Diabetic Exercise: Managing Your Blood Sugar

If you have diabetes, your doctor has probably told you to go on a healthy diet and practice specific diabetic exercises regularly. When you exercise, you burn calories helping you to lose excess weight. It also allows your body to react to insulin which helps manage your glucose or sugar level. When your blood sugar is lowered through physical workouts, you decrease the number of medicines you need to take and can sometimes even do away with them. Because diabetic patients tend to have problems in the legs and arms, they need to have good blood circulation in those areas, and exercise can promote that for them.

To get the right plan for weight loss, NC has several weight loss centers that offer professional help designing a safe and healthy routine. To achieve your goals for fitness, Greensboro gyms are a great place to start. There you will learn regular workout plans that can help you lose weight and even decrease your bad cholesterol and hypertension to prevent heart diseases, which are common in diabetic patients. By following an exercise plan designed at a Greensboro gym, you will also be able reduce stress, which is a contributory factor in a high glucose level.

Before you start exercising, make sure you have the right outfit. Your shoes must fit you well and must be comfortable and supportive enough for rigorous activity. You should also wear light, breathable materials that stretch enough to allow you a full range of motion for stretching and exercising.

If you are a beginner, or haven’t exercised in a while, you should start with less strenuous exercises where you can set your own pace, such as walking and swimming. You can also go bicycling. These will get your body used to physical activity and will prepare you for more demanding workouts. Periodically add five minutes to your workout to help build resistance. In the gym, do not lift heavier weights than you can safely handle as this might increase your blood pressure. Personal trainers are available at most fitness centers in NC to help you get started and stick with your routine.

Always stretch your body first for 5 minutes before you start exercising. End your workouts with another 5 minutes of stretches. To manage your blood sugar, it is advisable to exercise at least 3 times a week for half an hour and not more than an hour.

Along with exercise, you must also control your eating. Your doctor will present you with a meal plan to carefully follow. After an exercise of more than an hour, you can have a snack such as an apple, fruit juice or half a piece of ordinary bagel. After an aerobic session or jogging, you can have a little sandwich and a small glass of milk. This is to control your blood sugar which can drop during exercise. Watch for signs that your blood sugar is dropping too far. Signs of hypoglycemia include trembling and light-headedness.

Do not exercise when you are sick, see ketones in your urine, have pain or numbness in your legs, cannot breathe easily, and if your blood sugar heightens to more than 300 mg/dl. It is better to exercise after you have eaten so that you have energy. Always have something sweet with you in case your blood sugar goes down. Remember to always consult your doctor before starting a diabetic exercise plan.

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