I love Easter – a long weekend of treats is the perfect way to kick off school holidays.   I feel like such a Grinch having to mention sugar and it’s impact on staying within a healthy weight range.  But the good news is that if you’re a regular exerciser you can improve the way your body handles sugar so that you can enjoy the occasional blow out without it affecting your health goals.

Sugar does a lot more damage than “calories in” and exercise offers a lot more benefits than “calories out”. If you regularly eat highly processed sugary foods this can affect how your body handles all foods every day. The quality of food you routinely eat will affect how well your insulin (the blood sugar transporter) does it’s job. Your body’s sensitivity to insulin impacts your levels of hunger, your energy and whether you burn fat or store it. In the short term insulin burn-out means you’re more likely to overeat and put on weight. In the medium term it places you in the red zone for Type 2 Diabetes and Heart Disease.  
Fortunately exercise can help. Exercising 3 or 4 times a week can improve nearly every health marker there is, and insulin sensitivity is no exception. Strength training to build lean muscle mass is particularly important. Muscle uses glucose so the more lean muscle you have, the more efficiently your body can manage blood sugar levels. It’s really important for your health to create an environment where your blood sugar is stable. Otherwise you’ll be in a miserable cycle of lurching from one carb to the next all day as blood sugar rises and crashes.  
There are other ways you can improve your body’s insulin sensitivity. Reducing stress and increasing sleep support hormonal balance and healthy blood sugar levels. Exercise of course can help with both.  
So what does all this mean for you for Easter? It means that if you’re a regular exerciser in a healthy weight range you can afford to indulge a little without ruining all your hard work. High quality, dark chocolate is a healthier choice but if you’re only treating yourself for a day then have what you enjoy most.
The long weekend might be a good opportunity to try something new at the gym. At Les Mills Takapuna our qualified Gym Instructors provide a great variety of services that are free as part of your membership. Gym Instructors can be booked for free gym program upgrades and are always keen to put you through a quick 15min workout with kettle bells, TRX, medicine ball, power bag or foam roller.  Try out our free G.Max women’s class on Mondays and Wednesdays at 5:45pm for high intensity core and glute training.
Enjoy your exercise, your sleepins and your treats over Easter, we look forward to seeing you in the gym.

Les Mills, Rooftop Level, Shore City, Takapuna  Ph: 09 488 9413  lesmills.co.nz
www.clairebellingham.co.nz