I am raising the bar slightly today with weights. The last several times that I did exercises with my arms I started noticing that with just doing that one set that I was surpassing my goal of 12 reps. Today I am raising the weight 10 lbs on each exercise except for dips due to the fact that I have my machine maxed out on that exercise.
I have been waiting for this day to come because when I first changed my routine from 3 sets to just one set I wasn’t really sure if it would have a negative effect on gaining muscle mass and strength. This proves to me that this method is working, although maybe a little slower that it would it I were continuing to do 3 sets with each exercise. But the other benefits are incredible. I am not getting those crazy cravings during the day, I am not being exposed to my body becoming inflamed and I am able to get a good workout in each day in less time.
So yesterday I made just one change in my diet. I made sure I got in that big salad for lunch and today my morning glucose reading is once again down in the eighty’s. So this too is something that is working for me and I must include that salad with each lunch. Slowly all the pieces are coming together for me in this battle to live a healthy life with T2D and it makes me happy in knowing that although I have this disease I will still be able to live my life out in manner that will provide me with all the benefits of maintaining good health as I grow older.
Blood Sugar- 88, Weight- 168.4
Treadmill- 20 Minutes
Bowflex- ARMS
Curls- 170 lbs – 12
Hammer Curls- 120 lbs – 12
Tricep Pulldown- 160 lbs – 12
Dips- 310 – 18
Meals
Breakfast- FASTING 18 Hours
Lunch- Sausage and Eggs
Dinner- Steak, Salad
I tried paleo once, wasn’t for me. Too much meat, though I found Mark Sisson’s approach to make more sense.
I am slowly learning that a “Paleo like”, diet is working for me, but it has to be mostly vegetables with just a small amount of clean meats. Each of us is unique in our genetic makeup and one size doesn’t fit all. It’s all about fine tuning and figuring out what works for you. It is such a balancing act.
I have been lifting weights (religiously) for over 37 years and can assure you that the two biggest mistakes most people make are:
(1) not enough rest time to allow the muscles to recover and grow
(2) take the range of motion for any individual exercise too far. Typically, this results in tendonitis and ultimately osteoarthritis.
If you want to lift heavier, slightly reduce the range of motion at the beginning AND end of the repetition. After you complete your heavier lifting, lighten the weight and complete the full range to maintain joint integrity without injury.
Your on a great path. Stay motivated!
Thanks, great advice. I am at a point where I allow almost a full week before I rip and tear that muscle again.
Great post. I only do one set per exercise. Each set has to go to failure. If you do more sets, you usually hold back on the earlier sets and then are tired on later sets, never getting the benefit of one proper set to failure. This is why I only need 30 minutes 4 x per week for max muscle growth.
I am finding that it works well.
So when you do your weights, don’t change the weight, but show how many you were able to do each time, instead of the 12 reps you did before. Once you can do 12, up the weight
First let me say that I owe you big. Your link to Dr. Fung’s work has totally changed my outlook. I am upbeat, positive and motivated. I am committed to beating this condition and becoming a “former diabetic”. My initial numbers were so high that I start experiencing hypoglycemic shaking in my hands and legs when my sugar level is 150 or so. So I am working my way down, rather than just trying to drop to normal in one shot.
I plan to order some exercise equipment in the near future and begin working out daily.
The numbers you posted sound like me in high school. I used to be a gym rat. I’m 45 now, and didn’t care for a very long time that I was fat and out of shape. But, I want to be around to walk my daughters down the aisle and spoil my grandkids. So, I’m making a lot of changes.
My main goal is to get to the place where the condition is controlled naturally by my eating and activity levels, and it is not the focus of my day or my life. I simply do what needs doing, and my body reacts appropriately, and it becomes simply a routine and not something I spend a lot of mental energy on.
I want the focus of my life to be my wife, my kids, my friends, my hobbies and interests, my career…not my blood sugar. You set me on the path to that with a single video. I appreciate it.
Incredible! What a difference it makes to just find one person who can make sense out of it all. Dr. Fung is a breakthrough and I have learned so much from him. I am so happy for you.
Goes to show that if you fancy a bit more of what you like you can always work it off in exercise – in my case cycling at a higher intensity.
It appears to be that way. 🙂