Up and at Em Exercise and Diabetes

• Schedule an appointment with your doctor or and exercise physiologist. This will ensure that your exercise program and goal is not beyond your present abilities.
• Be aware of your blood glucose level-before, during and after your work out.
• Be sure you have a healthy source of carbohydrates with you—raisins, glucose gel tablets, etc…-just in case your blood sugar level becomes too low.
• Try to have a partner, if that is not an option, be sure to let someone know when and where you are exercising, and when you plan to return
• Warm up and cool down every time you exercise
• Stay hydrated!
• Carry diabetes ID and, if possible, a cell phone
• Wear comfortable clothing
• Check your feet for redness, cuts or open sores—this is especially important for exercising when you have diabetes.
  

Exercise Tips and Guidelines for Diabetics-

Once embarking on your diabetic exercise program, there are some extra precautions and considerations to take in connection with your blood glucose levels.

• Exercise when your BG level is high—usually 1-3 hours after eating
• When your insulin is up, don’t exercise. Remember, exercise speeds blood flow which affects the rate at which insulin works.
• Check your blood glucose twice, 30 minute apart, before starting your workout.
• If you feel a blood glucose reaction beginning, stop immediately, exercising as a diabetic needs to be done, but you should stay in tune to your body’s needs.
  

Starting and maintaining an exercise program can be daunting-whether you have diabetes or not. However, for the diabetic, exercise plays an important role in your overall well being. So what do you do when after several weeks of exercise, you feel that like riding a stationary bike, you keep pedaling but you aren’t going anywhere?  First of all, remember, you always benefit from exercise, just as long as it isn’t something that causes injury. That being stated, here are some additional diabetes exercise tips.

• Put it on your schedule, then as Nike’ says, “Just do it!”
• Find an accountability partner
• Mix it up! Maybe do aerobics 2x a week, go swimming one day, and work out at the gym 2 days. This way you won’t get bored with the same old same old.
• Set long range and short range goals. Someone once said, “The way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time.”
• Reward yourself-do something special when you reach one of your goals.
• Keep records. Pay attention to the way your clothes fit, how much medication you take, and how much more energy you have.
  

So, what are you waiting of? With just a few basic preparations and by following the diabetic’s guidelines and tips for exercising, you will soon be on your way to a healthier you—diabetes and all.

Diabetic Seniors Team

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