Type 2 Diabetes: A Simple Way to Help Lower Blood Sugar Levels and Weight!

Type 2 diabetics are told over and over again that physical activity is a powerful tool for lowering blood sugar. Which burns large amounts of sugar and improves the way insulin actually works…a process known as insulin sensitivity. Do you know that prolonged periods of inactivity can reduce insulin sensitivity…this state is insulin resistance and of course it is an important feature of type 2 diabetes?

Here’s a simple way to help lower your blood sugar levels. It’s not exercise, but something you can do almost anywhere. One of the easiest ways to control blood sugar levels in type 2 diabetes may be to simply stand up instead of sitting down.

Dr. Marc Hamilton, Professor of Medical Sciences at the University of Missouri at Columbia in the US, states that the act of sitting shuts down the circulation of lipase, an enzyme that stimulates the absorption of fat into cells that can burn it for energy. The act of standing up distributes lipase throughout your body and helps your body process fat and cholesterol. Standing up, says Dr. Hamilton, also lowers blood sugar levels.

How much fat does standing burn? Hamilton says he took blood samples from the same person who ate the same food, once eating sitting down and once standing up.

The plasma sample taken after the volunteer ate standing up was clear. The plasma sample taken after the volunteer ate sitting down was clear. That is the amount of fat that is burned simply by avoiding sitting or lying down. And as fat is removed from the bloodstream, more insulin is available to transport sugars.

Dr. Hamilton is so convinced by his findings that he has replaced his office desk with a treadmill. He advises all type 2 diabetics and prediabetics to stand up whenever possible, even if they’re just standing. If he’s watching his kids play ball, Hamilton says, he can have just as much fun standing up against a fence or post as his neighbor pulling out a lawn chair.

Hamilton also advises people to stand up while talking on the phone or watching television. The benefits?

• standing burns 60 calories per hour. Standing for eight hours a day is enough exercise to lose about a pound (0.5 kg) of weight a week
• standing raises HDL (“good”) cholesterol levels, by an average of 22 percent, which is more than most statin drugs
• the benefits of standing don’t require any extra work. The simple act of standing burns calories, burns fat and lowers blood sugar levels

Now isn’t that easy? So take on type 2 diabetes! Simply avoiding a comfortable chair may be exactly what you need to regain control of your blood sugar.