Getting enough physical exercise each day is important for optimal health. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends that healthy adults should get up to 30 minutes of exercise each day, at least five days per week. If you have diabetes or are borderline diabetic, you should strive to exercise to keep your weight down and to make your body work harder at controlling glucose levels. Regular exercise can also improve your body's response to insulin -- making it travel to into the blood stream promptly.
Diabetes
Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not make enough insulin or does not distribute it properly into the blood stream. There are three main types -- type 1, type 2 and gestational diabetes, notes the American Diabetes Association. When you eat something, the more carbohydrate and sugar that the food contains, the more sugar that is released into the bloodstream. Once the pancreas detects an elevated sugar level, it begins to release insulin. If you are diabetic, your body's mechanism to release insulin or the right amount can be limited or not work properly, this causes glucose levels to rise within the blood stream. Physical activity helps by improving blood flow to all of your organs, weight management and by burning off excess blood glucose in the body.
Exercise
Exercise is an important tool for repairing the effects of diabetes. It can help stabilize blood glucose levels and prevent the fluctuation that can occur. Fluctuation in blood glucose levels can lead to weight gain -- especially in the mid-section. Increasing your heart rate up to 30 minutes a day through low-impact exercise such as power walking, gardening and water aerobics can help you regulate your blood glucose levels. Incorporate 15 to 30 minutes a day of strength training exercises such as weight lifting in order to increase muscle mass and reduce fat.
Improved Health
When you exercise, your body works better at releasing insulin into the blood, especially if you have type 2 diabetes. With both type 1 and 2 diabetes, you can be susceptible to weight gain due to fluctuations in blood sugar and an increase in appetite. If you increase your physical activity you can not only lose weight you can also reduce your risk for complications and disease brought on by diabetes such as hypertension, coronary artery disease, stroke and diabetic ketoacidosis, explains New York Times Health.
Diabetes Prevention
If you have been diagnosed as being glucose intolerant, having metabolic syndrome or borderline diabetes, you may be able to postpone diabetes or prevent it altogether. Blood glucose levels that are above or around 180 mg after a meal, are an indication you could be facing diabetes in the near future, explains the American Diabetic Assoction. Along with regular physical exercise, a low carbohydrate, low sugar diet that is also low in fat can help you prevent the onset of diabetes.
