Exercise is very good for people with diabetes.

In many cases it may be possible to reduce or even remove the need for medications.

Read on for insight into the benefits of exercise for those with Type II Diabetes.

Regular physical activity doesn’t mean exercising to become an Olympic athlete! The best sort of physical activity is something of the equivalent effort of walking briskly for 30 minutes on most days of the week. This does not have to be in one 30 minute block. Shorter amounts (eg: 5 or 10 minute blocks that all add up to at least 30 minutes daily) work just as well.

Getting started

Increasing your level of physical activity all starts with the single steps you take each day. Taking that first step can be difficult. Maybe you’ve never been active. Maybe you used to be but over the years you’ve stopped. We all have our reasons for being inactive. We may think we are:

• Too old
• Too overweight
• Too weak
• Too sick
• Too busy
• Too tired
• Too discouraged

It's never too late to start increasing your level of physical activity. With few exceptions, even if you’re disabled or injured you can still improve your level of fitness. Once you get going, you’ll be amazed how quickly those excuses fade away!

Find out how a New Zealander living with diabetes increased her physical activity - Patsy Thomas became a regular gym member and has never looked back...

The first step – see your health care team

If you have any complications of diabetes, a history of heart disease, or diabetes for more than 8 years, you should get a thorough medical check before increasing your level of physical activity.

This should check your:

• Blood pressure
• Blood lipid levels (cholesterol)
• HBA1c (a blood test that measures your average blood glucose levels)
• Health of your heart and circulatory system
• Eyes
• Feet

The key to getting the benefits of physical activity is to stick at it over time. You will gain far more health benefits if you have regular moderate amounts of exercise every day than if you exercise for longer on only one or two days of the week.

Physical activity (or exercise) can help you:

• Feel better (it improves mood)
• Look better (which improves mood and self esteem)
• Sleep better
• Lower your blood pressure
• Lower your blood glucose levels
• Improve your lipid levels (cholesterol)
• Manage your weight
• Improve your cardiovascular fitness (and reduce heart and blood vessel disease)
• Reduce stress levels

What sort of physical activity is best?

The sort of activity that is most beneficial is what is called 'aerobic' activity. This means activity that uses oxygen. You know if you are aerobically active because you will have to breathe harder than when you are resting. Your breathing should still be comfortable however. You may need to discuss with your doctor or diabetes nurse educator what type of physical activity is best for you.

Examples of aerobic activity are:

• Walking
• Mowing the lawns
• Doing the vacuum cleaning
• Walking/Jogging outside or on a treadmill
• Swimming
• Cycling indoors/outdoors
• Playing ball games
• Aerobics or dance classes
• Washing the car
• Resistance training with low weight and high repititions

All of the activities above will assist coupled with a sensible eating plan emphasising lower GI foods and balanced intake over the whole day.

Source

diabetes.org.nz