If you have diabetes, your doctor may always stress: exercise more. Consistent exercise helps patients control their blood sugar and reduces the chance of heart disease and other diabetes complications. A busy daily, family life and job can make it difficult to keep up with exercise. Diabetes makes it even harder to exercise. These suggestions in this article can help patients of all body types safely start exercising.
Diabetes and exercise: How much exercise is needed and why?
Experts say that people with diabetes should strive to do the following:
- Do 150 minutes or more of aerobic exercise per week. Studies have shown that regular aerobic exercise makes insulin work better and has a long-term hypoglycemic effect. In addition, exercise can reduce the chance of diabetes-related health problems, such as heart disease. Brisk walking, bicycling, tennis, or any other exercise that gets the heart rate up is a good choice.
- Do strength training 2 to 3 times a week. The more muscle you have, the better your body will absorb blood sugar. Working muscles burn stored sugar to produce energy before they burn blood sugar. In addition, muscle burns more calories than fat. Weight lifting, sit-ups, push-ups and resistance exercises can help build muscle.
- 150 minutes of exercise can sound scary if you don’t have a consistent exercise routine. But don’t let that number scare you – break it down, and that’s 30 minutes of exercise a day, 5 days a week. And 30 minutes of exercise doesn’t have to be done all at once. 10 minutes in the morning, 10 minutes at lunch, and another 10 minutes at night – that’s enough for 30 minutes.
- What if you just started exercising? Every type of exercise is good, even if it’s only 5 or 10 minutes a day. Once you get used to it, you can slowly increase the amount of time you spend each day.
- If you have diabetes and don’t usually exercise, it’s a good idea to talk to your doctor before starting an exercise program.
The best exercises for people with diabetes
Unless your doctor says otherwise, any exercise that gets your heart rate up or builds strength is good exercise. Everything from dancing to ping pong has been effective. Here’s a list of a few exercises that people with diabetes can try.
- Walk more – briskly. For most people with diabetes, walking is a great option. It’s easy and can be done anywhere. Other than a good pair of sneakers, walking doesn’t require any equipment. However, if there is foot disease due to diabetes, your doctor may recommend exercises that do not require standing.
- Exercises that don’t require standing. If you have poor blood flow and nerve damage, you should choose low-intensity exercises to protect your feet from injury. Swimming and cycling are both very good choices.
- Consider Tai Chi or yoga. Some studies have shown that both of these exercises are good ways to help lower sugar in people with type 2 diabetes. Both exercises can also help relieve stress, expand the range of motion of muscles, and improve balance so that patients are less likely to fall.
- Be safe when lifting weights. Weight training can improve blood sugar. Weight lifting exercises work the major muscle groups of the upper and lower body. However, if you have diabetes-induced vision impairment or kidney problems, lifting weights can injure blood vessels and make certain conditions worse. A doctor should be consulted first in such cases.
Progressive increase in exercise intensity
- Take it slow. If you haven’t exercised in a while, start with just 5 to 10 minutes a day. Add a few minutes or more repetitions each week and work your way up.
- Increase your daily activity. Exercise isn’t just about putting on your workout gear. You should try to move as much as possible during the day. Switch from taking the elevator to climbing the stairs. Park farther away when you go to the store and take more steps to get there. Walk less straight on your way home.
- Actively relax. It doesn’t have to be a choice between working out and watching TV. You can set up a home treadmill, exercise bike, or exercise mat in front of the TV. Choose a few shows that you only watch when you’re active. Or break up a movie into 30-minute segments and work out in between, so you can get most of your 150 minutes of cardio done in just one movie.
- Multi-tasking at the same time. It’s not just TV time that can be done at the same time as exercise. You can also walk while calling a friend or family member. Or read a book or a favorite magazine while riding your exercise bike.
- If you don’t like exercise, think about why you don’t like it. Write down the 5 things you think are the worst about exercise and find ways to make them better. If you find exercise boring or lonely, take an exercise class or get a friend to go for a walk with you. If you don’t like the gym, you can work out at home. If it’s because the exercise is too hard, try making it less difficult and then slowly increase the difficulty.
Cautions for safe exercise
People with diabetes should take these extra steps before they start exercising to help prevent injury.
Consult your doctor before starting an exercise routine. Your doctor may be able to give some advice on the best way to exercise.
- Rehydrate. Exercise depletes water, and dehydration can affect blood glucose levels. Make sure you drink enough water before, during, and after exercise to replace lost water, which is especially important for patients who have diabetes-induced nerve damage. Consult your doctor about which drinks are most appropriate during exercise, especially if you are using insulin or medications to lower your blood sugar.
- Protect your feet. Nerve damage and blood flow problems caused by diabetes can make the feet vulnerable to injury, so it’s important to be careful. Buy a good pair of athletic shoes that are comfortable to wear. Check your feet for sores, blisters or other signs of inflammation before and after exercise. If found, they should be treated immediately.
Consult your doctor about whether you should test your blood sugar before, during, or after exercise. Figure out certain exercises and how that type of exercise changes blood glucose levels. Know which blood glucose levels are too low or too high for safe exercise. Know how to deal with the signs of low blood sugar and which snacks can prevent hypoglycemia.
- Watch the temperature. If it’s very hot or very cold, pay attention to your blood sugar. In extreme temperatures, the way your body uses insulin changes.
- Wear a medical identification label. Wear a tag or carry a warning card stating that you have diabetes.
- Always have snacks around. Carry snacks with you in case you have low blood sugar during exercise.
- Check for ketone bodies. People with type 1 diabetes should not exercise if their blood glucose is greater than 250 mg/dL and they have positive ketone bodies. This may mean that insulin levels are too low and exercise will raise blood glucose.
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Trying to diversify exercise
Some patients may feel that they have finally found an exercise routine that they can stick to for a long time and lament that they are finally getting back to being healthy. However, after a few weeks or months, the exercise program goes nowhere – the yoga mat, squash racket, or roller skates are in the garage sucking up dust. When this happens, don’t get discouraged with yourself and don’t give up. For people with diabetes, it’s important to keep exercising to stay healthy. Once you feel like you’re bored with one exercise program, try something else. Some people are passionate about jogging five times a week for the rest of their lives, rain or shine. Others do not. There is nothing to be ashamed of. All we have to do is allow ourselves to stop in the middle of exercise once in a while. To try new forms of activity to keep exercise fun may be the key to better health and control of diabetes.