- Planning your program
- Insulin uptake during exercise
- Low glucose levels during exercise
- Sticking with it
Exercise, along with carefully following your meal plan, is an important part of managing your diabetes. But it all starts with you - no one else can do this for you. Only you can take the first steps that will help bring your diabetes under control.
You need to develop an exercise program that will fit
into your lifestyle and interests. There is no one "perfect"
exercise program for you to follow. If you're a homebody and
a nightowl, signing up for an early morning aerobics class
is a recipe for failure. If you like people, facing 30
minutes on a treadmill in your bedroom will make it hard to
get motivated. If competition makes you tense, joining a
racquetball league will undermine your best intentions. It's
important that the exercise program you adopt is enjoyable.
Some tips on getting into the swing of regular exercise:
- To start on the right foot, start your program slowly
with 10-15 minutes the first few times. Increase the
length of your workout by 5 minutes each week until a
20-40 minute workout becomes a part of your routine.
- Remember to warm-up 5-10 minutes before exercising to
help prevent injury.
- Once you start your workout, don't take breaks.
Exercise continuously for at least 20-30 minuters.
- Check your heart rate during your workout.
- Cool down after your exercise routine for 10-15
minutes to prevent cramping.
- Explore the "hidden" opportunities for exercise: park as far away from the door as possible, walk the stairs instead of taking the elevator, ride a bike instead of riding in the car.
As you become more active, your body's demand for glucose and your need for insulin will change. Before beginning any exercise program, talk to your doctor about how it will affect your need for insulin or oral medication. Your doctor can also recommend the type of exercise that is best for your overall health and physical condition.
Always test your blood sugar before exercising and adjust your medication for your planned level of activity. If you're unable to exercise, you will also need to compensate for the lack of activity.
You need to be mindful of the site you inject your insulin and how it will be affected by exercise. It is not a good idea to inject your insulin near a muscle group that you will be strenously working as the insulin will be absorbed more rapidly than normal. For example, you should not inject in your arm before your lift weights, or in your thigh before you begin to jog.
Your blood sugar will go down during exercise. While that
is the whole idea, blood sugar can become too low during a
strenuous workout.
- Test your blood glucose before exercising and eat
first if it's lower than 100 mg/dl.
- Realize that low blood sugar can develop several
hours after you've stopped exercising.
- Be sure that you're aware of the symptoms of low
blood sugar reaction and carry a sugar source like juice
or glucose tablets with you.
- Exercise with a "buddy" who knows how to recognize
and treat low blood sugar.
- Make sure exercise instructors know you have
diabetes.
- If you're prone to low blood sugar episodes, consider joining an exercise program supervised by a medical organization.
There are as many excuses to quit an exercise program as
there are to never start one: you're too busy, or too tired
or too sore to exercise; or the weather's too rainy/cold/hot
to go outside, or too nice to stay inside to exercise. Once
you start, it takes motivation to stick with it. But hang in
there and you'll find that you feel healthier and happier
than you ever did before.
- Invest in proper exercise shoes with good arc
supports when working out. Protect your feet from injury
and blisters.
- Wear comfortable, loose fitting clothing that is
appropriate for the type of exercise you're doing. The
more comfortable you are, the more likely you are to stay
with the program.
- If you find you don't like the type of exercise you start with, switch to a different kind of exercise.
- Don't feel obligated to stay with a routine you don't
enjoy.
- If you get bored with a single type of exercise,
switch between several kinds of exercise: treadmill on
Monday, aerobics on Wednesday, walking on Saturday.
- Sign up at a gym that has a variety of workout
programs to keep you interested.
- Recruit a friend or family member to exercise with
you and help encourage each other.
- Don't try to keep up with more experienced
exercisers. Work at your own pace and try to improve a
little every time.
- Give your self non-food incentives for a faithful
week of exercising such as a day at a museum, or tickets
to a ball game.
- Involve your kids. It will be good for them to grow up with a tradition of exercise.
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