Working Out with Diabetes

Diabetes impacts almost half of the US adult population with 37 Million (11% of the US Population) living with Diabetes and 96 Million (38%) hovering in the Pre-Diabetic state (CDC). That’s a lot of people and unfortunately, Diabetes can also lead to other problems such as cataracts, glaucoma and ulcers in the hands and feet that in some cases require amputation of limbs. The good news is that Diabetes can be managed with exercise and diet.

Diabetes and Exercise

For the most part, the medical community agrees that exercising is good for people living with Diabetes. While the underlying culprit for those living with Type 2 Diabetes is the insulin resistance that the body has built up, exercise can help reduce the impact and in some cases reverse it. So what kinds of exercise are good for those living with Diabetes and are there any things that should be avoided.

There have been a lot of studies on the impact of different kinds of exercise that are best to manage diabetes and the general recommendation is that 150 minutes of aerobic exercise at 50-70% of your max heart rate and two days of resistance training is the ideal. If you haven’t been active for several years, you should start off with a simple program and slowly increase it as you get more fit.

Monitor Your Blood Sugar

As you begin to exercise, your body will require more energy and therefore will burn more sugar (glucose) during exercises lasting more than a few minutes. If you are living with diabetes and enter into a workout program, you should monitor your blood sugar both before and after to ensure you are within normal ranges. As a precaution, you should carry some kind of snack (carbohydrates) to take during or after your workout in the event you think your blood sugar is falling dangerously below normal levels.

Exercises to Avoid

Barring any complications caused by diabetes (such as ulcers), most activities should be fine. If you have other conditions you are managing such as hypertension or obesity, you should follow the guidelines for these. Diabetes in and of itself should not prevent you from entering into a workout program. As always though – you should check with your primacy care physician or healthcare provider prior to entering any new program to ensure you can safely do so.