Diabetes and Exercise

For those people with Type-2 diabetes as well as gestational diabetes, exercise is extremely important in managing these diseases. This information is good for both types of diabetes. The combining of exercise, diet with any medication therapy will help a person with any type of diabetes better control their weight as well as blood glucose levels.

Exercise can help those with diabetes by:

• Improves the body’s use of insulin or other medications
• Helps to burn excess body fat, as well as helping to decrease and control weight. Decreasing body fat will result in improved sensitivity of insulin.
• Helps with improving muscle strength
• Lowers blood pressure
• Increases strength and bone density
• Helps to protect against blood vessel disease and heart by lowering bad cholesterol and increasing good cholesterol.
• Improves circulation of blood system and reduces risk of heart disease.
• Reduces stress, releases tension and anxiety and promotes relaxation
• Increases energy level and enhances work capacity.

Type 1 diabetes and exercise tips

• In order to reduce the risk of hypoglycemia if you are a diabetic, follow a regular routine of eating meals, exercising and taking medicines at the same time every day.
• Strenuous exercise as well as prolonged sessions can cause the body to produce more adrenaline as well as other hormones can counteract the effects of insulin and can cause your blood glucose to rise. If you are taking strenuous exercise, your insulin or oral diabetic medications may possibly need to be adjusted or changed. Talk to your doctor.
• Use care when exercising especially if your medication is getting to its peak effect.
• Exercise with another person who knows you are a diabetic and will know what to do if you develop low blood sugar reaction.
• It is wise to wear a medical ID tag or carry an ID card which says that you have diabetes
• Depending when you exercise, reduce your dose of either long-acting insulin or short-acting insulin.

Some further diabetes exercise tips include:

• Have a discussion with your physician about what exercise would be suitable for you. Diabetes complications such as eye disease which is severe and any damage to nerves may cause some types of exercise to be dangerous for you. The physician may also want to run tests to determine how your heart responds to exercise.
• Do not exercise if your blood glucose level is greater than 250 mg/dL and you are positive for ketones. This indicates that you already have a lack of insulin and exercise will only make it worse. You need to adjust your insulin and hydrate as necessary.
• Use caution when exercising if blood glucose is greater than 300 mg/dl without any ketones as exercise my help decrease your glucose level but it is possible that they will increase instead. Hydrate well before and after exercising as well as track you glucose levels and ketones.
• Learn to know the effects different types of exercise has on your blood glucose.
• When exercise have carbohydrate based foods available and also for the period following exercising. Add carbohydrates to your meals if you plan to exercise, adjust insulin doses appropriately also.

Before beginning any exercise program you should talk with your physician on what kind of exercise and what adjustments you need to make with medications as well as meal plans.

Other general exercise guidelines and precautions:

• Start slowly and slowly increase
• Choose an activity you like
• Consider a water exercise program, others including walking, riding a bike, muscle stretching
• Exercise 3 to 4 times each week for 20 to 40 minutes each time. Spend 5 to 10 minutes warming up and 5 minutes cooling down
• Wear proper and good fitting shoes
• Practice proper foot care
• Do not ignore pain.
• Drink water before, during and after exercise to stop dehydration