Hi, it's Dr Sam Robbins,
Over the years, I’ve noticed that people, especially the athletes I’ve coached, those
who have the best insulin sensitivity, are able to
Eat more food, especially carbohydrates - without getting fat
Build more muscle Lose more fat or stay leaner, especially around
the belly
And one common factor that all these people have is really good insulin sensitivity, which
is what I want to talk about today.
I personally believe managing your blood sugar levels and improving insulin sensitivity,
it one of the most important things you can do to live a healthier and longer life - at
the same time, look and feel younger.
And because of this, I have a couple important links I want to share with at the end of today’s
video.
So make sure you watch till the end…
What’s Insulin Sensitivity
So, what does insulin sensitivity mean?
Basically, when you eat carbs and proteins, especially carbohydrates such as sugars, rice,
pasta, breads, fruit and so forth, your body’s blood sugar will naturally go up.
Now, some foods, which have higher glycemic index and load, will cause higher blood sugar
levels - such as sugar or corn flakes, for example.
Anyway, as your blood sugar goes up, your pancreas will release insulin, to help lower
the blood sugar back to normal levels.
And this goes on all day long.
Unfortunately, because of aging, genetics, negative hormonal changes, life-style, stress
and a poor diet, over time your blood sugar levels go higher and higher.
Your body will then release more and more insulin to lower the high blood sugar.
This over time causes insulin resistance.
Which means your body doesn’t feel the insulin like it used to and your body has to produce
even MORE insulin to lower your blood sugar.
Now, I’m oversimplifying all of this, but you get the point.
Insulin is an essential hormone and you need it to live.
BUT, high levels of insulin, cause fat storage, especially around the belly.
And as you become more and more insulin resistant, the carbs you eat, don’t go into the muscle
cells as well.
They don’t get used up as energy as well.
Instead, they get STORED as body fat.
The end result is less muscle and more belly fat.
The people with the best genes tend to have highly sensitive insulin receptors and thus,
their body only needs to produce a little bit of insulin.
This means, less body fat.
And, the food gets stored into the muscle cells, this means more energy and more muscle,
especially when you exercise.
You’ll also be stronger and have more stamina too
And that’s what today’s topic is about - 6 clinically proven ways to increase insulin
sensitivity, so you can build more muscle, lose fat and have more energy.
1 - Better Sleep
Getting better, deeper sleep is one of the best things you can do for your health, for
optimizing your hormones and improving insulin sensitivity.1-3
I will do an entire video about this topic.
However, make sure you get to sleep before midnight, preferably before
11 pm.
Get in a regular sleep pattern Keep your room dark or wear eyeshades like
I do Reduce or eliminate looking at computer or
TV screens before bed.
Or turn off the blue light or wear blue blocker glasses.
2 - Lose Fat & Gain Muscle
The less fat you have, especially belly fat, the higher your insulin sensitivity.
Additionally, the more muscle you have, the higher your insulin sensitivity.4-6
So, try to lose some fat and gain muscle as well.
Losing fat is more important.
A combination of a better diet and exercise program is best - and I’ll talk about both
of these today.
3 - Eat Better
Eating better is a major part of improving insulin sensitivity.
Again, I’ll dig deeper about this in a future video, but here are some things to consider
7-11
Eat lower glycemic index and glycemic load carbs and stay away from high ones.
This means to eat more vegetables, fruits, legumes and yams.
Eat better quality protein and stay away from dairy and protein powders, both tend to spike
up blood sugar levels.
Eat better fats - this means to stay away from trans fats and many seed or vegetable
oils that are high in omega 6 fats.
This includes soybean, canola, corn, sunflower, sesame and similar oils.
Fasting and cyclic ketogenic diets are also very good for improving insulin sensitivity.
Eating more soluble fiber is also very good.16-17
And simply lowering your carb intake will help as well.
4 - Exercise More
Exercise increases insulin sensitivity.
In fact, my diabetic athletes require less injectable insulin on days they exercise.
When you exercise, the sugar moves into the muscles for storage and promotes an immediate
increase in insulin sensitivity, which lasts 2–48 hours, depending on the exercise.12-13
My suggestion is to combine both aerobic and anaerobic exercise.
So, 3x weekly lift weights or do resistance exercises for your muscles.
This could be Mon, Wed and Fri.
On alternate days, Tues, Thurs and Sat - do some form of cardio.
I prefer a brisk walk or a nice bike ride or get on the treadmill.
20-30 mins daily is all you need.
If you go too hard, too long, you’ll eventually stress your body and the opposite will happen.
Which brings up the next point
5 - Reduce Stress
Stress is one of the worst things for your body, especially insulin sensitivity.
This is why sleep is so important, because it helps reduce so many of your stress hormones.
Stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline cause insulin resistance.
This is also why stress causes more belly fat.
Stress also lowers testosterone and other youth hormones.14-15
So, you need to manage your stress and a lot of this first begins in your head and what
you think about.
Some people just turn something small into something horribly bad and just can’t let
go.
That’s a lot of ongoing stress.
No sleeping enough, exercising too much, too hard, too long and similar physical stressors
all cause insulin resistance over time.
6 - Take Supplements
There are a few, clinically proven supplements that will quickly help improve insulin sensitivity,
lower blood sugar levels and help you build more muscle and lose belly fat.
Apple Cider Vinegar is very good.
I take 1 tablespoon, 3x daily
Chromium, Alpha Lipoic Acid and Vanadyl Sulfate have a long, proven history
Herbs such as Berberine, Cinnamon extract, Bitter melon, Fenugreek and Banaba Leaf are
all fantastic and very powerful, if you take the correct form and dosage.
There are also about 6-7 essential vitamins and minerals that are typically low in those
who have poor insulin sensitivity.
In fact, below in the description area, I put up a web page with the best ingredients
and dosages, that are clinically proven to work.
Plus, a bonus link about a formula that I use personally, the help lower my blood sugar
and increase my insulin sensitivity.
Take a look at both below, in the description area.
And make sure you at least implement one of the tactics today, so you can start building
more muscle and losing more belly fat.
Give it a thumbs up!
Have a happy and healthy life!