Control Diabetes with Proper Exercise
There are many medications and special diets that
help to control diabetes but few people know that exercise alone can
help to control the disease. People with this disease need to
incorporate regular exercise to promote better blood sugar control and
to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases. A proper fitness routine
greatly reduces the risk of long term problems and complications.
If
medication is being taken to control blood sugar levels, several
precautions should be taken when embarking on a new fitness routine:
- Always
take a snack with you. Usually it is beneficial to consume around 15
grams of carbohydrates for every 30 minutes of moderate exercise or 15
minutes of intense exercise. Each person is different, with different
blood sugar levels and thus must figure out just how much they
themselves need to eat, depending on the amount of exercise and its
intensity. The important thing is to always keep a snack handy.
- Always
carry a fast-acting carbohydrate food such as fresh juice or raisins to
combat hypoglycemia if it sets in during exercise.
- Remember to
build up to a high intensity workout. Begin by choosing one of light to
moderate intensity (walking, stretching, working with exercise bands,
or light biking), rather than a high intensity exercise (running,
weight lifting, tennis). Building up to a workout however, does not
mean that you cannot perform a well rounded workout.
- Add in a good, well rounded warm up and cool down to allow the body to transition back to its regular state.
A
proper exercise program, in addition to a well balanced diet can
literally mean the difference between managing your diabetes through
drugs or managing it through healthy lifestyle choices. Different types
of exercise can have complimentary effects on the body. For instance,
aerobic exercise aids in increasing insulin sensitivity and helps
restore normal glucose metabolism by decreasing body fat while strength
or weight training helps to decrease body fat, raise the metabolism and
increase glucose uptake by the muscles, resulting in lower blood sugar
levels. In a nutshell, exercise forces the muscles which are working to
use more glucose than those that are resting.
It
is true that safety precautions must be followed for the exercising
diabetic. However, keep in mind that medication alone is not enough to
make a diabetic feel good and live a full life. The Dynamics of Motion System is the only system that explains and teaches proper exercise habits for anyone at any level of fitness or health. From warm up to cool down, this system allows you to progress at your own pace. Exercise and good
nutrition are essential to controlling diabetes. They will not only
extend your life but improve its quality immeasurably. Use this knowledge to take back control of your life and your health.
