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#368: Heart Rate, Heat & Hard Diabetes Truths — The Exercise Episode Every Diabetic Needs to Hear
Description
It started with a deceptively simple question — do you burn more calories when it's hot outside?
The real truth is that sweating has nothing to do with calorie burn. Heart rate has everything to do with it. Graham and Ken discuss their thoughts about how aerobic and anaerobic exercise can help your blood sugar stability and insulin sensitivity. Which is better for your diabetes?
From there the episode goes wide. Ken walks through the five heart rate zones, explains why zone two aerobic training (cardio) is where fat burning actually happens, and makes the case for why building your aerobic capacity is the foundation of long-term physical health — especially with Type 1 diabetes. Graham challenges, questions, and pushes back in all the right ways, and the conversation gets more interesting with every exchange.
Then things get real. Moving from alcohol, addiction, and what it truly takes to change one's behavior. The conversation then moves into worldviews, personal responsibility, instant gratification, and why knowing what you should do and actually taking action are two entirely different things.
🔑 Key Takeaways
- Why sweating has nothing to do with calorie burn — and what actually does
- How heat affects your heart rate and why it makes exercise harder than it looks
- The five heart rate zones and what each one means for your blood sugar
- Why zone two cardio is where fat burning happens and why it matters for diabetics
- What your aerobic and anaerobic thresholds are and why they change everything about how you train
- How alcohol hijacks your liver's ability to regulate blood sugar — and what to do about it
- Why high intensity exercise drops blood sugar fast and how to manage it
- Why knowing what you should do and actually doing it are two completely different challenges
Exercise is one of the most powerful tools a Type 1 diabetic has — but only if you understand what it's actually doing to your blood sugar. Knowing your heart rate zones isn't just fitness knowledge. For a diabetic, it's diabetes management.
Additional Resources
- Watch our LIVE episodes Mondays & Wednesdays @2pm EST — Tune in Here
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- 🌐 Website: SimplifyingDiabetes.com
- 📚 The Diabetes Nutrition Master Course: Start Learning
- 💪 Work with me: More Than A1C — 1on1 Coaching
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Podcast Disclaimer: Nothing that you hear on The Healthy Diabetic Podcast should be considered medical advice or otherwise; please always consult your medical TEAM before making any changes to your Diabetes management.