In 2007, the National Diabetes Clearinghouse found that 10.7 percent of all Americans over the age of 20 have diabetes, an illness in which the body's blood sugar reaches dangerously high levels. Studies have shown that regular walking can prolong diabetics' lives and strengthen their hearts. As a diabetic, you will benefit from setting objectives for a regular walking program.
Diagnosis
Under normal circumstances, glucose, the body's primary fuel, is created by digested food, and then released into the bloodstream. An online animation, "Carbohydrate Digestion," provided by MyDr.com, shows how glucose then enters cells through special channels and is used as fuel. Channels into the cells are opened by a hormone called insulin, which is produced by a gland called the pancreas, located behind the stomach. If you have diabetes, your blood has too much glucose because your pancreas is producing little or no insulin or your cells are not using the insulin in a normal manner. Your bloodstream then becomes flooded with glucose. Diabetes can cause serious medical problems, such as heart damage, kidney problems, blindness, and limb amputations.
Walking and Diabetes
While insulin injections, other medications and diet help control diabetes, exercise, including walking, is an important additional way to manage your medical condition. For example, a 2003 study described by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Fact Sheet, "Relationship of Walking to Mortality among U.S. Adults with Diabetes," notes that when the Centers for Disease Control monitored 2,986 diabetic adults over an eight-year period, the agency discovered that moderate walking done at least three to four hours per week reduced death rates by 54 percent and the risk of heart disease dropped as well.
Establishing Objectives
Your objectives for your diabetes walking program will depend on your personal medical condition. Possible objectives can include: lowering your blood glucose, reducing your blood pressure, losing weight, lowering bad cholesterol and increasing good cholesterol, sustaining joint flexibility, strengthening your heart and bones, decreasing body fat, and downsizing your stress levels. There are several online programs for diabetics that can help you set objectives. You can use their online tracking tools, including the American Diabetes' Association's "Club Ped," and the "Managing My Diabetes" program sponsored by Novo Nordisk's Changing Life with Diabetes website.
Monitoring Progress
You can record the days and times that you walk, and any changes in your objectives, such as a drop in your blood glucose or some lost pounds, in an online tracker, a notebook or in a diet and exercise software program on your computer. One way to track how much you walk is to buy a pedometer, a small plastic device that you can carry in a pocket or clip to your belt, which measures how many steps you take. Because diabetes can cause feet to be unusually susceptible to injury, review the list of precautions for diabetics undertaking walking programs, "Basic At-Home Diabetes Foot Care," on the 50Plus Fitness Walking website, and talk with your physician before embarking on a walking program. There is a link in the Resources section.
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Fact Sheet: Relationship of Walking to Mortality among U.S. Adults with Diabetes
- National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse: Introduction to Diabetes
- MyDr.com: Carbohydrate Digestion
- Managing My Diabetes: Being Active
- American Diabetes Association: Club Ped
- National Institutes of Health: Walking, A Step in the Right Direction
