Minimize your risk of injury.
Possibly the most important thing you can do to get started exercising is to get an expert’s opinion. Talk to your doctor about everything working out with diabetes—from what your activity goals should be to how you’re going to need to adjust your diet.
You should also undergo a physical exam before starting a new exercise routine. It’s important to know what else is going on in your body, like neuropathy, that can affect the way you exercise. A physical can help you figure out when and how it’s going to be best for you to work out based on your particular case of diabetes, medical history, diet, and medication regimen.
Once you get the doctor’s go-ahead, a few basic safety hints can keep your workout sessions from being unsafe.
First of all, you may need to adjust your meals to account for your increased activity. Your doctor or dietician can help you learn how to make those needed adjustments safely. The more active you are, the more fuel—calories and carbohydrates, in particular—your body uses.
If you’re trying to lose weight—which is usually recommended for type 2 diabetes patients—it may be enough to simply monitor your blood sugar closely to be sure you’re staying in normal ranges. However, if you’re exercising to get healthier, but don’t want to lose any weight, it may take some testing to find an appropriate carbohydrate intake level to match your energy output.
Another important thing to be careful about is staying hydrated. Water, of course, is going to be your best option. Sports drinks can be helpful if you’re working out for an extended period of time. However, they can have a lot of sugar in them. You may need to mix one with water, so that you get the benefits without a dangerous blood glucose spike.
Finally, keep an eye on your feet. Get some nice sneakers appropriate to the type of activity you’re doing, and be sure to finish your workout with a foot exam to make sure no blisters or other wounds have cropped up. Since diabetes can prevent proper healing, especially in your limbs, it’s important to catch injuries like this quickly before complications arise.
Did you know...
- Need a quick cool down? Try drinking some hot liquid. It's true! As counterintuitive as it may seem, the heat from hot liquids will raise your body temperature. This will heat you up and cause you to sweat. The increased perspiration will wind up helping you feel cooler as it evaporates. Try it out!
- Do you know what the strongest muscle in your body is? No, it’s not your biceps or your thighs. It’s actually in your head. The masseter is a muscle in the jaw that is used when chewing. When all of the muscles of the jaw work together, they can exert a force as strong as 200 pounds on the molars. That’s some serious pressure.
- Just saying the words "thank you" can measurably improve your mood. Researchers can actually measure happiness and changes in brain structure when people practiced regular "grateful thinking." This included things like writing thank you notes, writing gratitude journal entries, mindfully counting their blessings, and thanking friends. It may be helpful in overcoming depression!
- Does your job make you stressed? We all know that stress is psychologically bad for you, but it also has an effect on…your allergies? A Harvard Medical School study has shown that stress causes your allergies to become worse because your body's defense response loses efficacy when repeatedly triggered by stress. Then, when you really need to physically fight something off, you're less able to!
- Have you ever told your husband something and he promptly forgets it? It's not his fault, actually. It really is because he's a man. The hippocampus (the part of the brain that deals with memory) begins to shrink with age faster in men than it does in women. That's why you can remember everything, and he can't!