What are some exercise tips for people with diabetes?
- Do quick workouts
- Increase activity in general
- Try out a pedometer
Exercise is not only safe, it is highly recommended for people with diabetes and struggle with its complications as well. Regular exercise, along with eating a balanced diet and taking your medicine for diabetes, can help you lose a few pounds which can lower your blood sugar levels.
While the idea of doing a workout routine can be a bit daunting, the benefits you can enjoy far outweigh the initial difficulty you might face. If you are like many of those who were diagnosed with diabetes, you probably might not have done any kind of exercise for a long time. But as long as you take the appropriate precautions like taking generic drugs for maintenance beforehand, exercise can be very beneficial.
Before you find an exercise program that works for you remember to consult your doctors to make sure you stay safe and consider these three exercise tips for people with diabetes.
Do Quick Workouts
Experts agree that doing several short workouts can be fine as long as the total time you spend doing exercise each day is at least 30 minutes. The most important thing when getting people with diabetes to do some exercise is to have them move around and not stay sedentary.
If you can do your entire exercise routine in one 30-minute stretch, all the better. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for others who have to take their medicine for diabetes. If you think you can’t make it through one continuous workout, it is okay to break it up into smaller increments that you can manage. That way, you are still getting at least 30 minutes of activity each day.
Increase Activity in General
Focus on increasing the amount of physical activity that you do overall. Instead of spending most of your time doing one particular type of exercise, try and do more of the common physical activities you already do every day such as walking or climbing stairs.
Do not just rely on doing housework or their daily activities as your only source of exercise, however. People all too often tend to overestimate the amount of exercise they do and underestimate the number of calories they consume in a day.
Try Out a Pedometer
Having a way to count out and measure the number of steps you have taken or the distance you have walked can be a very important part of doing physical exercise. There have been several studies conducted that link the use of pedometers as a form of motivation for physical activities. These studies have shown that there have been as much as a 27 percent increase in physical activities among people who have used a pedometer.
Setting a number of steps to take in one day, even if you don’t actually reach it, is very important for motivation. For instance, setting a goal of 10,000 steps per day, which is about five miles, can help motivate you into taking the first few steps. People with diabetes who used pedometers tend to lose more weight, walked 2,500 steps more every day, and had a greater drop in blood pressure than those who did not use a pedometer.
Key Takeaway
While being active can almost be just as helpful as taking generic drugs for diabetes, always remember to consult your doctor before starting a workout routine. This is especially true if you plan on starting something more aggressive than a walking program or if you have not exercised in a long time.
Exercise is a helpful way to manage your blood sugar levels, but it is important that you take the proper precautions so you can avoid any complications.