Med Health News

Category: Fitness

  • How Exercise Can Naturally Raise Your Basal Insulin Sensitivity

    How Exercise Can Naturally Raise Your Basal Insulin Sensitivity

    If you’re suffering from diabetes mellitus type 2, your doctor may have prescribed basal insulin shots to help you manage your blood sugar levels. But basal insulin therapy can also cause some unwanted side effects, and some serious conditions. Naturally boosting your basal insulin sensitivity with exercise may be a safer way to help keep your blood sugar levels normal.

    What Is Basal Insulin?

    Everyone, both diabetes mellitus type 2 sufferers and non-diabetics, has low background levels of insulin circulating in their bloodstream to allow cells to take in sugar to fuel their life-sustaining processes. This background insulin is called basal insulin. Long after you’ve eaten, fat is broken down into sugar to help keep your blood sugar levels normal – basal insulin thus also helps to ensure the sugar from broken down fat don’t reach high levels.

    But both diabetes mellitus type 2 and type 1 sufferers produce not enough basal insulin to keep the sugar from fat breakdown from building up to high levels in their bloodstreams.

    How Basal Insulin Fits Into Diabetes Mellitus Type 2 Treatments

    Artificial and natural basal insulin can be given to diabetes mellitus patients if they’re not making enough or any of their own basal insulin. Diabetes mellitus type 2 patients aren’t given basal insulin until their blood sugar levels can’t be managed by most other medications. If metformin is in the first line of pharmacological intervention, then basal insulin is in the last line of diabetes mellitus type 2 treatment.

    Most diabetes mellitus type 2 medications are taken orally, but basal insulin shots are injected subcutaneously. This can be very discouraging for diabetes mellitus type 2 patients because now they’ll have to inject themselves routinely – which isn’t something most people start out feeling comfortable with. The good news is, researchers have developed oral basal insulin tablets that are as effective as basal insulin shots.

    Even though about 60 percent of diabetes mellitus type 2 patients progress to require basal insulin shots to manage their blood sugar levels, they still feel the stigma that their condition is worsening. From their diabetes mellitus education, they know that diabetes mellitus type 1 patients require basal insulin, while diabetes mellitus type 2 patients don’t always need it.

    When their doctors tell them he needs to add basal insulin therapy to their treatment, for some it’s like they’re losing the distinction between their condition and diabetes mellitus type 1. They understand that their pancreas may have become impaired and is now producing lower levels of basal insulin or none at all. They know very well that this is the situation diabetes mellitus type 1 patients are born with or develop – and now they’ve reached the same circumstances.

    The possible adverse effects of basal insulin shots contribute to the fear diabetes mellitus type 2 patients feel about them. If they administer incorrectly, they could risk developing hypoglycemia, which is a risk present even when they follow their doctor’s instructions to the letter. The effectiveness of a basal insulin shot also changes with the time you administer, your routine activities surrounding the time of administration, and your eating habits. That’s why the basal insulin shot routine is highly individualized and must be curtailed to a specialized fit for each diabetes mellitus patient.




    How Exercise Helps Lower the Number of Basal Insulin Shots You Need Daily

    Researchers may have found hope for naturally helping diabetes mellitus patients better manage their basal insulin and lessen their dependency on basal insulin shots. They found that a single bout of moderate to vigorous exercise, like cycling for 15 minutes, boosts overall insulin sensitivity for a maximum of 48 hours.

    If you have diabetes mellitus and your pancreas is still producing basal insulin, this means that exercising makes your cells more receptive to these low levels of basal insulin. This causes your blood sugar levels to drop more so than they normally would. This means that exercising makes your body require fewer or lower doses of basal insulin shots.

    But researchers caution that this increased insulin sensitivity goes away if you stop exercising for six to eight days straight. They conclude that exercising regularly will maintain this whole-body insulin sensitivity boost.

    If you’re being prescribed basal insulin shots, exercising is a safe and natural way to help you make a stand against your diabetes mellitus. Exercising regularly lowers your dependency on your basal insulin therapy and helps you avoid scary side effects like hypoglycemia and weight gain that come with taking basal insulin.

  • Why You Should Ask Your Doctor to Switch You From These Diabetes Mellitus Medications That May Actually Cause Diabetes in the Long Term

    Why You Should Ask Your Doctor to Switch You From These Diabetes Mellitus Medications That May Actually Cause Diabetes in the Long Term

    Being proactive about your diabetes mellitus treatment is important. Sometimes there are safer alternatives to what your doctor is prescribing. Here are some common diabetes mellitus medications that actually worsen the condition.

    Contrary to popular belief, doctors don’t always know what’s best for your health. They’re trained to be competent, not excellent. They may prescribe you antibiotics for acne without telling you to stay away from dairy products, which have been proven to exacerbate acne. The same is true for diabetes mellitus treatment. Did you know there are some diabetes mellitus medications that can actually exacerbate the disease in the long run?

    If your doctor has you on these diabetes mellitus meds, here’s why and what you should ask him to switch you to:

    1. Rosiglitazone (Avandia)

    Dr. Louise Aronne, M.D. of New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Medical Center says that some doctors don’t know that some diabetes mellitus medications have weight gain as a proven side effect. Rosiglitazone, also known by its brand name Avandia, is one such drug. It increases insulin sensitivity. But it’s also known to increase your risk for heart disease and weight gain.

    In fact, the National Institutes of Health say that Avandia can cause rapid weight gain. In one study on mice given rosiglitazone, they gained significantly more weight than the control group of mice fed the same diet.

    Safer alternative: Metformin

    Metformin is also a medication used to treat diabetes mellitus, but it’s been shown to cause weight loss instead of weight gain. It helps lower insulin resistance, but also lowers your appetite. It can also prevent some diabetes mellitus complications, like kidney failure, blindness, and neuropathy.

    2. Pioglitazone (Actos)

    Pioglitazone, which is also known by the brand name Actos, is used to treat diabetes mellitus type 2 by lowering blood sugar levels. But researchers also found that pioglitazone caused significant weight gain in diabetes mellitus type 2 patients even though it lowered their fasting blood sugar levels.

    Safer alternative: Sitagliptin (Januvia)

    Sitagliptin, which is also known by the brand name Januvia, boosts insulin levels by inhibiting the dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) enzyme. DPP-4 increases blood sugar levels by promoting glucagon production and secretion. With DPP-4 inhibited, insulin release is promoted because the hormones that downregulate it can’t activate.

    Sitagliptin doesn’t cause weight gain, and has actually been found to help prevent diabetes mellitus complications. Researchers found that sitagliptin helps prevent neuropathy and kidney failure by lowering inflammation, cell damage, and cell death in the nervous system and kidneys.

    3. Glibenclamide (Glyburide)

    Glibenclamide, which is also known as glyburide, is another diabetes mellitus medication that can cause weight gain. It boosts your insulin levels by binding to your pancreas’s insulin-producing cells and stimulating them to make more insulin.

    But glibenclamide has been found to cause weight gain. Researchers found that patients on glibenclamide gained about 3.74 more pounds, on average, than diabetes mellitus patients who simply made dietary changes.

    Safer alternative: Exenatide (Byetta)

    Exenatide, which is also known by the brand name Byetta, is an injectable medication that treats diabetes mellitus type 2. It’s injected within an hour before the first and last meals of the day, but there is also a once-a-week only dose. It acts on your pancreas’s cells and boosts insulin production while also lowering its glucagon production. It also slows down the absorption of sugar in your gut, which helps control blood sugar levels by preventing blood sugar spikes.

    Best of all, it also helps suppress your appetite, which leads to weight loss. Researchers found that diabetes mellitus patients on exenatide experience a long-term weight loss effect due to increased satiety.

    Exenatide’s common side effects are usually mild gastrointestinal symptoms, but it can also cause pancreatitis.




    4. Glipizide (Glucotrol)

    Glipizide, which is also known by the brand name Glucotrol, is another diabetes mellitus medication that acts on your pancreas’s insulin-producing cells to promote insulin production. But researchers found that glipizide caused an average weight gain of about 2.65 pounds in diabetes mellitus patients.

    Safer alternative: Pramlintide (Symlin)

    Pramlintide, which is also known by the brand name Symlin, is a medication that can treat diabetes mellitus type 1 and 2. It’s a compound that mimics amylin, and is injected to enter directly into the bloodstream. It helps inhibit glucagon production and suppresses your appetite.

    Researchers found that pramlintide caused an average weight loss of 3.75 pounds in diabetes mellitus type 1 patients and 8.16 pounds in diabetes mellitus type 2 patients after a year of treatment.

    If you’re on any of these potentially diabetes mellitus-causing medications that may also increase your risk for diabetes mellitus complications, you should consider asking your doctor about these safer alternatives since they promote weight loss and can even protect you from diabetes mellitus complications.

    How Weight Gain Can Cause and Exacerbate Diabetes Mellitus in the Long Term

    Diabetes mellitus type 2 is an unavoidable condition for only a minority of sufferers, like those with improperly functioning glands that result in obesity. The secret truth is that diabetes mellitus type 2 is a disease that’s mostly caused by a careless lifestyle. It turns out that about 90 percent of diabetes mellitus type 2 patients are overweight or obese. That means that if you’re not carelessly putting on the pounds, you’re only facing the risk of being in the 10 percent of normal weight diabetes mellitus patients. But if you’re not watching your weight, then you risk becoming one of the 90 percent of high BMI diabetes mellitus patients.

    Researchers also found that losing weight boosts insulin sensitivity even without exercise. They also found that obese diabetes mellitus patients who went on a calorie-restricted diet for only a week experienced a significant decrease in insulin resistance. These findings point to the conclusion that becoming fat can slowly cause the development of diabetes mellitus, while losing weight helps prevent and treat it.

    The theory (which seems to be correct, given all the evidence) is that when you get too fat, your body doesn’t want to store any more energy as fat. Since insulin tells your cells to take in energy, your cells start rejecting the excess energy by not responding to insulin. Then, when you lose weight, your body has the capacity to store energy again and your cells become responsive to insulin again.

    Another way to look at it is like when the milkman comes around the neighborhood delivering milk. If households are out of milk, they’ll welcomingly open their doors. But if they’ve still got a stockpile, their doors remain closed. If everyone has a stockpile of milk, the milkman ends up with a surplus of undelivered milk. The milkman is like sugar in your bloodstream, and the houses are like your cells. When you have a normal weight and have a great insulin response, your cells welcomingly take in the sugar. When you’ve got a stockpile of energy stored and have diabetes mellitus, your cells don’t “open the door” and the sugar builds up to high levels in your bloodstream. But once you get rid of the stockpile (losing weight), then your cells will welcome sugar again.

    But don’t think that you’ll automatically develop diabetes mellitus by becoming overweight or obese – only 30 percent of overweight and obese patients suffer from diabetes mellitus. Just consider that being fat is one of the major risk factors for diabetes mellitus. That’s why these diabetes mellitus medications that cause weight gain actually make your condition worse in the long run. In the short term, the medications lower your blood sugar levels, but if they make you fatter, then you’re only worsening your insulin response in the long term. It’s like they’re putting out the smoke but adding to the fire.

    Natural Supplements That Can Boost Insulin Sensitivity While Helping You Lose Weight

    If you’re now convinced to switch to these safer diabetes mellitus medications that promote weight loss, consider that even they have side effects (albeit less harmful). The good news is that there are natural, holistically healthy supplements that have been proven to lower insulin resistance, help normalize blood sugar levels, and promote weight loss. Of course, these won’t work as fast or efficient as pharmaceuticals, but they’re safer and healthy for your whole body. Here are a few:

    1. Fish Oil

    Researchers found that fish oil supplementation has protective effects against neuropathy arising from diabetes mellitus complications. They also found that diabetes mellitus type 2 patients who supplemented with more fish oil experienced a greater decrease in body mass index, blood sugar levels, and lipid levels. They concluded that taking fish oil supplements can help diabetes mellitus type 2 patients manage their blood sugar levels and protect them from heart disease arising from diabetes mellitus complications.

    But fish oil is also good for your brain and has been found to protect you from neurodegenerative disorders, like Alzheimer’s. It also has been found to boost your cognition. Supplementing with fish oil has also been proven to lower depression.

    Fish oil also lowers your overall inflammation, and researchers found that fish oil supplements are a good alternative to anti-inflammatory medications. Since diabetes mellitus increases overall inflammation, fish oil supplementation helps counteract that.

    Fish oil also lowers your overall risk for developing cancer. More benefits from fish oil supplementation are still being discovered by scientists. But because of its lowering effects on insulin resistance, blood sugar levels, and weight, as well as its protective effects against diabetes mellitus complications, it’s definitely a supplement you should be taking if you have diabetes mellitus type 2.

    2. Magnesium

    Magnesium is a vital element everyone needs daily whether they have diabetes mellitus or not. But researchers found that most people suffering from diabetes mellitus type 2 are deficient in magnesium. They say that magnesium regulates insulin, and a magnesium deficiency can worsen insulin resistance. They even say that not getting enough magnesium is one of the risk factors for diabetes mellitus because there’s evidence that it lowers insulin sensitivity in people who don’t have diabetes mellitus.

    These researchers found that high blood sugar levels cause your body to excrete more magnesium into your urine, which worsens the magnesium deficiency. But they also found that most diabetes mellitus type 2 patients don’t take in enough magnesium through their diet.

    Magnesium deficiency in diabetes mellitus patients has also been linked with increasing the risk for diabetes mellitus complications. They found that very low levels of magnesium is a sign of neuropathy, while also increasing the prevalence of arrhythmias.

    The good news is that taking in higher levels of magnesium (without overdosing) has been shown to boost insulin sensitivity, lower overall inflammation, and delay the development of diabetes mellitus type 2. Although most doctors ignore the magnesium status of diabetes mellitus type 2 patients, researchers found that supplementing with magnesium lowers both their fasting and postprandial blood sugar levels, while also boosting their insulin sensitivity.

    These researchers conclude that supplementing with magnesium is a potentially viable diabetes mellitus type 2 treatment because of its beneficial effects on blood sugar levels and insulin response, and because it lowers the risk of diabetes mellitus complications by lowering inflammation and helping neutralize the elevated levels of free radicals caused by the condition.

    3. Vitamin D

    Vitamin D deficiency also plagues most people suffering from diabetes mellitus type 2. They also found that supplementing with vitamin D boosts insulin sensitivity and insulin production by the pancreas. Some studies have found that supplementing with vitamin D in conjunction with calcium lowers fasting blood sugar levels.

    Researchers also found that diabetes mellitus type 1 patients who were vitamin D deficient experienced better blood sugar level control after supplementing with vitamin D. Researchers also found that vitamin D deficient diabetes mellitus type 2 patients can enjoy the same enhanced blood sugar level control if they supplement with vitamin D.

    They also found that taking vitamin D promotes weight loss and suppresses your appetite by boosting your leptin levels, which is the hormone responsible for making you feel full. If you take vitamin D and it leads to you having a lower BMI, then supplementation helps directly treat your diabetes mellitus in the long run.

    Vitamin D also lowers cortisol levels, which lowers stress and inflammation. All these health benefits make vitamin D a necessary daily supplement if you’re suffering with diabetes mellitus. Given that vitamin D deficiency is prevalent among diabetes mellitus sufferers and that supplementing with vitamin D seems to help insulin sensitivity and lower blood sugar levels, there is a strong chance that vitamin D deficiency is one of the major risk factors for diabetes mellitus, which makes daily supplementation even important.

    If you’re vitamin D deficient, supplementing with vitamin D can only be good for your body. And even if you’re not deficient, getting higher levels of vitamin D has been shown to lower depression, boost bone health, boost immunity, protect your cardiovascular system, and protect against neurodegenerative disorders.




    But It Doesn’t Always Have to Be About the Pills and Injections. You Can Proactively Boost Your Insulin Sensitivity With These Physical Diabetes Mellitus Treatments

    Although taking diabetes mellitus supplements and medications are probably the quickest ways to boost your insulin sensitivity and lower your blood sugar levels, did you know there are also natural, healthy activities you can do that can improve your insulin response and normalize your blood sugar levels over a longer period of time?

    Here are a few you can try:

    1. Intermittent Fasting

    Simply change your eating habits to include a daily fast. Researchers found that diabetes mellitus type 2 patients who ate two large meals a day experienced weight loss, lower blood sugar levels, and increased insulin sensitivity. Specifically, the patients took their calorie-restricted six meals per day and combined them into breakfast and lunch. They didn’t eat dinner or any other meal besides those two.

    This diet regimen falls under intermittent fasting because you’re essentially starving your body between lunch and the next day’s breakfast. Intermittent fasting has been found to protect your cardiovascular health, help you live longer, improve your immunity, lower inflammation, and more.

    But it’s all or nothing – you have to commit to eating only breakfast and lunch. Breaking that arrangement by eating dinner will make you go over your daily calorie restriction and put you in danger for weight gain and high blood sugar levels.

    2. Exercise

    The American Diabetes Association (ADA) says that exercising can help boost insulin sensitivity and lower your blood sugar levels. It makes sense – if your muscles suddenly need more energy because you’re using them more, then they’ll take in more sugar from your bloodstream, which helps lower your overall blood sugar levels.

    Here are the two kinds of exercises they recommend the most for diabetes mellitus patients:

    Three days of aerobic exercise every week. The ADA says that diabetes mellitus patients should do moderate-to-vigorous aerobic exercise at least three times per week. They actually recommend exercising five times per week for 30 minutes each session, but say that you can also exercise a total of two and a half hours per week as long as you don’t go more than two days without exercising. They say that aerobic exercise boosts insulin sensitivity, while also relieving stress. You can jog, run, dance, play tennis, climb stairs, or even do heavy gardening to get your aerobic exercise in!

    Two days of strength training every week. The ADA says that strength training helps diabetes mellitus patients lower their blood sugar levels for the long term by increasing their muscle mass. Muscle cells passively burn more calories than fat cells, which means having more muscle boosts your resting metabolism. This leads to lower fasting blood sugar levels and lower insulin resistance. Strength training also strengthens your bones. Strength training exercises range from carrying canned goods and water bottles to using weights and weight lifting equipment. Doing push-ups and sit-ups are strength training exercises too!




    Watch TV sitting on the floor or an exercise ball. It would be best if you could quit sitting or lying for long periods of time watching TV because sedentary activity lowers your metabolism, which could worsen your insulin resistance. But if you can’t stop, there’s a way for you to burn more calories while watching, which also helps lower your blood sugar levels and boost your insulin sensitivity. Instead of lying on a couch, chair, or your bed, sit on the floor or an exercise ball. These will make your muscles work harder to keep you balanced, which helps tone them and makes them burn a few more calories. Sitting on an exercise ball is the better choice because it helps tone more core muscles.

    What You Should Keep in Mind About Treating Your Diabetes Mellitus

    The key is knowing that not all diabetes mellitus medications are equal – some are bad for your condition in the long run. You should also know that there are natural, healthy supplements you can take that can have the same effects as pharmaceutical diabetes mellitus medications. There are also activities you can do regularly that lower your blood sugar levels and improve your insulin response.

    But the real takeaway is that if you want to permanently cure your diabetes mellitus type 2, you should strive for a normal BMI. All of your doctor’s advice, all these medications, and all these diabetes mellitus treatment activities – they’re all about losing weight. Your long-term goal should be to lose enough weight that your cells are responding normally to insulin again. Don’t lose hope – researchers were able to permanently reverse diabetes mellitus type 2 in patients by having them go on a strict fast, which led to weight loss.

    Remember to ask your doctor before changing your diabetes mellitus treatment – some medications, supplements, and activities are only effective for diabetes mellitus type 2, and can be dangerous for diabetes mellitus type 1.

  • How Running Regularly Every Week Can Extend Your Life by 7 Hours Per Hour

    How Running Regularly Every Week Can Extend Your Life by 7 Hours Per Hour

    Researchers released findings that adopting a weekly running routine will likely extend your lifespan by about seven hours per hour you run.

    Running Is One of the Best Cardio Exercises Overall

    When you think of cardio, running and jogging are probably at the top of your list. Why? They’re two of the easiest exercises to do. Running is also a top calorie burner – in half an hour of running you’ll burn between 350 to 550 calories, on average, depending on how fast you run. Compare that to doing gymnastics or playing competitive volleyball, which only burn between 120 to 178 calories, on average.

    Unlike other cardio exercises, running is also an ideal outdoor exercise. The combination is marvelous because running in nature has been found to lower your risk for depression, relieve pain, and boost your mood. If there are trees around where you run, it’s especially good for your heart because being near trees has been found to lower your blood pressure.




    If you run during the daytime (with sunscreen on), the sunlight catalyzes vitamin D production in your skin. Healthier vitamin D levels has been linked with better bone, psychological, and heart health. Higher vitamin D levels has also been linked with helping prevent developing diabetes.

    How Running Lengthens Your Life

    Now new research has come out that makes running regularly sound even better. Researchers found that people who run regularly enjoy a 25 to 40 percent lower risk of dying before their time is up. They also live an average of three years longer than people who don’t run regularly.

    They found that every hour you run, you add seven hours to your life! They recommend running two to four hours every week to add years to your lifespan.

    The sooner you add a weekly running regimen to your lifestyle, the sooner you can start adding 7 hours and more to your life. But make sure to change your running shoes after they’ve become worn to avoid developing orthopedic diseases. Doctors recommend getting a new pair of running shoes after 300 to 500 miles used. That’s about every four or five months.

  • Why Outdoor Aerobics Trumps Your Expensive Home Gym

    Why Outdoor Aerobics Trumps Your Expensive Home Gym

    Science and medicine switch between opposing opinions when it comes to many things. Eggs were deemed bad not more than 40 decades ago, but now, physicians regard eggs as one of the best nutritional sources. The importance of exercise has withstood the test of time, and physicians still recommend people do it on a daily or weekly basis. But now, scientists and doctors are saying outdoor aerobics might be the best kind of exercise.

    According to Harvard University, regular physical activity reduces your risk of strokes, diabetes, and heart ailments. In fact, each hour of brisk walking you do leads to a 34 percent decreased risk of diabetes. Harvard also finds that aerobic exercises, such as walking, hiking, or running, improve your intelligence and memory. Routinely performing these activities enlarges the hippocampus, which is largely responsible for your learning and verbal memory. Unfortunately, exercises that focus on toning your muscles, increasing strength (like weight lifting), or improving balance, don’t have the same benefits.

    Doing your aerobics outdoors offers more health benefits than doing them at the gym. Your skin’s exposure to sunlight causes Vitamin D catalysis; indoor lights do not. Spending time in nature also increases your attention span. Children exhibiting ADHD have longer attention spans subsequent to spending some time in nature. Being surrounded by nature will lessen your anxieties and such stresses as fear and anger, while simultaneously boosting feelings like joy, love, and gratitude. A study showed that 95 percent of subjects feeling sad, nervous, or stressed felt peaceful and equilibrated after being immersed in nature. Spending time in nature is correlated with having better moods, becoming invigorated, feeling meaningful, and experiencing better psychological health.

    Running, walking, or hiking in nature also betters your physical well being. A University of Minnesota article states that physically being surrounded by nature lowers stress hormone levels such as cortisol, which in chronic, elevated levels has been found to atrophy the hippocampus. Spending time in nature also lowers “blood pressure, heart rate, [and overall] muscle tension….” It also is believed to increase longevity, and is said to raise pain tolerance. A famous study found that patients immersed in nature were more resilient to pain and had shorter in-patient hospital stays.

    So if you’re not much into exercising, or don’t have the time for it, choose outdoor aerobics over indoor strength training. You’ll be exercising both your heart and your brain. And do yourself a favor and go outside for a jog. You’ll save on the electricity your digital treadmill would have spent, while getting the emotional and mental benefits nature is there to provide.

  • Rock Climbing: The All-In-One Workout

    Rock Climbing: The All-In-One Workout

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    Consider going rock climbing this summer while the weather’s still warm. Rock climbing is gaining in popularity with more than 9 million current active rock climbers in the U.S. alone. It’s a holistically superior alternative to aerobic exercise due to its efficient calorie-burning, strength-building, and social bonding benefits. It also sharpens your mind while you exercise. Unbeknown to many, rock climbing is an entry-level activity – physically fit or not, anyone can start doing it!

    Rock climbing doesn’t require superior upper body strength. Surprisingly, a sharp mind is far more necessary than buff upper arms. Your decisive footholds and overall technique are what determine how successful of a rock climber you are. Unlike monotonous treadmill running or weight lifting, rock climbing challenges your mind.

    Rock climbing forces you to keep your attention sharp since you must routinely plan two moves ahead before even physically securing your next position. You’re constantly trying to figure out which subsequent grabs and footholds will lead you to an overall efficient path to the top, so you’re constantly exercising your problem-solving neural pathways. Since your mind is distracted throughout the workout, exercising becomes more enjoyable and challenging.

    Just like most exercises, rock climbing reduces stress. Moreover, research shows that if you’re a frequent rock climber, you’ll have more positive moods overall and instances of depression will decrease. And if that’s not enough, research also shows that rock climbing can be a natural painkiller if you lose yourself to the flow – in these moments, any pain is blocked, replaced by euphoria.

    Unlike most exercises, rock climbing improves your self-esteem, motivation, and self-confidence. Professional rock climbers testify that the activity empowers them by forcing them to overcome their fears. Who wouldn’t feel a sense of great achievement when they get to the top of a 1,000-foot tall cliff?

    Now as far as physical benefits go, rock climbing is actually more efficient at losing weight and toning your muscles than most other exercises. Studies show that rock climbing is equivalent to running at approximately 7.5 miles per hour or taking 244 steps per minute. On average, a 155-pound person burns approximately 350 calories each half hour of rock climbing. These numbers only increase depending on your climbing speed and the difficulty of the terrain involved. In fact, if you climb continuously, taking few breaks, rock climbing becomes a full body aerobic workout.

    Rock climbing also strengthens and tones diverse groups of your muscles. Most of your major muscles (legs, back, shoulders, forearms) are being used when you balance and commandeer your next positions, so their endurance and strength are improved. Besides better muscle definition, frequent rock climbers have low body fat percentages, low body mass indices, and improved handgrip strengths. Rock climbing also improves your flexibility and bendability, making you more agile.

    Best of all, according to the CDC, you only need about one or two-and-a-half hours each week of rock climbing to significantly reduce your risk of developing hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases.

    Unlike most aerobic or strength-building exercises, rock climbing isn’t solo! Although not required, you’d be crazy not to have a belayer, who supports and manages your ropework while you climb, since they make sure you’re okay and literally won’t leave you hanging in case you get into trouble. Most indoor gym rock climbers belay each other, creating special social bonds since you’re all placing your safety in each other’s hands. Since you’re all rock climbers, you can exchange techniques and routes to the top, as well as share ideas.

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    Belayers share special bonds.

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    If you’re a busy corporate person, or just hate exercising – rock climbing is right up your alley. It’s a complete cardio and strength and endurance workout! It also sharpens your mind and keeps the boredom and monotony away so you won’t feel the burn. Take off your coat and tie and spend just a little over two hours a week scaling rocks, and you’ll have a better looking bod and a healthier heart. And while rock climbing, you can network with others while doing your workout, possibly meeting potential business partners and great friends!

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