Exercise is a healthy practice for good health and benefits diabetic patients as well. Regular exercise is very essential to control diabetes.
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Why so?
Exercise lowers one’s blood sugar levels in two ways:
- It increases one’s insulin sensitivity. The insulin that is used by the cells to absorb the sugar from the bloodstream is then used as energy for the body.
- It allows one’s muscles to absorb and use up sugar for energy, even without insulin.
- While exercise does help lower blood sugar levels in the short term, over time it also contributes to lowering of A1C levels.
- Also, exercise also prevents complications of Type 2 diabetes, which is cardiovascular disease.
- It lowers the blood pressure, cuts LDL (low-density lipoprotein or “bad” cholesterol) and also raises HDL (high-density lipoprotein or “good” cholesterol) levels.
- Exercise also helps in burning extra body fat, strengthens the muscles as well as bones and improves the blood flow and boosts energy as well as mood, and thus reduces stress level.
- Physical exercise is a key component of lifestyle modification that can help individuals to prevent or control Type 2 diabetes.
- Diet is no doubt more important in the initial phases of weight loss, but one must exercise as well to maintain weight loss and prevent
Type 2 diabetes.
Exercise also helps in the prevention as well as control of insulin resistance, pre-diabetes, gestational diabetes mellitus, Type 2 diabetes as well as diabetes-related health complications.
The study also reports that both aerobic and resistance training improve insulin action, at least acutely, and can assist with the management of blood glucose levels, lipids, blood pressure, cardiovascular risk, mortality and quality of life.
But exercise must be undertaken regularly to have continued benefits.
Few useful exercises for diabetics:
1. Walking
Walking is considered to be one of the best as well as the easiest ways for people of all ages to exercise, including those who are suffering from diabetes.
Brisk walking at a pace that does raise one’s heart rate is an aerobic exercise. This form of exercise is good for overall health. Dog walking is also good as it has long-term exercise benefits.
One must protect one’s feet well to prevent sores and blisters be wearing good sports shoes. One must also wear athletic socks or diabetic socks made of sweat-wicking polyester fiber.
2. Tai Chi
Tai chi chuan is indeed a traditional Chinese martial art, which does combine deep diaphragmatic breathing as well as relaxation with gentle movements. This form of exercise is done in a slow as well as relaxed manner over a period of 30 minutes.
People with diabetes can indeed immensely benefit from this exercise, as it does contribute to both fitness and stress reduction.
Tai chi also does improve balance and may also reduce nerve damage, a common diabetic complication. Tai Chi exercise is the good form of exercise to control Type 2 diabetes.
It can help in the falling of levels of blood glucose or improve blood glucose metabolism, thus sparking a drop in the inflammatory response. Also, it may also boost fitness levels and generate a feeling of well-being.
3. Weight Training
Those who have diabetes must consider weight training. It does help the body to respond better to insulin, and also improve the way it makes use of blood sugar, aids weight loss and also lowers the risk for heart disease.
Weight training helps in the building of muscle mass, which is essential for Type 2 diabetes. If one loses muscle mass one will have more difficulty in maintaining one’s blood sugar.
One should plan to do resistance exercise or weight training for at least twice a week as part of one’s diabetic management plan. Make sure one schedules a day of rest between weight workouts.
4. Swimming
Swimming is, of course, another aerobic exercise that diabetic people do include in their exercise regimen.
It does help in controlling one’s blood sugar levels by improving one’s overall fitness as well as strengthening all the major muscles in one’s body.
Swimming does burns calories quickly, works out multiple parts of the body and also applies pressure on the joints.
This exercise is also easier on one’s feet than other forms of exercise, such as walking or even jogging.
For swimming, one must make use of special shoes that are made for use in the pool. Such shoes can also help prevent scraped feet and lessen the risk of slipping.
5. Yoga
Those suffering from diabetes should try yoga, as it can benefit them in several ways. It can help in lowering body fat, fight insulin resistance and also improve nerve function.
Yoga also does help reduce stress, thus prevent diabetic complications. Yoga reduces body mass index (BMI) and also improves hypoglycemic control in Type 2 diabetic patients.