Engaging in moderate aerobic exercise can lower your risk of type 2 diabetes, and exercise has a number of positive effects for those who already have the condition. Due to the fact that people with diabetes are at higher than average risk for heart disease, check with your doctor before starting an exercise program if you have diabetes, especially if you have been sedentary.
Benefits
Some of the positive benefits exercise has for diabetic patients include the following: lower blood sugar levels, stronger heart and better insulin sensitivity. By increasing muscle and reducing body fat, strength training may be particularly helpful for diabetics. Aerobic exercise has particular benefits for people with type 1, or insulin-dependent, diabetes. It lowers blood pressures, improves cholesterol levels, increases insulin sensitivity and decreases body fat.
Recommendations
To improve glycemic control, at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity physical activity or at least 90 minutes per week of vigorous aerobic exercise is recommended by the American Diabetes Association. Participants should exercise at least three days per week and should not go more than two consecutive days without exercising. The American Diabetes Association is also in favor of performing resistance exercise three times a week, gradually building up to three sets of eight to 10 repetitions targeting all major muscle groups.
Research
A study published in the September 2007 issue of the "Annals of Internal Medicine" found that not all exercise is the same and the combination of aerobic exercise and weight training is significantly better than either alone for controlling blood sugar. The study, designed by head researcher Dr. Ronald Sigal and colleagues at the University of Calgary, followed 251 patients ages 39 to 70 with type 2 diabetes. None were regular exercisers, but they were assigned to either aerobic exercise, resistance training, a combination of the two or no exercise. In all three exercise groups, working out helped blood pressure and triglyceride and cholesterol levels and led to modest weight loss in addition to improving blood sugar.
Considerations
While exercise can be helpful to you in the management of diabetes, it is important to know how your body responds to exercise. By tracking your blood sugar before, during and after exercise, you can avoid some potentially dangerous blood sugar fluctuations. Do not exercise if your blood sugar is 70 mg/dl or lower or if you feel shaky, nervous or confused. You can eat or drink something, such as two to five glucose tablets, five or six pieces of hard candy or 1/2 cup of fruit juice, to bring it up. Recheck it 15 minutes later, and if it still is not back up, take in more food until it reaches at least 70 mg/dl. Check again after exercising and several times during the next few hours. Eat a small carbohydrate-containing snack if necessary.
