Making Fitness Fun When You Have Diabetes

Diabetes and exercise are well linked. Being physically active aids you in managing your diabetes as it increases your body’s sensitivity to insulin, the hormone that enables your cells to use blood sugar as fuel. Additionally, exercise lowers your risk of developing heart disease and nerve damage while assisting with blood sugar regulation. 

Some Benefits of Exercise in Diabetes

Here are some additional benefits of exercise that also help with diabetes and fitness:

• Being healthy in terms of weight
• Weight loss, if necessary
• Enjoying life more
• Getting more rest
• Strengthening your memory
• Maintaining blood pressure control
• LDL (“bad”) cholesterol reduction and HDL (“good”) cholesterol augmentation

Diabetes Exercise

Try to establish a routine of performing the exercises below on a regular basis. They are extremely simple to incorporate into your daily routine and will provide you with the most benefits for managing your diabetes.

Walking

Walking is the most common activity and is highly advised for those with diabetes because it can be done practically everywhere. A fantastic strategy to boost your physical activity is to walk briskly for 30 minutes five times per week. Even better, divide the 30 minutes into three, 10-minute periods.

Tai Chi

This Chinese exercise technique uses gentle, fluid movements to calm the body and mind. According to studies, those who finish their tai chi lessons significantly enhance their ability to control their blood sugar. Additionally, they claim to have more vitality, energy, and mental health.

Yoga

A well-known kind of exercise, yoga uses flowing movements to increase strength, flexibility, and balance. It can help those who have diabetes and other chronic illnesses. It reduces stress and enhances nerve activity, which results in a higher level of mental wellness. In addition, yoga’s ability to enhance muscle mass may help lower blood sugar levels.

Dancing

Dancing is beneficial to your mind and body. The mental effort required to learn dance moves and patterns actually strengthens memory and brain function. It is a fun and enjoyable way for people with diabetes to boost physical activity, support weight loss, increase flexibility, lower blood sugar, and lessen stress. Many people can dance thanks to chair dancing, which makes it possible for those with restricted physical capabilities.

 Swimming

Swimming is ideal for persons with diabetes because it relaxes and stretches your muscles while putting no stress on your joints. Studies have shown that it lowers stress levels, raises cholesterol levels, and burns calories for people with diabetes or those who are at risk of getting the disease. It is advised that you swim at least three times a week for at least 10 minutes, progressively increasing the duration of the workout to obtain the maximum advantage from it. Last but not least, before you enter the pool, inform the lifeguard that you have diabetes.

Pilates

Popular fitness program Pilates seeks to improve balance, coordination, and core strength. It might also aid in better blood sugar regulation.

Consult your doctor before beginning an exercise regimen to ensure that the exercise you select is safe and suitable for your particular type of diabetes. Start out cautiously, especially if you haven’t engaged in any physical activity lately. 3 Depending on the difficulties you’re dealing with as a result of your diabetes, there may be certain exercises you should avoid. Generally, it is easy to control diabetes with exercise.

Sources:

https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/managing/active.html#:~:text=If%20you%20have%20diabetes%2C%20being,heart%20disease%20and%20nerve%20damage.

5 Best Exercises for People with Diabetes

https://www.healthline.com/health/type-2-diabetes/top-exercises#pilates