The Diabetics' Get Fit Book

M. Bernice Standen was a freelance writer in Peterborough, Ontario.

Jacki Winter, fitness teacher and insulin-dependent diabetic, has written a comprehensive, well-illustrated exercise routine for diabetics. Dr. Jerald Bain, of the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto, suggests in his foreword that it would make an excellent exercise handbook for non-diabetics as well. Dr. Barbara Boucher, medical practitioner and researcher in the field of diabetes, cautions the reader in her introduction that diabetics must be eased into an exercise program, and must never lose sight of “balancing the three-legged stool”: food intake, insulin therapy, and exercise expenditure. Jacki Winter guides the diabetic into a suitable program with this balance in mind.

There are constant reminders throughout of the necessity to maintain muscle tone, improve circulation, and avoid infections. Her consideration of the possible hypoglycemic condition and the simple treatment for this threads the text together. There is no doubt in Jacki Winter’s mind that exercise and diabetes go together. Her experience and enthusiasm, and her clear and concise prose, breathe encouragement to all diabetics — those unsure of beginning an exercise program as well as those on the verge of stepping up a current program.

This Positive Health Guide book would be an excellent addition to any diabetic’s or health professional’s library.