Questions & Answers - Part 3: Improving Stamina/Training While Being Diabetic

Hi Jim

Thanks for your interesting newsletter & humor. I enjoy receiving your mail. I started training 3 months ago, I do about 1h30m-2h a day.  I've find that I have no or very little stamina. I went on a fairly easy hike and it was hell, I turned around and went home. I need tips on how to build stamina. I normally do 15m treadmill, 15m rowing, the super circuit one day and the next day the cardio circuit. In the 1st month I did aerobics, kickboxing, pilates and step classes but stopped after an
injury to my leg & foot. I'm fine now and go to gym daily. Any ideas?

Thanks & many blessings.

Sevenisia Korasie
Customer Service Consultant

JC:  Thanks for your email Sevenisia.  I would have to say that you’re running out of stamina most likely because of two primary reasons.

1. Your nutrition is lacking.  More specifically, you’re not eating enough calories throughout the day.  You’re not getting enough fibrous foods such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains.  You’re also probably not drinking enough water which is making you dehydrated and causing you to fatigue prematurely.  There could be other factors wrong with your nutrition as well, but you definitely need an overhaul.   

2. You’re over-exercising.  Unless you’re an athlete, it’s not necessary to train 1 ½ - 2 hours a day.  And if you just started to train 3 months ago, this is WAY too much for you.  You need to crawl before you can run.  Your body is not used to 15 minutes - let alone 2 hours.  Speaking of which, this is probably why you injured yourself as well.  I admire the fact that you’re willing to commit this much time to bettering yourself, however, you’re gonna want to cut back.

So, first and foremost, I recommend that you thoroughly analyze your nutrition.  How many times are you eating a day?  How many calories are you getting?  What types of foods?  How much water? etc., etc., etc.  My Nutrition Secrets to Success program will help you answer all these questions and provide the strong foundation you need to improve your stamina plus much more.

Second, you need to start at a beginner level with your exercise.  Once you feel tired with your exercise program, this means your glycogen levels (blood sugar) are starting to decrease, and you’re gonna need to stop pretty soon.  You need to listen to your body.  As you begin to perfect your nutrition, overtime, this will eventually help you progress with your workouts.  But this doesn’t happen overnight.  Give it time.   

Good Luck!

Hi Jim,

My question involves being a diabetic.  I find waiting to exercise 2 to 3 hours after a meal, much too long and it invariably leads to a blood sugar crash.  Therefore, I generally exercise as soon as possible after a meal and take insulin accordingly, that is, less insulin before the meal, if I plan to exercise after that meal.  Personally, I never get an upset stomach; however this may be because my exercise regime is not as strenuous as recommended.

Which brings me to the second question?  With medical bone density linked to 'severe' osteoporosis how gentle should the weight training be in the beginning?
As you may have guessed, and after reading the book "The Myth of Osteoporosis'  I am somewhat skeptical of the horror stories the osteoporosis clinic pharmacist and doctor have been predicting for me if I don't immediately begin on untested, unproven (at least the studies are too short-term to convince me and my endocrinologist as well) and the many cautions while believing that some caution is warranted.  What is your view?

Thanks.

Dianne

JC: Thanks for your email Dianne.  Regarding the first part, since you are a diabetic, that’s perfectly fine that you exercise right after you eat.  In fact, I encourage you to. 

The only reason I tell clients to incorporate that tip is mainly for fat burning.  But it’s not that big a deal, and given your situation - it isn’t important.  The most important thing for you is to be eating frequently throughout the day to ensure proper blood stabilization. 

Once you have a firm grip on this, then you can figure out when is the best time to incorporate your workout.  The last thing you want to worry about is your blood sugar levels crashing.

As far as the upset stomach goes, you hit the nail on the head.  I tell people to wait 2-3 hours after they’ve eaten to exercise because their regimen may be too challenging and may put strain on their digestion process.  Now, it’s not something that I would be too overly concerned about, but you do want to be aware of it.

Alright, the second part of question.  I should start by saying that I am not a doctor or physical therapist, so, if you feel that exercise may be too strenuous on your body at this point in time, you may want to pay them a visit and see what they have to say.

However, I will say that strength training is the perfect solution to fighting osteoporosis.
It not only strengthens your muscles, ligaments and tendons, but most importantly…your bones.

Light weight training is fine to start with, but if you’re really concerned about putting too much burden on your body, that’s completely understandable.  I would first start with the body-weight calisthenics and resistance band exercises that I teach in The In-Home Personal Trainer program. 

These exercises are more natural and easier on the joints.  This is not saying that weight training will injure you; it’s just a good idea to start with your bodyweight first, then bands, then the free weight exercises. 

All you have to do is follow my exact instructions on the “Introduction DVD” from the program and you’ll be on your way to a kick-arse body.

All the best!

Well, that about wraps it up.

If you any fitness related qustions you would like answered, be sure to send them to me and I will do my best to send you the answers in future blogs.

Have a great week!

Yours in Total Fitness & Maximum Success,

Jim Coughlin

P.S. I have an upcoming cover story being done on myself from a local paper near the St. Louis area that should be out sometime this week. I'll keep you posted.