Exercise therapy is one of the main methods of diabetes treatment. Studies have found that regular exercise can help control blood sugar by reducing weight, correcting dyslipidemia, and increasing insulin sensitivity. In addition, proper exercise helps to eliminate anxiety and other negative emotions and improve work efficiency and quality of life. Therefore, in daily life, diabetic patients should exercise appropriately. People with diabetes can reap the benefits of exercise by following the principles below when exercising.
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1. Perform a whole-body assessment before exercise
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Exercise for people with diabetes should be done under the guidance of a specialist, and an assessment of cardiopulmonary and exercise function is needed before exercise, in addition to an assessment of diabetes. In some cases, such as recent loss of control of blood glucose, recurrent episodes of hypoglycemia or large fluctuations in blood glucose, acute diabetic complications such as diabetic ketosis or even ketoacidosis, co-infection, severe chronic complications of diabetes such as proliferative retinopathy, severe diabetic nephropathy, severe cardiovascular disease (unstable angina, transient ischemic attack, etc.), exercise is contraindicated and should be resumed only after the condition has stabilized. The amount of exercise should also be controlled appropriately.
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2. Choose the right amount of exercise for you
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Exercise should be appropriate for the patient’s age, condition, and ability to tolerate it, and should be evaluated regularly to adjust the exercise program when appropriate. In general, adults with diabetes need at least 150 minutes of aerobic exercise per week, and can ensure 30 minutes of exercise more than 5 days per week. Reducing the number of exercise sessions per week and increasing the duration of each session is not recommended. A heart rate of less than “170-age” after exercise is an appropriate amount of exercise. The amount of exercise is basically appropriate if you exert yourself a little, your heart rate and breathing are fast but not rapid, and you sweat a little after exercise rather than sweating profusely. These exercises include: brisk walking, tai chi, cycling, table tennis, badminton and golf. The brisk walking method is recommended because it is not limited by time and space, and it is also one of the more effective aerobic exercises.
3. Choosing the right time to exercise
Many people like to exercise on an empty stomach after waking up in the morning, but diabetics should not exercise on an empty stomach because their blood sugar is low on an empty stomach, and if they exercise at this time, they are at increased risk of hypoglycemia, and in severe cases, even hypoglycemic coma. Therefore, it is recommended that diabetic patients start exercising half an hour after meals, when blood glucose is high, through appropriate exercise can effectively lower blood glucose, while avoiding the occurrence of postprandial hypoglycemia. If you like to exercise in the morning, you need to drink a glass of milk or eat a few cookies before exercising to ensure energy supply and avoid hypoglycemia.
4. Perform appropriate resistance exercise
If you are physically able and have no contraindications, such as young people with diabetes without complications, you can do resistance exercise 2 times a week to build muscle strength and endurance. The resistance during training is light or moderate. The combination of resistance exercise and aerobic exercise may result in greater metabolic improvement.
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5. Prevention of hypoglycemia
Patients with diabetes should temporarily adjust their diet and medication regimen during heavy or intense exercise to avoid hypoglycemia. In addition, hypoglycemia may occur during exercise, so it is recommended that diabetic patients carry food such as cookies, sweets and pastries with them during exercise, so that they can eat in time to relieve hypoglycemia and prevent it from worsening if they experience hunger, palpitations, weakness and dizziness and sweating during exercise.
6. Choosing the right insulin injection site
If insulin-treated diabetic patients are exercising, they should avoid injecting insulin in the extremities, because the movement of the extremities will cause insulin to be absorbed too quickly and accelerate the insulin into the blood, which will increase the insulin concentration in the blood and lead to hypoglycemia, and it is more appropriate to choose to inject insulin in the abdomen.
In conclusion, diabetic patients should choose the right type and amount of exercise for themselves when exercising, and should do so gradually and consistently, rather than being too hasty and blindly engaging in intense activity. The company’s main goal is to provide a comprehensive range of products and services to meet the needs of its customers.