Stepping and jogging exercise improves diabetes and hypertension

Improve diabetes through slow pedaling exercise

Diabetes is a representative disease of lifestyle diseases. Among them, type 2 diabetes accounts for 95% and is a disease caused by genetics, lack of exercise and lifestyle habits. The human body originally has a mechanism that first breaks down sugar into glucose in the stomach and intestines, and then transports it to cells throughout the body for consumption.

At this time, it is the hormone insulin that transports glucose into the cells. However, people with type 2 diabetes have reduced levels of this insulin, or may be able to secrete insulin but their mechanism of responding to glucose does not function properly. As a result, there is excess glucose in the blood, which can cause various complications. Many people have improved their severe diabetes through the exercise classes we organize. This shows that slow pedaling is very effective in lowering blood sugar levels

Glucose is broken down in cells

Carbohydrates and sugars that enter the mouth are broken down in the digestive organs, converted into glucose and enter the blood. Once the glucose level in the blood increases, the pancreas immediately secretes insulin to lower the blood sugar level. Insulin is a receptor attached to the cell membrane that can open the lock on the cell and allow glucose to enter the cell, thus playing the role of transporting glucose. Type 2 diabetes is a disease caused by the failure of this mechanism to function properly.

Jogging can also effectively improve high blood pressure

According to a 2006 survey by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, about 60% of Japanese men aged 40 to 74 have high blood pressure, while about 40% of women do. When the highest blood pressure when the heart contracts (systolic blood pressure) is above 140 mmHg, or the lowest blood pressure when the heart expands (diastolic blood pressure) is above 90 mmHg, it is hypertension. If this condition continues, it will cause a burden on the heart and blood vessels. In the worst case, it will lead to myocardial infarction and stroke. Slow pedaling exercise such as jogging can also effectively improve high blood pressure.

Even for patients with severe hypertension, if they develop the habit of jogging for thirty minutes to one hour a day, three to five times a week, their blood pressure will return to normal after about three months. Therefore, simply through exercise, you can lower your blood pressure, which cannot be lowered by medication, and of course, your physical strength will naturally improve.

*Lowering high blood pressure through jogging*

A dozen hypertensive patients with an average age of 75.5 were asked to continue to perform slow pedaling exercises. Because these people took antihypertensive drugs, their highest blood pressure was below 150 mmHg from the beginning, but after three months of exercise, their blood pressure dropped significantly.

This article is from Times Culture's "Slow Movement"