How Does Exercise Help Type 2 Diabetes?
Exercise is good for us all – especially those with diabetes. With the correct amount of exercise to suit the individual and a sensible diet, there would be many type 2 diabetics out there that could avoid taking medication altogether!
There is no denying the importance of exercise for keeping healthy if you have diabetes. Exercise is vital for both Type 1 and type 2 diabetics helping the body to:
- Respond better to insulin and reduce the amount of medication they take.
- To keep circulation healthy in their arms and legs
- To reduce their risk of depression
- To keep their metabolism healthy and their muscles strong- this in turn helps with maintaining a healthy weight. Strong muscles also help to maintain independence with age.
What Exercise is Good for Diabetes?
If you have diabetes and you haven’t exercised for a while, you need to take it slow. OK so you can go out and hire a personal trainer, or even join the local gym but to be honest it’s really not necessary. Don’t over think this – there’s easier and cheaper ways out there that you can get all the exercise you need.
- Good old fashioned walking. All you really need is some comfortable clothing and a good pair of walking shoes! And if you are lucky enough to live close by a beach, you don’t even need the shoes!
- Always good to take it easy to start – even just 20 or 30 minutes per day – 5 days a week if you can manage it. This is going to help you see improvements in your haemoglobin A1C, your triglycerides and cholesterol. As you gradually build this up to 90 minutes per day, you really start to see the difference that exercise makes to your life. How you feel, how you look and even blood pressure!
- Swimming is also another ideal exercise for people with Type 2 diabetes. Some diabetics also experience other conditions, like arthritis which can often make other forms of exercise painful and uncomfortable. Being in the water is less stressful for your body as it doesn’t put pressure on your joints. It’s also much easier on your feet. Swimming is great for weight loss and diabetes is quite often a factor with regards to obesity.
Exercise and Diabetes Prevention – Make Exercise a Habit!
If you have diabetes, you will certainly need to look at how you incorporate exercise into your daily life now. You need to make exercise a habit, that will in time become part of your life. If you find it difficult to get out to a park or beach to go walking, or you’re just not really into going to gyms, then perhaps have a look at all the FREE Apps that are available for your smart phone or Tablet! I love the 7 minute workout apps, and even the gentle stretching sessions that you can actually do just about anywhere! How about getting some diabetic exercise videos – or even getting into some gentle yoga exercise for diabetes.
Getting your daily dose of regular exercise doesn’t have to be expensive or that time consuming – you just have to commit to making it part of your daily life routine!
