Diabetes and exercise
Exercise regularly makes you look and feel better. This energetic image you project is due to the extensive benefits provided by regular physical activity. These include improved stamina, lung capacity, heart function, joint flexibility and bone strength, blood circulation, mental alertness, psychological well being and of course more effective weight control.
Type 2 diadetes (a chronic disease of lifestyle), is highly affected by factors such as your weight and activity levels, two lifestyle choices over which we have control.
Does exercise really help Diabetes?
Exercise increases the body’s sensitivity to insulin
.
Exercise enhances the more efficient use of blood glucose, thereby lowering it. It also possibly reduces the amount of medication needed to treat diabetes. With type 2 diabetes, it may even eliminate the need for medication, when accompanied by a healthy eating plan.
Exercise, when accompanied with a well balanced diet, can help reduce your body fat (especially
abdominal fat), since it burns extra calories. This is of particular importance to the overweight diabetic.
Exercise can improve your circulation, especially in the arms and legs, where people with diabetes can have problems.
Exercise helps to reduce stress levels, which can raise your glucose level
.
Exercise can improve the quality of life of diabetics.
What are the best kinds of exercise?
The most effective exercise for people with or without diabetes is aerobic or cardiovascular exercise,
which increases the heart rate, may cause a sweat and works the heart and circulatory system. It include
very few diabetic patients use exercise as a way to help control their symptoms and lower their risk of developing serious complications, despite the fact that it has proven benefits
.
Exercise/sports to avoid?
Type 1 diabetics, particularly, should avoid sports where a hypoglycaemic event (low blood sugar) could be extremely dangerous, and these include:
General precautions
Exercise regularly, ideally at the same time each day.
Be consistent with exercise and also with meal times and insulin injections.
Have a high carbohydrate snack about 15 minutes before exercising.
Avoid heavy exercise during peak insulin action.
Protect your feet by wearing good-fitting shoes and cotton socks.
Avoid activities that cause blisters.
Carry medical identification and try to exercise with someone else who is informed that you are diabetic
If you feel an insulin reaction coming on while exercising, STOP IMMEDIATELY and have some glucose.
. Type 2 diabetes – a few extra points
Almost 9 of 10 people with type 2 diabetes are overweight! Therefore weight loss is often the first line of treatment recommended by doctors. This again brings home the importance of a low fat (especially saturated fat), balanced diet and regular exercise as part of the solution to the disease.
Most often, type 2 diabetics are past 40, so as you get older, you need to be especially careful.
Some tips to help you stick with your exercise programme
- Set a schedule, diarise it and STICK to it! Make the commitment to exercise just as you would any other important appointment. Remember, habits are developed through practice.
- Get a training partner. On days when motivation levels are flagging, we are easily tempted to skip our workout. You and your partner’s collective resolve can also help to keep you on track! Why not set joint goals to keep you even more motivated. A training partner who is aware of your diabetes can mean safer exercise sessions.
- Cross-train to avoid boredom. Don’t do the same exercise every session; rather have some variety (i.e. cross-train). For example, you might ride a bicycle one day, walk the next, and swim another day. It not only gives you variety in your routine but also reduces the risk of injury by avoiding straining the same muscles due to overuse.
- Set goals. Setting specific goals for yourself and then evaluating how you are doing with your goals is a great way to keep on track. Remember to write them down so that they are more tangible. But be realistic, unrealistic goals can work against you.
Suggestions for an exercise programme for beginners
Before beginning any sort of physical activity at all, please carefully read and work through all of the advice in point 4.
An exercise session
a) A warm-up (5 minutes), prepares the body for more strenuous activity and helps to prevent injuries (walking, swinging arms etc.)
b) The aerobic phase is the period of more intense exercise (walking, jogging, cycling etc). Heart rate and breathing rate increase.
c) Stretching after your session keeps you flexible and decreases your chances of injury.
d) The cool down (5 minutes) gradually returns your body to its normal state. This prevents pooling of blood in the arms and legs, which could otherwise cause fainting.
Aim to build up the “aerobic session” from 15 minutes to about 30 or 40 minutes to maximize the health benefits.
Lifting weights?
Nearly all people who have diabetes can incorporate upper-body strength training with light weights and high repetitions. More strenuous strength training may be acceptable for young people who have diabetes, but it is not recommended for older patients or those who have long-standing diabetes.
7 Comments
Nice
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Deletethanks a lot for this great information
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Deletethanks a lot for this great information
ReplyDeleteVery useful...
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