People with Type 2 diabetes with a yen to improve their overall health and to lose weight through walking are to be commended. But here's some advice, courtesy of researchers at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada: make your walking pace brisk and you'll experience greater health benefits. The approach is neatly summed up in the name of the program used for the study - "Pick Up the Pace." That is, you don't necessarily have to walk further for better health. You can walk the recommended 10,000 steps daily, just walk them faster than before. The Type 2 diabetics who participated in the Alberta study did so, picking up the pace by a mere ten percent. As a result, they experienced significant improvements in their heart and respiratory fitness levels over a three month period, as well as decreased blood sugar levels.
What's nice about this study? It shows that Type 2 diabetics can benefit from good old-fashioned (not to mention inexpensive!) tactics to improve their health. All you need, say the researchers, is to get going. A pedometer and a stopwatch are nice, but not essential.
