The Role of Exercise in Diabetes Management

1
The Role of Exercise in Diabetes Management Do
people with diabetes benefit from
exercise? Exercise is an essential component of
any diabetic care plan. Checking your blood sugar
levels prior to, during, and following exercise
will help you avoid issues. This will enable you
to prevent potentially harmful blood sugar
changes and show you how your body reacts to
exercise. Before starting a fitness program,
especially if you haven't exercised recently, get
your doctor's approval. You should talk to your
doctor about how certain activities might affect
your blood sugar. Your doctor can advise you on
the best time to exercise and can also go over
how being more active might impact your blood
sugar levels and potential medication side
effects. Exercise is beneficial to your health in
a variety of ways, but if you have diabetes,
monitoring your blood sugar levels is just as
important as the exercise itself.
How Does Exercise Help with Diabetes? For those
with type 2 diabetes, regular exercise, including
both aerobic and resistance training, can be very
beneficial. Exercise can help reduce both excess
body weight and poor blood glucose control, which
are significant diabetes risk factors, according
to studies. Age-related health issues associated
with diabetes in older adults, such as weakened
flexibility and balance, may also be managed with
specific exercise regimens.
Diabetes can be fought in a variety of ways
through exercise. It increases insulin
sensitivity, enabling cells to absorb glucose
from the blood using any insulin that may be
present. Muscle cells can still take up glucose
when they contract during exercise even in the
absence of insulin.
2
Diabetes-friendly Exercises
In addition to promoting weight loss, blood
pressure regulation, and cholesterol reduction,
exercise can also benefit your health in other
ways. Making the muscles more adept at utilizing
glucose is one of the most crucial ways exercise
helps control and lower blood sugar levels
(improved insulin sensitivity).
Everyone is advised to regularly engage in both
aerobic and resistance forms of exercise because
they have so many advantages, regardless of age,
gender, or fitness goals.
Aerobic (cardio), resistance, and combined
trainingdoing bothare all equally effective at
lowering HbA1c levels in diabetics. People
frequently claim that strength training only
helps you gain muscle and that cardio only helps
you lose weight.
One of the most important aspects of better
diabetes management is strength training.
Strength training has several advantages for
muscle growth, including increasing the uptake of
glucose by your muscles and helping to regulate
blood sugar.
The Functions Advantages of Exercise in the
Treatment of Diabetes Numerous studies have amply
demonstrated the benefits of exercise and its
significance in the diabetes management. Below is
a list of the advantages of exercising to prevent
or control diabetes.
3
Exercise decreased HbAlc values by 0.7
percentage points in people with diabetes of
different ethnic backgrounds who were taking
different medications and following different
diets, and this improvement occurred even though
they didn't lose any weight. Any form of
exerciseaerobic, resistance, or combining the
two (combined training)was successful in
bringing down diabetics' HbA1c levels.
Resistance training and aerobic exercise both
decreased insulin resistance in older adults who
were at risk for diabetes due to abdominal
obesity and previous inactivity. Combining the
two forms of exercise was found to be more
advantageous than doing either one separately.
Those with diabetes who engaged in three to
four hours of exercise each week further
decreased their risk of passing away from heart
disease. Diabetes patients who walked for at
least two hours each week had a lower risk of
passing away from the condition than those who
did not exercise. A woman with diabetes had
a 40 lower risk of developing heart disease if
she performed at least four hours of moderate
(including walking) or vigorous exercise each
week. These benefits continued even after the
researchers took into account confounding factors
like BMI, smoking, and other heart disease risk
factors.
What unique safety measures need to be taken by
diabetic patients? While engaging in
physical activity, drink plenty of fluids to
prevent dehydration (harmful loss of body
water). Before engaging in any physical
activity, especially if you take insulin, check
your blood sugar levels.
4
When you're done, evaluate how your activity
affected your blood glucose level. After
engaging in physical activity, examine your feet
for sores, blisters, irritation, cuts, or other
injuries. Contact your healthcare provider if an
injury doesn't start to heal after two days.
Try to exercise for 30 to 45 minutes a minimum of
three times per week. If you haven't worked out
recently, go slowly. Start with 5 to 10 minutes
and work your way up. Avoid fried foods and
foods high in oil, carbs, and sugar, and instead
opt for low-GI foods like vegetables and lentils.
Additionally, it's crucial to regularly check
your blood sugar levels. Be on the lookout
for signs like a low-grade fever, a sore throat,
fatigue, and trouble breathing. Get medical help
right away if this happens. Conclusion Given all
of the diabetes research and advancements in
diabetes treatments, it's easy to believe that
someone has already discovered a cure. Unlike
what many people think, neither type 1 nor type 2
diabetes can be cured by roots. But there are
treatments out there, like easy daily routines
like working out and adhering to a doctor's
recommended diet, that can make a significant
difference. You've arrived at the appropriate
location if you have diabetes.
Consult the primary care physicians at Millennium
Park Medical Associates in Chicago, Illinois, to
get the best and most thorough internal medicine
and preventive care services. Right away, make an
appointment request over the phone or online.