exercise = love

As Scott so aptly put it yesterday, "You have whatever you're studying." Diseases, that is. I have always been a little bit of a hypochondriac and taking physiology and behavioral neuroscience at the same time haven't helped any. The last several weeks/months, I have been feeling really dehydrated, tired, short of breath, and also gaining weight despite eating more healthily. We have been learning about diabetes in physiology, which has really been freaking me out.

However, I learned a really cool fact about diabetes yesterday. So, type II diabetes is a problem because usually when you eat glucose, insulin basically hits a button on the cell that allows openings for the glucose to go inside and be used as energy. However, with diabetes II, the insulin can hit the button all it wants, but it won't stimulate those openings for the glucose to come. So that glucose is just floating around the cell, causing problems, while you continue to crave it because your body can't use it. However, exercising opens the glucose channels without the help of glucose, which is why it is recommended for people who have diabetes or are prone to diabetes.

So, it is my goal to exercise at least 5 times a week from now on. I don't think that I have diabetes yet, but I think that I am definitely at risk, considering the way my body is behaving. I would hate to have cardiovascular disease when I am older because I was too irresponsible or lazy to take care of myself.

I worked out last night and felt so good when I woke up in the morning. Hooray for exercising!