TRACK 3 DIABETES MANAGEMENT TRACKER AND PLANNER
Track 3 Powerful Diabetes Management, Tracking And Planning Calculator
Track 3 Powerful Diabetes Management, Tracking And Planning Calculator
Facts About Diabetes And Exercise
Regular exercise has benefits for almost everyone. It can lower your blood pressure, reduce your cholesterol levels, and help you lose weight by burning calories. Exercise also reduces the risk for heart disease. In addition to these physical benefits, most people report that they feel better emotionally when they exercise regularly.
Whether you are interested in losing weight or you need to start an exercise program as part of your diabetes management, just getting started can seem difficult. Relax. You don't need to join a gym or invest in lots of special equipment, although many people do like to join a gym.
General fitness guidelines
Whether or not you have diabetes, check with your health care provider and go over your fitness plan before you start exercising. Begin slowly, with small steps so you don't overdo things or feel like you cannot keep up. Many times people are overly enthusiastic when they start exercising. Then when they don't do everything they planned, they can get discouraged and feel like they've failed, which leads them to abandoning their entire program. Instead, set reasonable goals for yourself that you can stick with and complete. It's better to get some exercise than no exercise. If rewards motivate you, set up an end of the week treat when you've met your exercise goals.
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Walking or some other low- |
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Make sure you have comfortable shoes and a safe place to walk or use a treadmill indoors if the weather is bad. |
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Aim for 20- |
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Other good low- |
Special considerations for those with diabetes
If you have diabetes, plan your fitness program with the help of your health care provider. Because exercise can lower your blood glucose, you may need to take readings before and after you exercise, and perhaps during as well. Plan on having snacks and water available while you exercise. If low blood glucose readings are interfering with your exercise, check with your health care provider about possibly adjusting your medications or modifying your fitness plan. Wear an ID tag indicating that you have diabetes when you exercise. If you do have problems, the ID tag will help medical personnel respond properly.
Don't let these precautions scare you off, though. Exercise has so many benefits for those with diabetes. It helps your body respond to insulin and lowers blood glucose levels, which can in turn help you lessen the medication you might need for your diabetes management. Exercise also improves your circulation and relieves stress, both of which are great benefits to those with diabetes.
Exercise helps those with pre-diabetes symptoms as well
If you have pre-diabetes symptoms, exercise has been shown to sharply lower your risk of developing diabetes. In a 2001 study, modest weight loss and exercising 30 minutes a day helped those with pre-diabetes reduce their risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by 58%.
When to exercise
For most people, it's easier to get with and stick with an exercise program if you schedule it like you would other appointments. For those with diabetes, it's an especially good idea to exercise at the same time of day and for about the same intensity so you can more readily predict the impact exercise will have on your blood sugar.
Tracking Your Fitness Progress
The most important thing for your diabetes and fitness program is to get started! Set up a time for your exercise program and try to do a little bit each day and then a little bit more each week. Set up goals and set up rewards for achieving those goals. The most important reward is better health, of course, but sometimes a visible reward like a new CD or book helps keep you motivated.
Whether you use a paper notebook or a pocket planner like the Track 3 Diabetes Management Planner And Calculator or CalorieSmart, do record your exercise efforts so you can see your progress. If you're like most people, tracking your diet and exercise efforts is rewarding and encourages you to keep going when you might get frustrated. When you look back at your records over time, you can see how much you've really done rather than feeling like a failure because you had a bad week.
Most important, keep your eye on the long term goal: good overall health. You'll feel better physically and emotionally when you exercise regularly and the long-term effects can be huge.
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