Type 2 Diabetes and Exercise
Posted by Owner on Jul 10, 2009
One of the most undemanding and most workable ways to lower your blood sugar levels, lower the risk factors of developing cardiovascular disease, and perk up your health is exercise.
In spite of that, in today’s inactive world where many jobs can be carried out online from an ergonomic chair in front of a computer, or with a streaming line of messages from a fax machine, exercising can be a hard argument to win over.
The Weight of Exercise
Everyone should exercise, yet health experts tell us that only 30% of the United States population gets the recommended 30 minutes of daily physical activity, and 25% are not active at all. In fact, inactivity is
thought to be one of the main reasons for the surge of type 2 diabetes in the U.S.; because inactivity and obesity promote insulin resistance.
The good news is that it is never too late to get moving, and exercise is one of the easiest ways to start controlling your diabetes. For people with type 2 diabetes in particular, exercise can improve insulin sensitivity, lower the risk of heart disease, and promote weight loss.
Type 2 Diabetes
Diabetes is on the rise. The number of people diagnosed with diabetes every year increased by 48% between 1980 and 1994. Nearly all the new cases were Type 2 Diabetes, or adult-onset, the kind that usually develops around middle age. Symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes include increased thirst, appetite,
and need to urinate, feeling tired, edgy, or sick to the stomach, blurred vision, tingling or loss of feeling in the hands.
The causes of type 2 diabetes are complex and not completely understood, although research is discovering new clues at a rapid pace.
However, it has already been proven that one of the reasons for the boom in Type 2 Diabetes is the widening of waistbands and the trend toward a more deskbound and inactive lifestyle in the United States and other developed countries. In America, the shift has been striking; in the 1990s alone, obesity increased by 61% and diagnosed diabetes by 49%.
For this reason, health experts encourage those who already have Type 2 Diabetes to start benefitting from the wonders that exercise can do for them. Without exercise, people have the tendency to become obese. Once they are obese, they have a greater chance of developing Type 2 Diabetes.
Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports that over 80% of people with Type 2 Diabetes are clinically overweight. Therefore, it is high time that people, whether afflicted with Type 2 Diabetes or not, to start doing those jumping and stretching activities.
Getting Started
The first order of business with any exercise plan, especially if you’re a “couch potato,” is to consult with your doctor. If you have cardiac risk factors, your doctor may want to perform a stress test to establish a safe level of exercise for you.
Certain diabetic complications will also dictate what type of exercise program you can take on. Activities like weightlifting, jogging, or high-impact aerobics can possibly pose a risk for people with Diabetic
Retinopathy, due to the risk for further blood vessel damage and possible retinal detachment.
If you are already active in sports or work out regularly, it will still be to your benefit to discuss your regular routine with your doctor. If you are taking insulin, you may need to take special precautions to prevent hypoglycemia during your workout.
Start Slow
For those who have Type 2 Diabetes, your exercise routine can be as simple as a brisk nightly neighborhood walk. If you have not been very active before now, start slowly and work your way up. Walk the dog or get out in the yard and do some yard work like raking leaves. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Park in the back of the lot and walk. Every little bit of exercise helps; in fact, it really helps a lot.
As little as 15 to 30 minutes of daily, heart-pumping exercise can make a big difference in your blood glucose levels 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 and a direction to head in.
Indeed, you don’t have to spend money on costly health club memberships, or on the latest piece of exercise equipment to start your exercise program. What you need is the willingness and the determination to start exercising to a healthier Type 2 Diabetes-free life.
The results will be the sweetest reward for the effort expended.