For people with type 2 diabetes, exercise and fitness are options for effective disease management. Regular, planned daily exercise, such as walking and jogging, are good ways to exercise
Maria tells her story
I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes at the age of 35, and now I’m 40, and I have a family history of diabetes. My late mother had diabetes. Her sister and two of my brothers also have diabetes, and my brothers have had multiple complications.
It can be scary to hear what they are going through. After being diagnosed, I was always thinking, “How can I manage the disease? How can I reduce complications?”
In the first year after being diagnosed, my glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels were not well controlled. Because I thought one pill would do the trick, I didn’t exercise or get active. I was focused on controlling my HbA1c levels, but didn’t understand the ways to control my disease.
Exercise on your own and help from others
Finally, I met a diabetes educator who has been a great help to me. Walking during my lunch break or after meals lowers my blood glucose levels, and my job requires me to sit in front of a computer for long periods of time, and sure enough, by walking during my lunch break or after work, my blood glucose levels have really dropped.
So I started walking home, however it wasn’t easy, it started to get a little tiring after 10 minutes of walking, and I live on a long block, but I was eventually able to get around the block in 15 or 20 minutes. The walk was about 4.8 kilometers a day. Then I moved toward 5 km and increased my brisk walking speed. At first, I worked out with my oldest daughter, and then the youngest joined in. They are 18 and 16 years old and have been by my side for a long time. It was more like a family event. Now my 16 year old will go to the gym with me and that keeps me motivated. I go to the gym 3-4 times a week and complete about 4 miles on the treadmill: alternating between walking and jogging. I also do about 30 minutes of weight lifting and also enjoy working out on the stair machine.
Ultimately, I lost weight by eating healthy, counting my carbohydrate intake, and being physically active. I still need to lose 18 pounds, but I’m able to get there by eating healthy and enjoying life.
My HbA1c has dropped from 8.7% to about 6% now, and I put a lot of effort into lowering this mark. After being diagnosed with diabetes, it took me about 2 years to realize that people need to exercise more, and thankfully that is now part of my life. My main concern is that I don’t want my daughters to develop diabetes and I want them to be physically active.
Maria’s trick
It’s important to start with smaller, achievable goals. One of my goals is to go out and walk for 10 minutes.
I would watch for changes over 30 days. If I stuck with it for 30 days, I would think about the following question, “What other small changes could be made for me?” Eventually, these small changes will become part of everyday life.
Get support from friends. I reached out to my colleagues, and they were all very supportive. Even if they don’t have diabetes, we all encourage each other to exercise.
It really helps to work with a diabetes educator and a dietitian because they have a lot of experience in managing diabetes.