is pregnant or attempting to become pregnant should not take it. At present there is no data to indicate whether or not Avandia is harmful to unborn children. But why take that risk. You should also avoid taking this while breastfeeding. Remember to consult your doctor about choices of birth control, since intake of Avandia may lead to unwanted pregnancies.

Bear in mind, that Avandia can react with the other drugs and produce unpleasant side effects. Therefore, you must let your physician know about all the medicines (OTC drugs, vitamins, or herbal supplements) you take, to avoid any potential risk of side effects.

Like any other drug, Avandia comes with a list of possible side effects. Avandia causes fluid retention and people with heart problems increase the risk of heart failure by taking this medication. Swelling due to fluid retention could occur as well. Be cautious, if you notice symptoms such as swelling of ankles or legs, shortness of breath, rapid increase in weight, or excessive fatigue, with no apparent reason, tell your doctor right away.

Hypoglycemia or low blood sugar may occur. Some symptoms of this include, dizziness and shakiness.

Apart from fluid retention, Avandia also retains extra body fat resulting in weight gain. It also promotes ovulation resulting in higher chances of becoming pregnant. This is more common in premenopausal women.

Liver related problems could be a major side effect. Get a blood check done to make sure that everything is right with the liver before taking Avandia. In fact, get the check up done, during the course of taking Avandia, to make sure no problems have cropped up without your knowledge. Nausea or vomiting, abdominal pain, unusual fatigue, loss of appetite, dark colored urine, yellow skin or yellowing of the whites of the eyes are some of the common symptoms of Avandia. If you notice any of these symptoms, visit your doctor as soon as possible.

Disclaimer - The information presented here should not be interpreted as or substituted for medical advice. Please talk to your doctor for more information about Avandia.

Article Source: ABC Article Directory

The Author: Heather Colman