Exercise Guide for Diabetes Patients

Exercise for people with diabetes is a bit trickier than exercising sans diabetes. Diabetes is simply defined as having too much glucose in the blood or more commonly "high blood sugar". My father is diabetic so I see first hand his struggles balancing exercise with his diabetes. There are ways to exercise with diabetes to achieve optimal health results while keeping your blood glucose level in check. It is important to remember that a person's body creates energy from glucose so exercising too much or when ones blood sugar is already low can have dangerous results. It is important to find that perfect balance when it comes to creating an exercise program for people with diabetes. There are many benefits for people who exercise with diabetes. Some benefits include:

Lower blood glucose
Lower blood pressure
Improved ability to use insulin
Lower risk of other diseases such as heart disease and stroke
Stronger heart and bones
Flexible joints
Less change of falling
Weight loss
Reduced body fat
More energy
Reduced stress levels

If you have type 1 diabetes exercise is important in preventing you from developing type 1 diabetes.

People with diabetes should do alternate between various forms of exercise such as aerobic exercise, strength training and stretching. Diabetics should strive for about 20-30 minutes of exercise or physical activity per day. There are plenty of ways to incorporate exercise into everyday life such as:

Take a walk if you need to grab the morning paper or walk the dog.
Wash the car or do a maintenance check.
Do some house cleaning such as vacuuming and dusting.
Do some gardening or rake some leaves.
Take the stairs when possible, but be sure not to overexert yourself.
Park your car farther away from the store so you can get a little extra walking in.
During lunch opt for a health shake a take a walk while drinking it.