Life is exercise, this sentence also applies to diabetics.
For diabetic patients, reasonable exercise can not only fitness, but also can assist in lowering sugar and preventing complications; but if not scientific, blind exercise, not only for the recovery is not beneficial, but will aggravate the disease.
First, the timing of exercise is very important
Diabetic patients should not fasting (or before meals) exercise, which can easily induce hypoglycemia or cause significant fluctuations in blood sugar; also should not exercise immediately after meals, which will prevent the gastrointestinal digestion and absorption of food, and cause stomach discomfort or indigestion.
Therefore, it is best for patients to choose to start exercising 1 to 2 hours after meals, because the blood glucose level in the body is higher during this time, and exercising helps to reduce postprandial blood glucose and is less prone to hypoglycemia.
In addition, exercise is important to adhere to, not three days to fish and two days to sunbathe; some diabetic patients have no regular routine, leisure time continuous “practice”, busy not practice, which can not guarantee the effect of exercise, but also lead to blood glucose fluctuations, very unfavorable to blood sugar control. Generally speaking, diabetics should exercise at least five times a week, lasting 30 to 40 minutes each time.
Second, the exercise program must vary from person to person
Diabetes is a multi-organ (such as eyes, kidneys, cardiovascular, lower extremity foot and nervous system) damage to the chronic disease. Diabetic patients in the choice of exercise program, should be in full consideration of their own condition, combined with personal interests, according to their ability, reasonable choice.
For example, obese type 2 diabetic patients, if cardiopulmonary function allows, can choose some medium-intensity exercise, such as jogging, hiking, cycling, playing ping-pong and badminton, etc.; combined with cardiovascular disease patients, suitable for low-intensity activities, such as walking, aerobics, tai chi or light housework, etc.; elderly diabetic patients (especially those with poor physical condition), walking is the safest and most suitable exercise The most appropriate way.
In addition, diabetic patients with combined retinopathy should avoid jumping, crashing or holding their breath. The exercise should be avoided.
Third, sports safety should not be ignored
The most common safety problems encountered by diabetics during exercise are hypoglycemic reactions, foot injuries and cardiovascular accidents, etc., which should be fully prepared to try to prevent problems before they occur. In order to prevent hypoglycemia, diabetics should not exercise on an empty stomach, exercise with appropriate intensity and time, and carry sugar cubes, cookies or sweet drinks and other sugary foods with them in case of emergency.
In addition, patients using insulin should choose the injection site in the abdomen for subcutaneous injection. If injected in the extremities, the muscle movement will speed up the absorption of insulin, which will easily lead to hypoglycemia.
To prevent foot injuries, diabetic patients should wear shoes that do not show toes, do not squeeze the feet, soft uppers and flat insoles, and check the skin of the feet for breaks and blisters before and after exercise, and deal with them in a timely manner.
To prevent cardiovascular accidents during exercise, it is recommended that patients with unstable angina or severe hypertension to suspend exercise, stable coronary heart patients can choose low-intensity aerobic exercise (such as walking or jogging), and to carry the necessary emergency drugs, once the movement of breathing difficulties, chest pressure, dizziness, headache, pallor and other symptoms, should immediately stop exercise, serious cases must be as soon as possible The serious cases should be sent to the hospital as soon as possible.
Four, the common misconceptions of diabetes exercise
1, the treatment of diabetes by diet and medication, exercise plays a small role
Wrong] Like diet and medication, exercise therapy is an important part of the overall treatment of diabetes. Scientific and reasonable exercise can enhance physical fitness, improve cardiopulmonary function and body immunity.
For diabetic patients, exercise can also reduce body weight, improve insulin resistance, assist in lowering blood sugar (especially postprandial blood sugar), and reduce the dosage of hypoglycemic drugs. Many early mild type 2 diabetes patients, and even without drugs, simply through dietary control and exercise therapy, will be able to control blood sugar at a good level.
2. Exercise therapy is suitable for all diabetic patients
[Wrong] Despite the benefits of exercise therapy, not all patients with diabetes are suitable for exercise.
These patients include.
1) Patients with very high (fasting blood glucose > 16.7 mmol/L) or fluctuating diabetes;
2) diabetic patients with active fundus bleeding;
3) diabetic patients with renal insufficiency and large amount of proteinuria;
4) Diabetic patients with unstable angina pectoris and severe hypertension;
5) diabetic patients with severe loss of foot sensation and gangrene of the foot.
If these patients exercise blindly, not only will it not be beneficial to their health, but it will aggravate their condition. Therefore, before starting exercise therapy, it is necessary for patients to have a comprehensive physical examination including blood sugar, liver and kidney function, urinary routine and microalbuminuria, blood pressure, electrocardiogram, fundus, foot and neurological examination to determine the presence and severity of complications, and then the doctor will decide whether the patient is suitable for exercise based on the results of the physical examination.
3.Homework can replace exercise therapy
Wrong]
Doing housework is also exercise, but there is still a difference with exercise therapy. Exercise therapy must meet a certain intensity, time and continuity, while housework is often some trivial things, not only the intensity of exercise is low and often lack of continuity, the actual consumption of calories is not much, usually not up to the amount of exercise required for treatment, few people can reduce weight through housework, in this case, often fail to achieve the effect of treatment, so that housework can not replace physical exercise.
4.The effect of exercise on blood sugar only drops but not rises
[Wrong
The effect of exercise on blood glucose can both drop and rise, which mainly depends on what kind of exercise you take. Various endurance aerobic exercises (such as brisk walking, jogging, swimming, cycling, etc.) can indeed lower blood sugar, but strenuous high-intensity anaerobic exercises (such as running, tug of war, weight lifting, etc.) will raise blood sugar. Because of the intense exercise will stimulate the body’s stress response, so that the excitability of sympathetic nerves increased, catecholamines and other antagonistic insulin hormone secretion, resulting in increased blood sugar, and even induced diabetic ketoacidosis.
5.The greater the intensity of exercise, the better
Wrong]
The intensity of exercise should be determined according to your age, weight, blood glucose level, cardiopulmonary status, etc. Too high and too low are inappropriate. Exercise intensity is too big for blood sugar does not drop but rise, may also induce cardiovascular accidents (such as angina, blood pressure, etc.) and other adverse consequences; exercise intensity is too small can not achieve the therapeutic effect.
Diabetic patients are more suitable for exercise intensity of moderate “aerobic exercise”, which we usually call “endurance exercise”, such as walking, jogging, climbing, aerobics, tai chi, swimming, cycling and so on. And high-intensity strenuous exercise (that is, “anaerobic exercise”) is not suitable for diabetics. In order to ensure the effect of exercise, exercise heart rate should reach “170 – age”; for example, a 50-year-old patient, require exercise heart rate of 170 – 50 = 120 times / min is more appropriate.
6, “warm up before exercise” and “relax after exercise” is not much necessary
Wrong]
Diabetic patients in exercise therapy, to do 5 to 10 minutes of warm-up activities, such as tai chi, walking, health exercises, etc., and gradually increase the intensity of exercise to make cardiovascular adaptation, and improve the flexibility of joints, muscles, to avoid muscle strains. Do not stop immediately after exercise, to 5 to 10 minutes of finishing relaxation activities, such as slow walking, self-massage, which on the one hand helps to relieve muscle fatigue, reduce muscle soreness and other discomfort; on the other hand, can promote blood reflux, prevent the sudden stop of exercise caused by limb stasis, back to heart blood volume decreased, causing cerebral syncope or arrhythmia.
I hope that diabetics out of the misunderstanding of exercise, fully enjoy the joy of exercise!
Knowledge link: aerobic exercise and anaerobic exercise]
Exercise is divided into “aerobic exercise” and “anaerobic exercise”, which is based on the exercise of muscle contraction energy from the “aerobic metabolism” or ” anaerobic metabolism” to divide.
”Aerobic exercise” is the exercise under aerobic metabolism, which refers to the endurance exercise that can enhance the uptake, transport and utilization of oxygen in the body, characterized by low intensity, rhythm, and long duration, such as walking, jogging, cycling, climbing, aerobics, fitness dance, rhythmic exercise, tai chi, swimming, rowing It can enhance cardiopulmonary function, improve metabolism, and assist in lowering blood sugar and blood lipids.
”Anaerobic exercise” that is, in the muscle under the anaerobic metabolic conditions of rapid and vigorous exercise, characterized by the relative lack of oxygen intake during exercise, had to provide energy through “anaerobic metabolism”, such as running, weightlifting, throwing, high jump, long jump, tug of war, etc. High-intensity competitive sports. “Anaerobic exercise” will produce too much lactic acid in the body, resulting in muscle pain and fatigue after exercise, shortness of breath. In addition, it can also promote the secretion of blood sugar hormones in the body, causing blood sugar to rise.