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Diabetes and Exercise
~Tips and Precautions For
Diabetes Weight Loss~
Diabetes and exercise are closely associated with one another. Exercise is a very important part of any diabetes management program.
Regular exercise can help to lower your blood sugar levels and help to control your weight by burning excess body fat. We all need to make
healthier choices, but if you have diabetes, you really have to make healthy lifestyle changes.
Diabetes is a disease that happens when your body doesn't produce enough insulin or can't use insulin properly.
Insulin is a hormone that's produced by the pancreas which allows glucose to enter your body through your cells to be used as energy.
Your body changes most of the food you eat into glucose, which is a form of sugar. When a person has diabetes, the sugar builds up in the blood instead of moving into the cells.
When there's too much sugar in the blood, health complications can occur, including heart disease.
There are two different types of diabetes.
* Type 1 Diabetes - this occurs when the body doesn't produce any insulin and the person will need insulin injections. This is the more dangerous type of diabetes because without insulin injections, your body can't survive.
* Type 2 Diabetes - this occurs when the body doesn't produce enough insulin or when the cells don't use the insulin that the body IS producing. This type of diabetes is manageable through your diet and exercise and sometimes pills (.
This is where having diabetes and exercise together can help. Exercise has a positive effect for both types of diabetes.
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Exercise can lower your risk for heart disease by lowering 'bad' LDL cholesterol and at the same time increasing 'good' HDL cholesterol.
Heart Disease is a condition that is very common in those with diabetes and being physically active helps to improve blood circulation.
Having diabetes and exercise can help to improve your body's use of insulin and increase bone density and strength.
Diabetes and exercise can mean taking less insulin or diabetes pills. Being physically active can lower blood glucose and weight. Both of these may lower how much insulin or diabetes pills you will need to take.
To avoid any potential problems, check your blood sugar before, during and after any exercise.
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According to the American Diabetes Association, those with pre-diabetes, diabetes, or the general adult public should aim for a minimum of 30 minutes most days.
Walking, gardening, doing yard work, swimming, or cleaning house will all work to meet this goal. Anything that increases your heart rate and causes you to break a light sweat.
While children and teens should aim for at least 60 minutes most days.
Also, the Diabetes Prevention Program - a large study done in people with pre-diabetes - showed that 150 minutes of physical activity a week (30 minutes, five times a week) helped prevent or delay type 2 diabetes.
In this study, people also lost 10 to 20 pounds by making changes in their eating habits.
Remember to take it one day at a time, slowly build up to your goal.
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Test your blood sugar 30 minutes before exercising and then once again right before you exercise.
This will help you determine if your blood sugar level is stable, rising or falling and to make sure it's safe to exercise.
If your blood sugar is:
* Lower than 100 mg/dL - eat a small snack containing carbohydrates, like a piece of fruit or crackers before starting your workout. Your blood sugar may be too low to safely exercise.
* 100 to 250 mg/dL - this is a safe range to exercise.
* 250 mg/dL or higher - just to be safe you may need to test your urine for ketones. This is an element made when your body breaks down fat
for energy. If you have too many ketones, this indicates that your body doesn't have enough insulin to help control your blood sugar.
If you end up exercising with a high level of ketones, serious complications can occur that will require immediate attention. To be safe,
wait to exercise until your test kit indicates a low level of ketones in your urine.
Be sure to watch for symptoms of low blood sugar when exercising. Try to check your blood sugar every 30 minutes, especially if the workout is at a high intensity.
STOP EXERCISING if your blood sugar levels are below 70 mg/dL or you feel shaky or confused.
With diabetes and exercise the most important thing is to check your blood sugar before, during and after exercise.
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