Diabetes is generally found in overweight people. Diabetes and exercise are complementary, since exercise lowers sugar levels and reduces the need for insulin. Exercise also protects the body against heart attacks and strokes, strengthens bones, tones and strengthens muscles, improves how you feel, relieves stress, improves your quality of sleep, and the quality of your life. While you may think the list of benefits might be applicable to anyone, it is even more applicable to diabetes. Each of the benefits may require a reduction in medication. Lowering sugar levels and reducing the need for insulin can bring your sugar levels down enough that you may not need medication at all. By lowering your risk of heart attacks and strokes, you may also not need medication for cholesterol or high blood pressure, as your body will be fit and healthy.

Once you start losing weight, muscle and joint pain will go away, and exercising will become easier. It’s always difficult to start, especially if movement is uncomfortable. Walking as little as 30 minutes a day can have a positive effect. Walking for a few hours once or twice a week will not only cause pain because your body is not used to the exercise, but it doesn’t count toward regular diabetes and exercise routine. Swimming is a wonderful form of low or no impact exercise that is perfect for people who are not used to the exertion of walking or jogging. A half-hour in the pool, with some kicking or swimming, or even water aerobics, can be very beneficial. You may find that starting in the shallow end with some minor aerobics will be so enjoyable that you want to do more. Year-round swimming pools are no available at many health clubs or physical therapy centers, and health insurance may pay if it is for a diagnosed medical condition. It is worth investigating the possibility with your health insurance provider.

Once you are walking and exercising, you’ll be sleeping and thinking better. Colors will seem brighter, food will taste better, and you will probably find you are happier. Exercise releases many chemicals in your body that make you feel better, and feeling better about yourself will make you want to experience the change. You can control your diabetes and exercise your right to a happier, healthier life.



By: Kerry Ng

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Exercise is a vital part of the management of diabetes. All diabetics should aim to make exercise a part of their daily routine. Exercise can help to improve the quality of life for diabetics. But there are some safeguards to consider before you start an exercise regime. It is wise to consult your health professional before you begin. This would be true for anyone, but it is especially so for someone who suffers from diabetes.

There are two types of diabetes. Type 1 usually manifests itself at an early age. It is sometimes referred to as adolescent diabetes. In Type 1 the body cannot produce enough of its own insulin. Type 2 diabetes manifests itelf later in life. In Type 2 diabetes the body fails to produce adequate levels of insulin or it becomes resistant to its own insulin.

In both types of diabetes the body is unable to process sugar properly. Blood sugar levels increase because the body cannot transport sugar to the cells where it is needed. It becomes essential to reduce blood sugar levels. This can be done by medication, by diet and by exercise.

Exercise can, therefore, be a valuable tool in diabetes management. This is true for both types of diabetes. Whether an individual has Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes they can benefit from exercise.

Type 1 diabetics will benefit from exercise because it can assist in the maintainance of insulin sensitivity and increases the use of glucose by the muscles. Exercise will also help to avoid excessive weight gain. Type 1 diabetes cannot be cured, but some of the health problems associated with it can be reduced by means of exercise.

Type 2 diabetics will also benefit from exercise. Type 2 diabetes is preventable and exercise will help in its prevention. Even such a simple activity as a 30 minute walk every day can reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.

To sum up: exercise will reduce blood sugar levels and help maintain insulin sensitivity. It will also improve circulation. This is important for diabetics because they are known to have circulatory problems. Diabetics often suffer from poor circulation in the legs and feet. Exercise helps to promote blood circulation. Regular exercise will also help to lower blood pressure and so reduce the risk of stroke.

There are, however, certain risks associated with exercise for diabetics. Since exercise lowers blood sugar diabetics must measure their blood sugar levels before and after exercise. The body will use more sugar during exercise and become more sensitive to insulin. Exercise can potentially result in hypoglycemia. Checking blood sugar levels will avoid this danger. With this precaution the benefits of exercise will outweigh the possible risks.

A diabetic should also take care to carry candy or fruit juice with them during exercise in case their blood sugar falls too low. They should make sure to inform the staff at the gym or their exericise partners that they are diabetic. An exericse buddy is a good idea for anyone but doubly so for a diabetic. Exercising with a friend can help maintain your motivation and for a diabetic it can help avoid the dangers of your blood sugar falling too low.

Watch out for the tell tale signs of low blood sugar level. Check your heart rate after exercise. Are you sweating abnormally, shaking, or feeling very hungry? These can all be signs of low blood sugar.

The general rule for everyone beginning exercise is to take things slowly. For diabetics this should be emphasised. Build up your routine as your level of fitness improves. Set yourself realistic goals. Begin with short sessions of gentle exercise. Gradually move on to more ambitious targets are you feel confident to do so. There is not need to push yourself to the point of exhaustion. Little and often is the best plan.

Successful incorporation of exercise into your daily routine will significantly improve your quality of life as a diabetic. It will help you manage your condition and avoid many of the health problems associated with diabetes.



By: Abhishek Agarwal

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Physical inability is one of the risk factors when one has the diabetes disorder, hence, diabetes and exercise must go hand in hand. The correlation between diabetes and exercise is the ability of the latter to prolong the life of the afflicted, while the lack of exercise on the other hand can lead to diabetes.

Diabetes is having high blood sugar level due to the non-conversion of glucose to energy from the food that we eat like sugar and starches.Nevertheless we can also high blood sugar levels (hyperglycemia) if sugar and starches are not burned naturally via exercise.

How does a Diabetic Benefit from Exercise?

1. Improved blood circulation in the arms and the legs.

2. Reduced cholesterol level and high blood pressure. This will prevent stroke or heart attack.

3. You will maintain the ideal weight by burning the calories or better yet, lose weight.

4. Helps the body react to insulin which could even lead to the elimination of medication.

5. Relief from stress brought about by the diabetes disease.

However, before you engage in any particular form of exercise, better see your doctor for the proper exercise program.

When is the Appropriate Time to Exercise?

According to the results conducted by the Quebec Heart Institute, there is a considerable reduction in the blood glucose if exercise is done from 4 to 5 hours after eating the last meal.

Therefore, if lunch is taken at 12:00 o’clock noon, the ideal time to exercise is from 4 to 5 in the afternoon. The research also discourages exercise before taking your breakfast.

Diabetes and Exercises that are Best and Effective

Ideally, diabetics should exercise everyday for at least 30 minutes up to 1 hour, if possible.

If you’re suffering from diabetes, you can choose between aerobic and anaerobic exercises:

a. Aerobic- In this type of exercise, the body uses more oxygen due to the steady exercise for a period of time. The results expected are lower blood lipids, stronger heart and lungs and lower blood pressure. Other forms of exercises may include swimming, brisk walking, jogging, cycling, skiing, and dancing.

b. Anaerobic- This exercise relies mostly on muscles at high rate but shorter period of time hence, the effect on the blood sugar level is not substantial. Examples are weightlifting, sprinting or any other sports that require rapid burst of exercise.

There are 3 categories of anaerobic exercises:

1. Isotonic- This exercise aims to enhance power, muscle strength and endurance by means of pulling, lifting or pushing different weights at steady speed. Examples are lifting of weights or dumbbells; and springs and bands.

2. Isometric- This is based on muscle contraction on immovable object to strengthen the muscle tension like pushing a wall. This is currently used in rehabilitation purposes.

3. Calisthenics- This exercise does not require the use of weights but helps to be more flexible and boost body strength. Examples are push-ups, sit-ups and squats.

When is Exercise not Beneficial to the Diabetic?

Generally, diabetes and exercises have a compatible correlation. However, there are times that exercise is not applicable. If your blood sugar rose higher than your blood sugar level at the time that your diabetes was diagnosed, it would be better to temporarily suspend routine exercise and refer the matter to your doctor.

Although sugar levels may vary per laboratory, the normal blood sugar level is 100 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl). At a pre-diabetic stage it may range from 100 mg/dl to 125 mg/dl. Persons suffering from diabetics have 126 mg/dl or higher.

Hence, if in spite of regular exercises your blood sugar level does not improve or becomes higher, it would be best for you to stop the exercise routine and consult your physician.

Exercise should also be aided by proper diet to attain good results and only forms part of a natural cure. Thus, diabetes and exercise plus a diabetic’s diet can prolong and promote a better life despite diabetes.

Alvin Hopkinson is a leading health researcher in the area of natural remedies and diabetes natural treatment. Discover how you can reverse your diabetes for good using proven and effective home remedies, all without using harmful medications or drugs. Visit his site now at http://www.minusdiabetes.com



By: Alvin Hopkinson

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Exercise is the easiest and best way to reduce blood sugar levels and the dangers of cardiovascular disease. At the same time, it also improves health, both physical and mental. Exercise produces certain chemicals in the body which make you feel good throughout the day. But in spite of all the above factors in its favour, exercising can be a hard argument to win the lethargic over to your side. This is because today’s world is inactive where almost every indispensable job can be carried out online, from the comfortable chair in front of a computer, or with a streaming line of messages from a  mobile phone or a fax machine. So the temptation of being lethargic and lazy is very strong till the time we are struck by some disease or disability and then realize how lack of exercise  has made our bodies hollow with no strength and our minds empty and unhappy. But by that time it is often too late.

Ideally everyone should exercise, yet the health experts inform us that only around 30% of the United States population gets the recommended thirty minutes of daily physical activity, and 25% are totally inactive. The figures will not be much different for rest of the developed world and the developing and underdeveloped countries are fast catching up at least on this front. Inactivity is considered to be one of the key reasons for the surge of type 2 diabetes in the U.S., because inactivity and obesity  together promote insulin resistance. The good news is that it is never too late to begin, and exercise is one of the easiest ways to start controlling your diabetes as already brought out above. For people suffering from type 2 diabetes in particular, exercise can work as a panacea and improve insulin sensitivity, reduce the risk of heart disease, and promote weight loss.

Diabetes is on the rise throughout the world. The number of people diagnosed with diabetes every year increased by about 50% in last 15 years or so. Most of the new cases detected are Type 2 Diabetes, or adult-onset diabetes, the kind that affects you around middle age. Symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes include increased thirst and appetite, and frequent need to urinate; feeling tired; blurred vision; tingling or loss of feeling in the hands and soles of the feet.

The causes of type 2 diabetes are complex and not fully understood till now, although research is bringing out new clues at a rapid pace. However, it has already been proven that one of the reasons and perhaps the main one for the boom in type 2 diabetes is the ever-widening of waistlines and the trend toward a sedentary and inactive lifestyle in the Western world. For this reason, health experts encourage those who already have type 2 diabetes to start taking the benefits of regular exercise for at least 20 minutes daily. Without exercise, the vicious cycle starts again: people have the tendency to become obese and once they are obese, they have bigger chances of falling to type 2 diabetes. 

If you are starting exercise at a later stage of life, especially after detection of some health problem, it is always advisable to consult your doctor beforehand. For that matter, even if you are already active in sports or work out regularly, it will still be beneficial for you to discuss your regular routine with your doctor. If you have cardiac problems, the doctor may want to perform a stress test to establish a safe level of exercise for you. Certain diabetic complications will also decide what type of exercise program you can take. Particularly, activities like weightlifting, jogging, or high-impact aerobics can pose a risk for people with diabetic retinopathy due to the risk for further blood vessel damage and possible retinal detachment. Equally important will be precaution to prevent hypoglycemia during your workout. 

For those who have type 2 diabetes, your exercise routine can be as simple as a brisk morning walk in some park or nearby open space for half an hour daily. Morning walk speeds up your metabolism throughout the day or till you go to sleep again. Also the air in the morning is less polluted. Hence morning walk is recommended since its benefits are more. But if you do not get time in the morning, don’t lose heart. A brisk walk for 30 minutes in the evening will also help. A word of caution here: if you have not been very active before now, start slowly and work your way up. Don’t try to break records; it is not an Olympic event. As little as 20 to 30 minutes of daily exercise can make a big difference in your blood glucose control and your risk of developing diabetic complications. One of the easiest and least expensive ways of getting moving is to start a walking program. All you need is a good pair of well-fitting, supportive shoes, a pair of clean sweat absorbing socks and an open space or less crowded road to walk on.

Indeed, you do not have to incur too many expenses on costly “health club memberships,” or the most up-to-date health device to start pumping those fats out. What you need is the willingness and the determination. If you want to lead a type 2 diabetes-free life, please visit my site given below for more help. The results would be the sweetest rewards from the effort that you have exerted.

http://nunus-behealthy.ucoz.com/



By: nunuram

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Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in people with diabetes. In those with type 1 diabetes as young as 20-39 years old, the risk of dying from a cardiovascular or cerebrovascular event is five times higher than those without diabetes. This population group benefits more from exercise than an average person does.

Type 1 diabetics who exercise regularly reduces his/her risk for cardiovascular disease -according to a new study published in the August edition of Diabetes Care.

Researchers in Austria and Germany studied more than 23,000 youngsters between the ages of 3 and 18, and found that the more physically active youngsters were less at risk for high diastolic blood pressure and lipid profiles, and had lower blood glucose levels.

They specifically found that the more the youngsters physically exercised, their triglycerides and high cholesterol decreased from 41.2 percent for youngsters who did not exercise, to 36 percent to those who exercised once or twice a week. Additionally, it was found that their high cholesterol and triglycerides fell to 34.4 percent for those who have physically exercised three or more times weekly.

Physical exercise did not include school sports; it included regularly exercising for a period of 30 minutes per day.

30 minutes of daily exercise. Keep that in mind.

Also, there is a Canadian study that included the findings from death records of more than nine million adults offers somewhat grim news: a Type 2 diabetic may experience cardiovascular problems 15 years sooner than a non-diabetic.

The results were broken down into expected risks for different genders and age groups. For instance, women with Type 2 diabetes are considered to be a moderate risk for cardiovascular disease by the age of 46, compared to the age of 62 for non-diabetic women. Complete results are here.

While the study is interesting and improving your cardiovascular health is always recommended, panic is not recommended. After all, these results are from death records, not living diabetics. Perhaps those people did not treat their diabetes properly, or did not follow healthy eating and exercise patterns. With the determination to be healthy, there is no reason to believe you can’t live a long, healthy, happy life.

Another is that of the connection of obesity to diabetes. There is cross-treatment of drugs for obesity and diabetes, which is nothing new, and researchers are excited about another find. The new drug is designed to help reduce obesity in patients, which in turn may now seem to help stave off heart problems in Type 2 diabetics.



By: Faye Bautista

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When anyone learns they have diabetes one of the first things the doctor will tell you is the need for lifestyle changes. Lack of exercise and obesity are some of the reasons for the disease. The symptoms of adult diabetes, also known as Type 2 Diabetes, is becoming more common with the increasing number of elderly Americans, along with the lack of exercise and increasing obesity rates. It is well known that Type 2 Diabetics have had complete symptom remission after achieving a significant reduction in weight typically due to exercise and diet improvement.

After living the life of a couch potato it is hard to get up and exercise, as we should. But you must understand that it is a must that you get up and start. Remember this is your life we are talking about, so this should be the biggest motivation you need to get up and move.

Unlike type 1, Type 2 Diabetes can usually be controlled with diet, and exercise. We don’t exercise as we should. Most health care providers recommend good nutrition and exercise as treatment for those in early stages of Type 2 Diabetes.

When exercising, the body needs extra energy or fuel in the form of glucose for the exercising muscles. Research shows that with continued moderate exercising, however, you muscles take up glucose. This lowers blood glucose levels. This is because exercise helps to get glucose into muscle tissue, because contracting muscle does not need insulin to absorb glucose. With moderate exercising, your muscles take up glucose at almost 20 times the normal rate compared to short burst of exercise, such as a quick sprint.

You may also consider Chromium supplements, which can improve insulin resistance in muscle cells. When the blood glucose levels begin to rise, it is the insulin’s job to push muscle and fat cells to absorb whatever glucose they need for future activities whereas any surplus will be stored by the liver. Insulin stimulates muscle cells and other body cells to remove glucose from the blood and convert the glucose to glycogen, a kind of starch, and then store the glycogen.

As always you should check with your physician before beginning any exercise program. Start your exercise program slowly with a low-impact exercise such as walking, swimming or biking.

You should exercise at least three to four times per week for 20 to 40 minutes each session. It would be best for you to exercise every day. A good exercise program should include 5 to 10 minutes warm-up and at least 15 to 30 minutes of continuous aerobic exercise, followed by 5-minutes cool down.

One of the side effects you’ll have is you’ll sleep better and feel more rested than before you started exercising.

So come on get up and move!



By: Kevin Sinclair

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Once you are diagnosed that you have an illness like diabetes, it can be hard on you emotionally and mentally to face it. But, since it is there already, this time, you want to take control of your illness. When you feel like giving up, you only allow the illness to take control of your life. Just always bear in mind that you have people who care about you, and when you give up you give up on them too.

How you can help you live through it?

The first thing you have to do is to accept the fact that have this sickness. This can be difficult for you but if you are mentally prepared or able, you have to do this. Once you accepted it is easier to move ahead and take the necessary things that are in need to be done. Acceptance will help you to better recognize your disease. Still, you can function healthy by taking appropriate actions.

You can obtain lots of information on the Internet if you would like to learn more about your condition. You can get some diabetic recipe directly from the web sites of many doctors worldwide. Learning will help you by letting you to understand your disease. As a matter of fact, learning will help you to find program to intervene or prevent, and perhaps cures for your diabetes. You can also talk with your doctor and seek suggestions on how can you program a healthy diet or a diabetic diet which may help you to ease the burden this disease caused..

How will this disease affect you emotionally and mentally?

Like most illnesses, this disease can cause depression. You may rather choose of being alone. At times, you will face mood swings and not feel like having anyone near you. You may feel hopeless also. Since you most like encounter this situations, a medical counselor can best help you in dealing these things.

What can you do to help yourself?

Whenever we are in low periods or conditions, we all have the power to help ourselves and to back on track. Think and take it positively. You can help yourself by eating appropriate diabetic diet. You can improve health by taking vitamins and supplements necessary to help fight this illness and make you stronger. You can also make a healthy lifestyle by socializing and avoiding self-isolation.

So, when you take your diabetes positively, you can make yourslef out of it. This illness will not totally cripple you and your life by promoting a healthy lifestyle–proper diabetic diet, exercise, regular visit to your doctor–you can get out of it.



By: Stephen Campbell

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Exercise is an important treatment in normalizing blood glucose level in type 2 diabetes as well as in type 1 diabetes. It is also important to know the type of exercise diabetics should undertake that involve minimizing the risks and at the same time deriving maximum benefits to normalize the blood sugar and giving good health. There are mainly three types of exercises – aerobic, anaerobic and stretching exercises.

Exercise is a vital part of the management of diabetes. All diabetics should aim to make exercise a part of their daily routine. Exercise can help to improve the quality of life for diabetics. But there are some safeguards to consider before you start an exercise regime. It is wise to consult your health professional before you begin. This would be true for anyone, but it is especially so for someone who suffers from diabetes.

That means that intense exercise can help to both prevent and treat diabetes. The most tissue damage occurs immediately after eating when blood sugar levels rise the highest. After you eat, sugar goes from the intestines into the bloodstream. The only places that sugar can be stored are in your muscles and liver. When your muscles are not exercised, they are full of sugar and sugar has no place to go after it enters your bloodstream.

Aerobic exercise, commonly referred to as cardio, raises the heart rate and the breathing rate while working major muscle groups. Cardio burns blood sugar and stored fat, and is recommended by most doctors for their diabetic patients. Dancing, swimming, aerobics, tennis, basketball, and bicycling are all forms of aerobic exercise. Cardio offers all of the benefits mentioned above, and is especially important for diabetics.

Exercises like jogging, swimming, fast walking and cycling are good for diabetics. These exercises help to keep cardiovascular system in good condition. These exercises should couple with stretching exercises as warming and cooling down exercises. A typical exercise session should consist of: 10 minutes of warming up exercise of stretching type; about 20-30 minutes of aerobic exercise and finally 5 minutes of cool down and stretching exercise.

A regular exercise program can help the body respond to insulin and is known to be effective in managing blood glucose. Diabetes types exercise can lower blood glucose and possibly reduce the amount of medication one needs to treat diabetes. Some are even able to eliminate the need for any medication. With exercise, one can also improve the circulation in many areas of the body such as arms, legs, fingers and the major joints.

Diabetes Exercise, along with good nutrition, helps decrease body fat, which helps control glucose metabolism. Exercise and good nutrition provide real physical payoffs–they are essential to controlling diabetes. Exercise can help prolong your life and get better the quality of your added months and years.



By: peterhutch

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Diabetes and exercise is sometimes regarded as a cruel combination for the person diabetic, suffering from overweight, bloating, swelling, dizziness, and general malaise. As a diabetic you might ask, “how can I exercise when I feel this way? I’m too tired.” If these questions crossed your mind, please be assured exercise can help and, more importantly, you can do it!

The first thing that comes to mind when one thinks of exercise is to work until we drop: aerobics, jogging, or spending grueling hours at the gym. We get discouraged just thinking about it.

The good news is that the exercise merely requires that we increase our physical activity, we move, we do not sit at the computer or television all day. Everything we do that requires movement is exercise regardless of what it is. Instead think exercise is something that we hate, we can learn to change our mindset to start thinking that the exercise is a fundamental element of life and something that we can make love.

The key is to start slowly and build on our success. The good part is that, since the exercise is movement, it need not be a grueling training to do the job. Take a walk with your dog or your best friend and enjoy a wonderful experience outdoors. Instead of taking your car two blocks to the grocery store to pick up small objects, take a walk, exercise your muscles and keep your heart strong.

Whenever you can, take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator. Even this exercise can be done in increments. If you live on the eighth floor for example, you might start by taking a flight of stairs and then the elevator, until you have accumulated enough stamina to attempt the second flight of stairs and so forth. Before you know books are melting away and you feel stronger maybe you’ve felt in years.

Most people like to listen to music. Why not take it a step further and dance to what you hear? If you love dancing, you can join a dance club, learn new movements, out dancing with your friends and have a good time. However, if you’re the shy type or the type that falls on your own two feet do not let that stop you; dance in the privacy of your home. The dance in a new dynamic in good health! Diabetes and exercise, diabetes and dance, not that sound much better?

The above was just two examples to add exercise to your current situation. The key is to change your lifestyle. Do it slowly, not to rush; benefit from the experience. Diabetes and exercise is not a package to get a miserable but to make you healthier and happier. Once you start raising your level of exercise, you become more agile and flexible, feel less pain and lose weight. Whereas before you were too tired to do what you enjoyed doing so, you’ll find yourself wanting to do more and more. Maybe it was the swimming, bowling or or gardening, you will once again feel strong and healthy enough to enjoy these activities.

Diabetes and exercise combination also has other health benefits. With an increase in exercise, you will lower your blood sugar, cholesterol maintain healthy levels and blood pressure, improve circulation, strengthen bones, muscles, lose weight, and increase heart, and lung capacity. From monitoring of diabetes and your exercise program can also help improve your quality of life, even if you’ve never been active or exercised before.



By: Jack Stanley

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Diabetes and Exercise

Several years ago, Tommy Johnson, at age of 28, looked at his mirror image in his home in Phoenix and wondered what was happening to his body, as he watched.

Hospitalized in Phoenix for several days of testing, Johnson was found to have Type 1, or insulin-dependent diabetes.  He didn’t even have the time to go through denial, depression or any of the other classic emotional symptoms, says Johnson.

He had training camp coming up, and like hundreds of professional football players, his job was on the line, linked exactly to his performance in training camp.

Johnson relates that he just listened to what the doctor had to say about ways in which to keep his blood sugar levels, as close to normal as possible.

Taking Self-Responsibility

There are two major types of diabetes.  Type II or non-insulin-dependent diabetes represents about 90% o f all cases of diabetes.  However Type I diabetes is the more severe form of the disease.  This is a genetically-based chronic endocrine disorder of unknown cause, that affects the body’s ability to manufacture and utilize insulin, the hormone needed to break down sugars and starches into blood sugar (glucose), the body’s major energy source.

As a result, sugar levels in the blood become too high.  The cells of the pancreas (the small insulin-producing organ located behind the stomach) don’t function properly, making it difficult to metabolize food.  Since the glucose can’t be utilized, the levels raise dangerously; daily insulin injections are needed in order to live.  This differs from Type Ii diabetes, where insulin is produced but the amount is insufficient or else the cells can’t utilize it properly.

There are risks associated with exercise for the Type I, insulin-dependent diabetic – such as low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) – but if an athlete learns to control changing glucose levels by adjusting insulin levels and snacking on sugary, or slowly – absorbed carbohydrates when needed, and then it’s possible to exercise quite vigorously.

Other than insulin or diet, exercise is the most important factor in helping diabetics maintains proper blood sugar levels.

Workout Tips

Athletes with Type I diabetes can compete in any sport – as long as they closely monitor their blood sugar levels.

1. Exercise regularly, preferably at the same time each day to help you determine and stabilize your insulin and food requirements. 2. Exercise with someone else. This person should know that you have diabetes, be aware of the signs of hypoglycemia (confusion, weakness, unconsciousness, convulsions), and know how to respond in an emergency. 3. Don’t inject insulin into the muscle you will be exercising, or the insulin will be mobilized faster, and you will become hypoglycemic. 4. Most often, sports-active diabetics should keep their insulin dosage the same, and eat more food. If you repeatedly become hypoglycemic during or after exercise (despite increased food intake) talk to your physician about reducing your insulin. 5. To best determine our food/ insulin needs, you should monitor your blood glucose during training (for example, between laps of swimming or running). Also, you may have to re-check these needs when the weather changes from hot to cold. 6. Always exercise after eating, when your blood sugar is on the rise. Don’t start to exercise with low blood sugar; eat a snack first. 7. Always carry sugar, in some form, with you. Always have coins with you for food from a vending machine or an emergency phone call. 8. During long-term exercise, plan to constantly replace glucose supplies, at regular intervals. 9. On an extra-long hike or bike ride, eat six small meals containing both carbohydrate and protein (the protein is for sustained energy). Be over-prepared with extra food in case you are unexpectedly delayed. 10. Since exercise has a lingering effect, you should eat more than usual after you finish exercising. Other wise, you may become hypoglycemic that night, or even the next day.

By: Gregory Camp

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