How The Exercising Help to Cure Diabetes Sufferers? - Body Knowledge Park 2019

Frank
Jan 22, 2019
3 min read

Updated: Mar 6, 2019

Diabetes is a disease in which blood glucose (sugar) is not well controlled. In healthy individuals, the hormone insulin works to ensure that blood glucose levels stay within a normal range. In type 1 diabetes, the body stops producing insulin, and this often occurs early in life. Without insulin, the body's cells cannot easily take in glucose. As a result, the cells are starved of glucose (an important source of energy), and blood glucose levels climb to dangerously high levels.

Type 2 diabetes is a disease in which insulin is available, but the body's cells are unresponsive to it. Risk factors such as obesity, a family history of type 2 diabetes, and a sedentary lifestyle are linked to the development of type 2 diabetes. More than 90% of people with diabetes have type 2 diabetes. Gestational diabetes is a form of the disease that develops during pregnancy.

Although the causes of the various types of diabetes differ, the negative health effects are similar, including an elevated risk of heart disease, nerve and blood vessel damage, and kidney disease.

BENEFITS OF EXERCISE

Exercise can be an important therapy for people with diabetes. Exercise assists with weight management, enhances the cells' ability to take in glucose, and lowers the risk of heart disease.

For people at risk for developing type 2 diabetes, exercise is an important preventive tool. However, it is important for anyone with diabetes to consult with his or her physician before beginning an exercise program. It also is prudent to consult with a certified clinical exercise specialist or a registered clinical exercise physiologist.

These individuals have the experience and training necessary for shaping individualized exercise plans for people with disease.

GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS

For people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes who can exercise safely, the general aerobic exercise recommendations are consistent with those for healthy individuals: 3 to 7 days per week at 50% to 80% of heart rate reserve for 20 to 60 minutes per day in bouts of at least 10 minutes.

Resistance exercise also may yield health benefits because it assists the muscles with using glucose. Resistance training should include 8 to 10 exercises, incorporating the major muscle groups and occur 2 to 3 days per week (at least 48 hours between sessions). Sessions should consist of 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 repetitions for each exercise.

3 BEST EXERCISE FOR DIABETES SURFERS

BRISK WALKING

Walking is good for the body particular for diabetes suffers. It's a gently easy and moderate exercise allows you raise the heart rate and help burn calories. Taking a brisk steps with speed (3.0 miles per hour or about 20 minutes per mile/5 km per hour) is considered Cardio, which the American Diabetes Association recommends Cardio 3 times a week.

YOGA

Yoga is slow on the body and gentle, but does really pack a punch when it comes to lowering blood sugar level. Doing Yoga every day helps you improve insulin sensitivity, blood flow to the delicate nerves and reduce stress.

SWIM

Swimming improves cardiovascular fitness. This is very important because people with diabetes have higher risks than others for heart disease. Swimming also burns calories and can help control weight, which is also important for people with diabetes.

It strengthens all the major muscles in the body, which is valuable in controlling diabetes. When exercising, muscle cells more efficiently absorb blood sugar. This is how exercising lowers blood sugar levels.

The glucose control benefits from exercise can last for hours—or sometimes days—but they are not permanent. This is why getting exercise regularly and consistently is more important for people with diabetes than is working out more intensely, but less frequently.

SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS

Special precautions are important for diabetics when making decisions about exercise. It is critically important that blood glucose be monitored before and after exercise, and exercise should be delayed if glucose levels are extremely elevated (hyperglycemia) or depressed (hypoglycemia) before exercise.

It also is necessary to carefully control food intake, medications, and exercise to avoid hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia. Diabetics are at an increased risk of dehydration, so adequate fluid intake must be achieved. Damage to the nerves and blood vessels in the feet can lead to sores that heal slowly, thus, special attention to foot care must be provided.

Individuals with diabetes-related damage to the eyes need to be extra cautious to avoid spikes in blood pressure that can lead to further damage.

Exercise can be safely incorporated into the lives of most diabetic individuals. However, the potential dangers linked with exercise and the need for specific exercise modifications make it imperative that patients get clearance from their physician and special instruction from a trained fitness professional to address these special needs.