While interval training is routinely used by sports teams and athletes, is this type of training beneficial for most individuals with diabetes? It certainly saves time—who can’t fit in 10 minutes of exercise three days per week?—but would it benefit weight control in the average person?

As we all know, it is easy to start out with good intentions to be more active or manage diabetes better, but it’s much more difficult to follow through and stick with such changes so that they become sustainable. While some studies have recently shown that newer devices like the Fitbit can increase physical activity adherence, the real question is, will using the latest health information technologies be motivating enough for most people to continue doing it long-term?

Having recently just tried a Fitbit physical activity tracking device (the Charge HR model) for the first time, I have noticed that in this post-Thanksgiving holiday sales time, everyone is selling them! But they are far from inexpensive. The American Diabetes Association also recently was involved in a FitForGood promotion that Fitbit ran that allowed them and two other nonprofit organizations to earn some extra money. Racking up extra steps for the ADA certainly motivated me and my family members to be more active—for a few days at least!

It has long been known that regular physical activity is essential for good health. Even well over 2,000 years ago, Hippocrates (460-370 BC) noted, “Eating alone will not keep man well; he must also take exercise. For food and exercise work together to produce health.” Why, then, is it so hard for us to embrace this concept of being active now?

I recently was included in a discussion on a Facebook group for athletes with diabetes about how hard it can be to lose weight through exercise. While I would never claim to have all the answers on this topic, here are some ideas about what can make you gain weight or keep you from losing weight with diabetes, based on my decades of professional and personal experience with diabetes and weight management, and what you can do about it.

An updated position statement on the dangers of hyponatremia (also known as water intoxication) was just released (1). It once again highlights how drinking too much water or any fluids during physical activity in the hopes of preventing dehydration can be potentially fatal...

by Dr. Sheri Colberg, Ph.D., FACSM Skeletal muscle mass is likely the most important tissue in your body when it comes to managing insulin action and blood glucose levels. It is also one of the most important things to maintain in order to live well and independently as you age. …

by Dr. Sheri Colberg, Ph.D., FACSM Having ineffective insulin action, or an insulin resistant state, is associated with numerous health risks, such as hyperinsulinemia, or high levels of insulin in the blood, that may damage blood vessels and contribute to arterial plaque formation and heart disease. A decrease in your …

by Dr. Sheri Colberg, Ph.D., FACSM Prevention of falls is such an important topic that it’s worth revisiting once in a while. Just last week when I was traveling back from the American Diabetes Association meeting, an older woman near me in the airport tripped over a bag and fell …

by Dr. Sheri Colberg, Ph.D., FACSM Given that fear of hypoglycemia during exercise is a known barrier to exercise participation, particularly for insulin users with diabetes, it is worthwhile to discuss some novel approaches to using exercise itself to manage blood glucose levels during activities. Based on some newer research, …