Search Results for: diabetes

September 14, 2019 By GOQii 1 Comment

Diet & Exercise: How Timanna Gudi Battled Diabetes

Access to medication is easy! We live in a day and age where even a sneeze can be seen as a good enough reason to swallow a pill. The number of those pills only increase with time as health deteriorates. The more pills you swallow, the more you realize that they aren’t working. Without intervention, without data or without trying, you never realize that a pill is not the answer, it is your lifestyle! In the face of adversity, change is imperative. Here’s how 49 yr old Timanna Gudi made a positive U-turn!

Hailing from Hubli, Karnataka, this mechanical engineer by qualification worked with an MNC as a managing director. His job responsibilities and efforts placed immense stress on his wellbeing. Realizing this, he knew he had to quit. He did so 5 years back and started his own business. However, this did not change anything and his health problems continued.

Battling Diabetes

In 2008, Timanna Gudi was diagnosed with Diabetes. This was just one part of his struggle. Along with diabetes, he had to face hypertension and high cholesterol as well! He was immediately put on medication and with every visit to the doctor, his dosage only seemed to increase. He would have to get tests and visit the doctor every 3 months while his doctor only increased the number of medicines. With no concrete solution in sight, Timanna was only confused.

Making Lifestyle Modifications to Fight Diabetes

He happened to come across a talk by B M Hedge, Dean of Manipal Medical College and a renowned doctor. He said that people shouldn’t be visiting doctors for lifestyle diseases like diabetes and cholesterol. The medicines they need are available in their kitchens. Of course, medical assistance is required in case of an emergency but it must be supplemented by a healthy lifestyle. This got Timanna thinking…

He had lost his Dad and his elder sister to diabetes in spite of them being on heavy medications like him. He told himself that if his condition is a disorder, there should be a way to bring it in order! This very thought became the turning point which would pivot his life to balance and wellbeing.

He came to Pune in 2011 and joined a therapy called Freedom from Diabetes. He managed to get rid of all his medicines in a matter of 40 days through diet control and some light exercise. From then on, he began advocating his approach to everyone who was affected by the same medical condition as his. He gave them hope that they too could change!

Joining GOQii and Being the Force

In 2018, he bought some equipment to perform exercises at home. He followed YouTube channels and performed his routine accordingly. However, he ended up with a frozen shoulder due to an incorrect position. This kept him from exercising for about 8-9 months.

In March 2019, a friend introduced him to GOQii. He was intrigued with the idea of coaches demonstrating exercises LIVE on the app. The GOQii app solved two of his needs i.e. exercise and nutrition. He was getting expert advice from topics relating to a healthy diet, lifestyle, meditation and so on. He saw GOQii as an opportunity to get back into routine!

He joined during the India Steps Challenge and began competing, clocking in 6000 steps a day. He initially started with basic walking and increased his target to 12,000 steps after he invited a few of his friends. Due to walking too much, he began losing a lot of weight and was underweight by 7kg. He was asked to stop walking and jogging completely. To keep the momentum of his physical activity going, he began strength training in order to build muscle mass.

He is a regular on GOQii Play. He watches Coach Tufail Qureshi, Coach Alistrair Fernandes and Coach Shweta Kariya, following the workout routines demonstrated by them on a daily basis. As his work requires him to travel often, he carries a resistance band in his luggage as suggested by Play Coaches. He feels that a resistance band is a handy equipment that can be used to target any body part!

Being lactose intolerant, he shifted to a vegan diet. This essentially means that he avoids milk, curd and cheese. He avoids processed foods like bread, biscuits, etc. He begins his day with a glass of green smoothie which is a wholesome blend of raw Spinach (Palak) or any other leafy vegetable coupled with Betel leaf, Pudina (Mint), Tulsi (Holy Basil), Curry Leaves, Cinnamon Powder, Black Pepper and one fruit along with soaked nuts and seeds.

He follows this up with 45mins to an hour of exercise. His breakfast is more protein-based which includes a dal-based Cheela or sprouts and salad. In between meals, he grabs a spoonful of any seeds or a cup of green tea. His Lunch includes a Roti, one bowl each of dal, vegetable and raw salad. He also drinks Apple Cider Vinegar, which he believes has helped in keeping his body more alkaline. His family mostly uses cold pressed virgin coconut oil instead of refined oil.

Opting For Natural Methods Instead of Medicines

Timanna Gudi reiterates that commitment is absolutely necessary. There is no way you can cheat or give in to temptations. He strongly believes that Diabetes is a medical condition which should be eradicated from India.

He says, “The medicines never stop and you just keep losing your vital organs to it slowly. However, everybody is different and not all solutions suit everyone. You need to go test and try before settling down with what suits you.”

He in fact, also got rid of his Acute Bronchitis, something which he suffered from since childhood which required him to use inhalers. He did so by practicing Pranayama (You too can reap the benefits of this wonderful practice. Here are 6 Variations of Pranayama and their Benefits)

In the course of his time fighting diabetes, he has also helped his younger brother reduce his sugar levels. He feels it is his duty to share the knowledge he has gained from his experience combating lifestyle disorders.

Timanna feels GOQii is a fantastic platform with lot of resources that can benefit anyone and everyone. He regularly shops on the GOQii Health Store and advocates the fact that you get good options at competitive rates.

We wish Timanna Gudi the best for his journey. If this story inspired you or if you are fighting your own uphill battle against a lifestyle disease, share your thoughts in the comments below!

#BeTheForce

May 9, 2018 By Disti Shah 6 Comments

Regular exercise can control Diabetes

The facts and myths about diabetes are plenty especially on the kind of foods one should have or not have, whether one should exercise to control diabetes etc etc. But, it’s when I saw my dad exercising one day and a thought struck me is it not important to test a diabetic before exercise? Is diet all that one needs to focus on?

What if he exercises vigorously and his sugar levels drop down, at what sugar levels should we allow or not allow a person to exercise? What should be the intensity and frequency of exercise? What type of exercise should a Diabetic do?

These questions obviously led me to explore and research more about diabetes and exercise. I would like to share some information about what Diabetes is, what are its types and how regular exercise can control your Diabetes.

What is Diabetes?

Diabetes is a chronic disease wherein there exist high levels of sugar in the blood either due to less of insulin sensitivity or because of low insulin secretion or no insulin levels in the body.

There are three major types of diabetes. The causes and risk factors are different for each type:

Type 1 diabetes -can occur at any age, but it is most often diagnosed in children, teens, or young adults. In this disease, the body makes little or no insulin. Daily injections of insulin are needed. The exact cause is unknown.
Type 2 diabetes makes up for most of the diabetes cases. It most often occurs in adulthood, but teens and young adults are now being diagnosed because of high obesity rates. In such cases either the body becomes less sensitive to insulin or insulin secretion decreases.
Gestational diabetes is high blood sugar that develops at any time during pregnancy in a woman who does not have diabetes. And disappears once the pregnancy is over.

Diagnosis

Blood tests:

Fasting blood glucose level – 70-100mg/dl
Post Prandial – Less than 140mg/dl
Haemoglobin A1c test -Normal: Less than 6%

After understanding the different types of diabetes and ways to diagnose them let’s get to the core area of exercise.

We all know that exercise has multiple benefits for a healthy human being but, did we know the benefits of exercise on a diabetic? So let’s understand the benefits of exercise for a diabetic in brief first.

How does Exercise Help in Diabetes?

Lowers blood sugar levels.
Helps you feel better.
Help maintain proper body weight.
Help keep the heart rate and blood pressure lower.
Help keep blood fats levels normal.
Improves insulin sensitivity.
Help maintain normal blood circulation in the feet.

Now that we know seven of the many reasons why exercise is important for a person with diabetes, let’s know which exercise benefit diabetics.

Which kinds of Exercise are Best?

Expert agree you need either

30 minutes of “moderate intensity” aerobic activity – 5 days a week.
“Vigorous intense” aerobic activity 20 minutes or more a day – 3-5 days a week.

In addition, you should add flexibility and strength training to your routine.

Flexibility activities 5-7 days a week.
Strength training 8-10 exercise, 10-15 repetitions of each exercise, 2-3 days a week.

Calories Per hour and the types of moderate and vigorous exercises

Moderate physical activity for one hour	Calorie burnt per hour
Hiking	370
Light gardening / Yard work	330
Dancing	330
Golf(walking and carrying clubs)	330
Bicycling (<10mph)	290
Walking (3.5mph)	280
Weight lifting (light workout)	220
Stretching	180

Vigorous physical activity for one hour
Running / Jogging (5mph)	590
Bicycling (>10mph)	590
Swimming (Slow freestyle laps)	510
Aerobics	480
Walking (4-5 mph)	460
Heavy Yard work (chopping wood)	440
Weight lifting (vigorous effort)	440
Basket ball (vigorous)	440

Source – Dietary Guidelines for Americans – 2005 *(These values are not specifically for Indians as they are taken from American journals)

When should we Exercise?

The best time to exercise will vary with our schedule. Preferably we should pick up the same time for exercise each day so that if on insulin the adjustment of insulin dosage is manageable.

Morning exercise may cause your blood glucose to drop less than if you exercised later.
If you are on insulin or taking pills that work by making more insulin, evening exercise may result in low blood glucose while you sleep.

Remember -Your Diabetes Management can be adjusted to suit your lifestyle. Your lifestyle does not have to be adjusted to fit your diabetes.

After knowing what kind of exercise and at what time we should do them, let’s see what precautions should be taken while doing them.

Safety Tips for Active Diabetics

Get your doctor’s okay before you start exercising.

This is especially important if you are older than age 35, have had diabetes for more than 10 years, have any complications of diabetes, have not exercised in a long time, or have heart disease.

Exercise has the same effect on blood glucose as insulin. It lowers blood glucose, making you more sensitive to insulin. This is a benefit of exercise that can also pose a problem if it lowers your blood glucose too much.

Avoid low blood sugars

Low blood sugars are when the glucose levels dip below <70mg/dl.

Common symptoms include shakiness, weakness, abnormal sweating, and anxiety, tingling of mouth and hunger, headache, visual disturbance, confusion, seizures, coma. Blood glucose monitoring before and following exercise, especially when beginning or modifying the exercise program is prudent.

Always keep a 15g of fast-acting carbohydrate (powdered sugar / Glucose tablets 3-4) with you to treat Hypoglycemia.

Check your blood glucose levels pre and post workout

If you blood glucose is below 70 –

Take 5g of carbohydrate right away
Wait for 15 minutes
Check again – if still below 70 have another 15grams.

It should work now.

If the blood glucose is high – Fasting is>250 and ketosis is present.

Or >300 with or without ketosis.

Avoid exercise with such high blood sugar levels.

Eat before heavy exercise

If you’re going to exercise around mealtime you should eat the meal first. When possible, allow half an hour for digestion. Solid foods, such as whole grains vegetables etc are digested slowly then liquids and provide protection for at least 2-3 hours.

When it is possible to choose the exercise time, try to begin the exercise 30-60 minutes after a meal or snack.

Remember – Nothing works better than experience and frequent blood glucose testing.

Diabetic complications

Retinopathy – Patients with retinopathy are at risk for retinal detachment and vitreous haemorrhage associated with vigorous-intensity exercise.

Thus for those with retinopathy, vigorous aerobic and resistance, weight-bearing exercises should be avoided.

Nephropathy: Should not indulge in vigorous-intensity exercise as protein excretion increases post-exercise.
Peripheral Neuropathy – Should take proper care of feet to prevent foot ulcers.

Feet should be kept dry.

Avoid the wrong type of socks and shoes. Avoid tight elastic bands and ill-fitted shoes (they reduce circulation). Should not wear thick or bulky socks (they can fit poorly and irritate the skin). Rather wear light coloured cotton socks that dissipate heat faster.

Moisturize your feet – but not between your toes- that could encourage a fungal infection.

Use a moisturizer daily to keep dry skin from itching or cracking.

Consider non-weight bearing activities as they may be better tolerated and aid healing.

Stay hydrated

Proper hydration is essential during exercise. Exercising during hot weather requires special attention. Drinking extra fluids should begin an hour or two before starting to exercise. A general rule is to drink 8ounces of fluid for every 30 minutes of vigorous activity.

Check your pulse rate

It’s important to check the pulse periodically to see if you are exercising within your target zone. Right after you exercises take your pulse – count your pulse for 10 secs and multiply the no by 6.

Compare the numbers on the right grouping in the table below.

Age	Target Heart range zone
20 years	100-150 beats/min
25 years	98-146 beats/min
30 years	95-142 beats / min
35 years	93-138 beats/ min
40 years	90-135 beats/min
45 years	88-131 beats/min
50 years	85-127 beats/ min
55 years	83-123 beats/min
60 years	80-120 beats/min
65 years	78-116 beats/ min
70 years	75-113 beats / min

Source: Exercise and Your Heart, NationalHeart, Lung, and Blood Institute/American Heart Association, NIH Publication No. 93-1677.

Therefore the good news is that if someone regularly exercises these benefits can be permanent, and for someone with diabetes it can mean reducing medication. If younger members of families with a predisposition to diabetes exercise regularly they could avoid diabetes altogether.

A single bout of exercise can benefit the body’s sensitivity to insulin for 16-18 hours and therefore have effects on blood glucose control (glucose absorption) for 24-48hours.

But these effects wear off by 60-72 hours. Therefore keeping active most of the time is the best.

I just want to convey that Diabetes cannot take your hope, faith, attitude, courage, happiness, and happy life away from you. We are author of our own health and disease. Let’s overcome it, no matter what type or what level of disease it is. Let’s help others and ourselves to be active most of the time. Exercise can permanently remove or reduce medication.

November 13, 2017 By Dr Akshat Chadha Leave a Comment

Diabetes – (Die-in-bits OR NOT)

So I started writing this blog almost a year back and could not complete it in this one year because I felt everybody knows everything about diabetes and what was the point of repeating the same things over and over again. Then, I realized, that this World Diabetes Day instead of the same diabetes facts, what we really need is a real patient case and scenarios to make everybody understand how intense and life-threatening, diabetes as a disease can be.

I remember long back we had a worried parent of a 6year old come into our clinic saying that his son’s urine had ants in it. After taking a proper history we realized that it was not ants in his urine but sugar in the kid’s urine left on the commode which was attracting the ants. Few blood tests later the child was diagnosed with Juvenile Diabetes. That’s Type 1 diabetes, the type which is most commonly seen in the younger kids. Basically, the pancreas barely produces any insulin in these kids which leads to sugar flowing through the blood and causing diabetes.

Diabetes is a group of metabolic disorders in which the person has high blood glucose (blood sugar), either because insulin production is inadequate, or because the body’s cells do not respond properly to insulin or both.

Causes can range from autoimmune destruction, heredity or positive family history, insulin resistance to various infections like pancreatitis. But, the main cause or the root cause of Diabetes especially type 2 which affects mostly the adult population has to be a poor lifestyle.

Diabetes-like we all know can easily go unnoticed, even when a patient has already been diagnosed. Because of this, unfortunately, many don’t pay attention to the possible terrible problems that can happen if your diabetes is not under control.

I remember a case at the beginning of my career, a 40year old man having diabetes for more than 10 years came to our clinic with a complain that he had wound on his foot which was not healing. He knew his sugars were high but still wasn’t taking care. We started him off on the required medicines and within 10 days of better sugars, the wound had healed. He had no memory of how he had hurt himself. After 4months the same patient came back with an even bigger wound but unfortunately this time it had spread so much that his foot could not be saved and had to be amputated.

Does it make sense being so careless with your health and losing your foot just because your sugars are not controlled?

diabetes 1

Let’s discuss the complications of uncontrolled diabetes which can affect almost every organ of your body. Most commonly Diabetes affects your heart, kidneys, eyes, feet and your nerves (neuropathy) at varying degrees. Apart from these, diabetics have a higher risk of infections and dental problems. It is difficult to say what gets affected first but easier to remember that if your blood sugars are not under control, you have set yourself on the path to trouble.

diabetes image 3

During my internship, I got a call from a friend that his dad had a heart attack and they were shifting him to the same hospital where I was working. Fortunately, that month I was posted in the ICU itself so I was happy that I was going to be able to monitor his dad. Just on the opposite bed, there was another man of the same age who had suffered a heart attack the morning before. Almost two weeks later, my friend’s dad was still in the ICU whereas the other man was on his way to get discharged. Another 2 weeks went by but unfortunately, we didn’t see much signs of improvement and eventually we lost him in the next few days. The only big difference between the two patients was that my friend’s dad had uncontrolled diabetes!!

Diabetes dramatically increases the risk of various cardiovascular problems, including coronary artery disease with chest pain (angina), heart attack, stroke and narrowing of arteries (atherosclerosis). If you have diabetes, you are more likely to have heart disease or stroke.

Your body and your health need a lot of care, attention and need to be your first priority not only at the time when you are sick but more when you are well. The point of this blog is not to scare you but to make you aware, and part of that awareness is knowing how to be able to help yourself. Follow the below tips and start your healthy journey today!

diabetes image 4

Tips to prevent or live well with diabetes

Maintain a healthy weight and look out for belly fat
Make healthy food choices
Be physically active (gradually increase everyday steps and try and reach the 10,000 target)
Monitor your sugar levels regularly and keep a check on your blood pressure
Get your full body tests done once a year
Sleep well and work to manage daily stress
Quit smoking
If on medications, make sure you take them regularly

January 12, 2017 By Komal Mehta Leave a Comment

Prediabetes and its risk

Recently, we featured a story of a GOQii player Natarajan Vishwanathan who almost was on the sidelines of life two years ago due to being overweight, lack of exercise regime and no proper nutrition. A visit to the doctor and subsequently followed with a full body check-up revealed that despite all tests were normal, he was bordering on diabetes. He did have a family history of diabetes and above all his doctor warned him and asked him to reduce weight and get fit. All he did was a lifestyle change and today his prediabetic condition is under control and he runs 10 km now four days a well and his goal is to run the marathon this year.

Getting tired very easily, Fatigue, Black patches around Neck, elbows, knees, knuckles, arm pit or blurred vision, increased thirst than normal, frequent urination, losing weight in spite of eating moreetc are all signs associated with Diabetes.

Diabetes develops gradually. Prediabetes is pre-diagnosed diabetes, wherein, the blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not as high to be classified as Type 2 diabetes. Prediabetes is reversible with lifestyle changes.

Glucose is required to give energy for various activities. Insulin is the key which allows this glucose to go in the cells. When body is not producing enough insulin or Insulin is not able to enter the cells because of excess fat around cells, the glucose in the blood rises.

It puts you at risk when-

one is overweight or have high BMI of more than 25
sedentary lifestyle- desk job
age above 45 years
family history of diabetes
Polycystic ovarian
High blood pressure
Abnormal lipid profile.

Prediabetes is reversible, Lifestyle changes can have positive changes. And, this has been proved by Vishwanathan. All that his lifestyle coach did was to get him to improve his improved nutrition by focusing on high fibre, high protein and small frequent meals, Millets were introduced in his diet, he cut down on fruits at night and salads were added to his meals. He started exercising simultaneously by going for morning walks and has now started running.These are simple changes that every prediabetic can follow.

Having said that let me share few simple points which can delay the process of type 2 diabetes and have a positive impact on overall health.

Weight loss: Reducing 5 to 10 % of body weight can cut down the risk of developing diabetes.
Eat healthy: Include soluble and insoluble fiber rich food with low glycemic index like whole grain, whole pulses, dals, beans, vegetables, oats, whole fruits, nuts. Fiber controls blood glucose spikes and also improves insulin resistance. Protein too helps control sugars.
Get active: Exercise can lower blood glucose levels and lower the insulin. 150 minutes of moderate activity per week i.e. 30 minutes 5 days a week is recommended. It could be walking, swimming, cycling, jogging. One can split the exercise through the day. Moreover, exercise will help reach desirable weight, healthy for heart, controls lipids and blood pressure.

These 3 simple changes can go long way. As Prediabetes is more a lifestyle related condition, a consistent lifestyle modification can help delay and prevent Type 2 diabetes.