Bodybuilding with Type 1 Diabetes | Weightlifting Apparel
Living with Type 1 Diabetes is complicated enough, let alone when you're trying to change your body and physique through bodybuilding.Diabetes is when your pancreas stops producing insulin and yes, your body needs insulin, so that's where injections or the insulin pump come into play.
Insulin turns carbohydrates into energy...if you don't have insulin for carbohydrates you ate, you won't have much energy and will have a higher than normal blood sugar reading.
People that have been weight training for a while now know that it's important to eat carbohydrates if they want to see significant lean muscle mass gains. This is the same for diabetics as well, but a diabetic will need to accurately and manually decide how many units of insulin he/she will give per gram of carbohydrate that was eaten.
Protein doesnt really have much effect on blood sugar, fat intake will increase your blood sugar levels later on, whereas carbohydrates get into your blood stream very fast, therefore if you're weight training and you don't replenish your glycogen storage within 1 hour from workout, you're muscles will be begging you for some energy after what they did for you at the gym, so it's in your best interest to feed them the right nutrients from carbs, protein and fats.
The insulin pump has worked well for a lot of athletes and bodybuilders and when counting your carbohydrate intake accurately, you can "bolus" the amount of insulin you need for that certain food intake or meal.
So building muscles with type 1 diabetes isn't much different than a non-diabetic trying to build muscle, execpt that you (the diabetic) needs to dial in the correct doses of insulin manually, as opposed to having your pancreas do that work for you automatically.
Exercise and fitness is key and can have a positive effect on your blood sugars and your overall daily health. So to all people with type 1 diabetes, get to weight training, boost your metabolism and build muscle!
Insulin is not something you want to be playing around with. When taking too much and not enough carbs to balance, your blood sugar level drops and you could be looking at an insulin reaction, which can lead to death if not treated soon enough.
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
For more information on diabetes, please visit JDRF.org and get involved!
RYAN LUND (Type 1 Diabetic)
Certified Personal Trainer (NSCA)
MuscleFire / Clothing Co.
© 2010 MuscleFire.com { MuscleFire / clothing co. }
