Diabetes and Exercise

Diabetes and exercise - Does it really help? What does research reveal?

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Diabetic Exercise Tips

A patient’s weapons against diabetes are proper diet, medications and exercise. All diabetes patients, whether they are diagnosed with Type I or Type II, know how important exercise is to their condition. They know that by not doing anything to fight the disease and by not changing their lifestyles that they might as well kiss their lives goodbye. It may sound harsh, but these really are the harsh realities diabetes patients face every day.

If you just have been diagnosed with this disease, you will be instructed meticulously by your doctor as to how you will live with the disease. Your doctor will give you several medications and testing supplies so that you can maintain your glucose levels at all time. However, medication can only get you so far; the rest of the fight against this disease lies within you.

One of the most important lifestyle changes you must incorporate is exercise; this is because diabetes is a disease directly linked to obesity and bad eating habits. Most diabetics feel discouraged when they are advised by their doctors to incorporate a simple exercise regimen in their lives. Most of these newly diagnosed patients haven’t worked out a day in their lives, which is probably why they got the disease in the first place. What is important is that these patients understand that exercise does not necessarily mean working out in the gym and running on treadmills. For diabetes patients, exercising means incorporating more movement in their daily lives and avoiding bad health practices like vegging out in front of the television.

Here are some light exercises diabetes patients can do at home:

• Cleaning your home. Try vacuuming your home four times a week, even if it’s not that dirty. Vacuuming involves a lot of movement that can help anyone burn off excess fats and calories.
• Walk! Walking does not necessarily mean walking around a track oval in your sweatpants at 6 in the morning. To incorporate walking in your daily life, try taking the stairs when going up 2 or 3 floors in your office building. You can also park your car at the farther end of the lot so you can walk more to and fro your car. You can also go to the mall and walk around while window shopping.
• Play with your children or your pets. They are both energetic and will enjoy your company as well.
• Try reorganizing your home. A little heavy lifting and furniture rearranging can get your muscles going.