Can Low Blood Sugar Cause Muscle Twitching?
When a person lately begins suffering from a lot of unexplained muscle twitching, they may try to convince themselves it’s low blood sugar because this diagnosis would sure beat a diagnosis of ALS. (more…)
All the Smells Associated with Uncontrolled Diabetes
There are different ways that uncontrolled diabetes can make your body smell.
And these odors are not the same, depending on where in your body they are coming from.
Diabetes and Breath Smell
“Breath can smell due to chemical changes,” says Susan L. Besser, MD, with Mercy Medical Center, Baltimore, and Diplomate American Board of Obesity Medicine and board certified by the American Board of Family Medicine.
“Uncontrolled diabetes causes the body’s pH to be off (usually more basic than acidic) which can cause unusual breath smells,” says Dr. Besser.
When blood sugar rises to unacceptable levels, the body is forced to break down fat for energy – and this is more fat than what the body normally breaks down.
The body also breaks down muscle (catabolism) – which it is never supposed to do.
The body’s preferred fuel source is glucose (blood sugar).
When the supply of glucose runs out, the breakdown of fat and muscle causes the blood to become acidic due to chemicals called ketones in the blood.
These ketones can make the breath have a chemical odor because the body is trying to get rid of the ketones via exhaling.
Well of course, when one exhales, their breath comes out; hence the detectable odor.
The chemical odor resembles nail polish remover because the compound in nail polish remover is acetone.
However, the breath may also smell somewhat fruity or sweet.
Diabetes and Urine Odor
“Urine odor can be sweet because of the large amount of sugar in the urine,” says Dr. Besser. This condition is called glucosuria.
The body is trying to reduce the excess sugar in the blood by expelling it via urine.
Excess ketones in the urine can also yield a sweet or acetone odor.
Shutterstock/Africa Studio
Feminine Odor from Diabetes
During menstruation, a sweet or unusual odor may arise due to the pH being off with uncontrolled diabetes.
“Additionally, uncontrolled diabetics can develop yeast infections — either vaginally or on skin due to the pH changes and higher sugar concentration in menstrual fluids and sweat,” says Dr. Besser. “Yeast thrives in that environment.”
Can diabetes affect the smell of hair?
Dr. Besser adds that she is not aware of any way that uncontrolled diabetes can affect the smell of one’s hair.
But if you’ve noticed that your hair has a naturally sweet or syrupy scent, you can assume that this is due to its natural oils – oils that don’t originate on the hair shaft itself, but in oil glands under the scalp.
Dr. Besser provides comprehensive family care, treating common and acute primary conditions like diabetes and hypertension. Her ongoing approach allows her the opportunity to provide accurate and critical diagnoses of more complex conditions and disorders.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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Top image: Shutterstock/Aaron Amat
How Dangerous Is Blood Sugar in the 200’s?
Under certain conditions, a blood sugar reading in the 200’s can damage the body’s organs.
The longer that your glucose (blood sugar) remains very high, the more likely it will cause a lot of problems – and this includes blindness. (more…)
Training the Biceps While Seated: Best Exercises
There are effective ways to train your biceps while seated, no matter what your physical condition.
In fact, seated biceps curls will more effectively isolate this muscle group than will standing – as a general rule, since when standing, people tend to swing their back when straining to get the weights up. (more…)
Back and Arm Strength Training for Older People
Many senior age men and women do back and arm strength training wrong.
As a fitness expert, I like to point out that old age is never an excuse for poor form. (more…)
Sitting Disease Causes Fat Buildup Around the Organs
Excessive sitting is strongly associated with how much fat surrounds your organs.
This is the most dangerous kind of fat, called visceral fat, and is waiting for anybody who spends a lot of time sitting. (more…)
Amount of Exercise Needed to Prevent Heart Failure in Old Age
Never believe that congestive heart failure is a required part of getting old, because a study shows that exercise can help prevent this very common condition. (more…)
10 Pushup Mistakes Women Make; How to Correct Them
There are 10 pushup mistakes that many women make and don’t even realize it.
But they can be eliminated very easily.
Here they are, in no particular order.
Being too presumptive.
A big mistake is to automatically assume you’re “too weak” to do pushups. Well, this is partly true.
You WILL be too weak to do pushups — if your body is not well-trained in chest pressing motions and especially if you’re carrying extra weight.
Because this article is about the pushup mistakes that women make, I’m not going to go into detail about how to get strong enough to do a pushup.
But in a nutshell, getting stronger on free weights and chest press equipment will land you in pushup territory. Do not underestimate yourself if you want to nail a set of pushups one day.
Trying to learn pushups by doing only pushups.
This erroneous approach overlaps the previous mistake. For an untrained woman, pushups are just plain hard. Even untrained men can’t do them.
The best way to train for pushup ability is to do free weight and machine chest and shoulder presses.
I speak from experience. I don’t have to do pushups to maintain my ability to do them. The ability is a natural baseline function, courtesy of my other chest and shoulder routines.
Quantity over quality.
I’ve seen women doing many reps – of incomplete and/or poorly formed pushups. Three or four solid, perfect, full range motion pushups beat out 12 half-baked pushups any day.
Shutterstock/Slatan
Focus on pulling off one perfect pushup with full range of motion, even if your knees must be on the floor, or your hands on something elevated (which will also make the movement easier).
When you can complete one, then your next goal is two, and so on. Rather than look ahead thinking, “I gotta complete eight even if they suck,” think instead, “One pushup at a time; let’s make THIS one good!”
Incomplete range of motion.
This results from not being strong enough to complete the ROM. Fine. But complete ROM is important for progress.
So what to do? How about adjusting your body position to accommodate the lack of strength?
Shutterstock/Alexander_Safonov
Either do the pushups off your knees or elevate your hands on a bar or edge of a bench.
Bowing to a statue.
Many women who do knee pushups use wrong form. They bow down with each repetition. Sometimes their butt is higher than their shoulders at the bottom of the movement.
The form for a standard (feet-only) pushup applies to a knee and hand elevation version.
Getting too fancy.
I’ve seen women struggling with various versions that are just way beyond their capabilities.
Do not assume that fighting through a set of wobbly one-hand-on-medicine-ball and one-leg-up-in-the-air pushups with incomplete ROM is a better workout than a set of simple, old-fashioned pushups with picture perfect form.
Keep it simple. The fancy stuff is not more effective at shaping the physique or burning fat.
Hands too far apart.
Oddly, I’ve seen this more among women than men. The further apart the hands, the more strain on the shoulder joint, namely the rotator cuff tendons.
Misaligned body segments.
The back of your head, upper back and butt should be aligned, so that all three sections would evenly touch against a giant ruler if a giant ruler were to be placed alongside the back of your body.
Hip sag and scapular jut.
When the body portions are not aligned, often the hips markedly sag and the scapular bones jut out.
Twenty reps of these are no match for the worthfulness of only three perfect “real” pushups.
Not warming up.
For more trained individuals, starting a workout with pushups may work just fine for them.
But if you’re struggling with this compound movement, you’ll want to consider warming up first with other chest routines.
For example, after completing your bench press routine, your shoulder joints will be plenty warmed up for pushups.
Don’t think you must do pushups first with the idea that if you do anything else before them, you’ll then be too fatigued to do any sort of pushups.
I find that I’m stronger with pushups after they are preceded by two different chest routines, say, dumbbell presses and Hammerstrength seated chest presses.
Lorra Garrick is a former personal trainer certified through the American Council on Exercise. At Bally Total Fitness she trained women and men of all ages for fat loss, muscle building, fitness and improved health.
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Top image: Freepik.com
Do You Get a Cardio Workout Climbing Wall Routes?
Though rock wall climbing can be seen as a resistance workout, there can be a good cardio component to this kind of activity, depending on some factors. (more…)
Strength Training for Women: Machines or Free Weights or Both?
If a woman had to choose just one type of strength training, should it be free weights or machines?
After all, there are advantages – and disadvantages – to both approaches of resistance training. (more…)