Daily excercises for diabetics

[pbsurji]

[Hidden]

I am pasting an earlier blog on this forum by one of our bloggers 'STOPDIABETES'.It is vey educative and exhaustive.

Need of Exercise: 

-------------------------

In old days, men were working in farm, women were cooking, taking care of animals, going to farms with food, to bring water and other things she used to walk 4-6 miles per day. These were exercises. Youngsters were playing games like kabbadi, Gilli danda, kho-kho etc. 

Today, we are not doing much physical work due to comforts. Now car and scooter have become essential. We spend spare time to watch TV and work on PC. These things play important role to increase weight. The overweight is root cause of diseases. Therefore, include the exercise as part of your daily life. 

The advantages of the exercise 

------------------------------------------

• The blood glucose and fat level can be maintained. 

• The medicine and insulin dose can be reduced. 

• The heart and lung efficiency increase. 

• The patient is benefited due to weight loss. 

• The patient gets mental peace and better sleep. 

What type of exercise should be done? 

------------------------------------

Activities should be safe depend on the condition of your heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys, feet, and nervous system. 

Activities should be realistic for you and choose the ones you think you can do. 

Allow yourself to get into a routine. Be flexible and don’t get discouraged. 

A standard recommendation for diabetic patients, as for nondiabetic individuals, is that exercise includes a proper warm-up and cool-down period. A warm-up should consist of 5–10 min of aerobic activity (walking, cycling, etc.) at a low-intensity level. The warm-up session is to prepare the skeletal muscles, heart, and lungs for a progressive increase in exercise intensity. After a short warm-up, muscles should be gently stretched for another 5–10 min. Primarily, the muscles used during the active exercise session should be stretched, but warming up all muscle groups is optimal. The active warm-up can either take place before or after stretching. After the activity session, a cool-down should be structured similarly to the warm-up. The cool-down should last about 5–10 min and gradually bring the heart rate down to its pre-exercise level. 

The diabetics should do aerobic exercises (like walking, running, swimming, cycling, gardening). 

If your age is more, body is heavier and you have arthritis in your legs, you must walk slowly. The jogging will increase breathing and pain in legs. The cycling (on cycle without wheels) at home is better for you. 

If you cannot walk or do cycling due to the arthritis, do exercise of other parts/joints at home. 

The young and physically healthy people can play their favorite games like kabbadi, hockey, football, tennis etc. It is not necessary to join expensive health club. Many health clubs promise weight loss without diet control but they are not giving value for money to the patients. 

High-resistance exercise using weights may be acceptable for young individuals with diabetes, but not for older individuals or those with long-standing diabetes. Moderate weight training programs that utilize light weights and high repetitions can be used for maintaining or enhancing upper body strength in nearly all patients with diabetes. 

How much exercise should you do? 

--------------------------------

Choose what you’ll do and make detailed plans. Think about what activities are realistic for you and choose the ones you think you can do. Start slowly. Your activity should be somewhat challenging but not overly difficult. Write down exactly what you’ll do, where and when you’ll do it, how often, and for how long. Allow yourself to get into a routine. Be flexible and don’t get discouraged. For example, I’ll get off the bus one stop earlier. Don’t be too hard on yourself if you can’t. For example, if it’s raining, you may not want to walk outside so you can choose a different activity. It’s more important to reach your long-term goal than to follow the plan from day to day. Plan how you’ll reward yourself for your efforts. For example, some people treat themselves to a movie when they meet their goal for the week. 

For minimum 30 minutes and 5 times a week. Do it regularly and increase it as per your body's capacity. Start and end your exercise gradually Increase the intensity and duration of your exercise program gradually. Start at a minimum (good warm up & end with cool down phase-walk with relax pace for 5 min & stretch down arm & legs for 5 min) and build up your stamina gradually over days before going in for your full capacity to achieve the target heart rate. (Health experts recommend exercising 30 min daily to maintain your current weight and 45 to 60 min of daily exercise if your goal is to lose weight. At first, keep your exercise sessions short. Don’t overdo it when you exercise. When exercising you should be able to carry on a conversation without getting out of breath). 

The housewives argue that they work whole day in their house so they don't require additional exercise. It is true that they are busy whole day but not getting proper exercise. There fore, they must at least 30 minutes and go out of their home for walking or do any other exercise. 

Remember 

If you experience over strain, sweating, giddiness, and chest pain or short of breath, just stop the exercise and take doctor's advice immediately. 

What time of day is best for exercising? 

------------------------------------

Don't do it with full stomach. You should exercise in the morning. Our stomach is empty, the body and mind are healthy and the air is fresh in the morning. However, if you are busy in the morning, you may do it during whole day except two hours after food. Don't bath immediately after exercise. It is best not to exercise when your insulin or diabetes pills are having their peak effect. 

*If you can't exercise any day, what should you do? 

It is advisable to exercise 5 days a week. If you can't do it once a week, on that day: 

• Don't use lift. Climb up staircases slowly. 

• Park your car or scooter away and walk down. 

• Get down from a bus or railway one stop earlier and walk down. 

• Play with your child or grand children. 

This way, you can do lot of exercise without much efforts. 

Learn your blood glucose response to exercise 

•Everyone’s blood glucose response to exercise is different. Checking your blood glucose before and after exercise can show you the benefits of activity. You also can use the results of your blood glucose checks to prevent low blood glucose or high blood glucose. 

•If your blood glucose is high before you exercise (above 300), physical activity can make it go even higher, so be cautious about doing something active. For those with type 1 diabetes, if your fasting glucose level is above 250 and you have ketones in your urine, it’s best to avoid physical activity. 

•Learn how to avoid low blood glucose (hypoglycemia). - Keep in mind that low blood glucose can occur during or long after physical activity. Low blood glucose is most likely if you: 

*Take insulin or diabetes pill 

*Skip a meal 

*Exercise a long time 

*Exercise strenuously 

•If low blood glucose is interfering with your exercise routine, eating a snack before you exercise or adjusting your medication may help. Talk to your health care team about what is right for you. During activity, check your blood glucose if you notice symptoms such as hunger, nervousness, shakiness, or sweating. If your blood glucose is 70 or below, have 2 to 5 glucose tablets, ½ cup (4 ounces) of fruit juice or other source of carbohydrate, to raise your blood glucose. After 15 minutes, check your blood glucose again. If it’s still below 70, have another serving and repeat these steps until your blood glucose is at least 70. 

•Plan to have water and snacks handy during activity. Drink plenty of water before, during, and after activity. If you are at risk for low blood glucose, always carry a source of carbohydrate to so you’ll be ready to treat low blood glucose. Unless you are very active for an hour or more, you probably will not need to eat anything during or after your exercise session. If you do need a snack, good choices are fast acting carbohydrate like fruits or yogurt. When exercising, you can also carry sugar, hard candy, such as mints etc. in case your blood glucose drops suddenly. 

•Wear a medical identification bracelet, necklace, or a medical ID tag to protect yourself in case of emergency. 

•Symptoms of low blood sugar exercising: Hypoglycemia usually occurs gradually, so you need to pay attention to how you're feeling during exercise. You may feel a change in your heartbeat, suddenly sweat more, feel shaky or anxious, or feel hungry. When you feel this way, you should stop exercising and follow your doctor's advice about how to treat hypoglycemia. 

Get past the barriers to being physically active. 

If you’re not active, it’s likely that you have at least one reason why. Perhaps you’ve never been very active. Maybe you’re afraid you’ll get low blood glucose. Think about what’s keeping you from being active and then look into ways to overcome the barriers. 

Barriers & their Solutions: 

I DONT HAVE TIME TO EXERCISE FOR 30 MINUTES A DAY: Do as much as you can. Every step counts. If you’re just starting out, start with 10 minutes a day and add more little by little. Work up to 10 minutes at a time, three times a day. 

I AM TOO TIRED AFTER WORK: Plan to do something active before work or during the day. 

I DONT HAVE THE RIGHT CLOTHES: Wear anything that’s comfortable as long as you have shoes that fit well and socks that don’t irritate your skin. 

I AM TOO SHY TO EXERCISE IN A GROUP: Choose an activity you can do on your own, such as following along with an aerobics class on TV or going for a walk. 

. 

I DONT WANT TO HAVE SORE MUSCLES: Exercise shouldn’t hurt if you go slowly at first. Choose something you can do without getting sore. Learn how to warm up and stretch before you do something active and how to cool down afterward. 

I AM AFRAID THAT I WILL GET LOW BLOOD GLUCOSE: If you’re taking a medication that could cause low blood glucose, talk to your health care provider about ways to exercise safely. 

WALKING HURTS MY KNEES: Try chair exercises or swimming. 

ITS TOO HOT OUTSIDE: If it’s too hot, too cold, or too humid, walk inside a school or a shopping center or find alternate exercise which can be done at home. 

IT IS NOT SAGE TO WALK IN MY NEIGHBOURHOOD: Find an indoor activity, such as an exercise class at a community center. 

I AM AFRAID I WILL MAKE MY CONDITION WORSE: Get a checkup before planning your fitness routine. Learn what’s safe for you to do. 

I CANT AFFORD TO JOIN A FITNESS CENTRE OR BUY EQUIPMENT: Do something that doesn’t require fancy equipment, such as walking or using cans of food for weights. 

Exercise is boring. Find something you enjoy doing. Try different activities on different days. 

COURTESY: 'STOPDIABETES'.WWW.DIABETES INDIA.HEALTH UNLOCKED.COM

[narayanaol]

20 minutes of brisk walking, surya namaskar, some yogasanas, pranayams, sudarshana kriya( very effective breathing technique) and meditation along with proper diet n medication can do wonders.

[Gpsharma]

venkatarmana ji so nice o you...people like you doing so much social work you don't know .. many -2 thanks..

[Gpsharma]

venkatarmana ji so nice o you...people like you doing so much social work you don't know .. many -2 thanks..

[ramaswami]

I agree with ramana. While I was in Nagpur my wife had some back pain. The Dr said is mother in law with you, how old,is she diabetic & having pain. My wife said she is 78 & no problem. The Dr said she is your Dr. She grinds in attukal for idly &ChakiNo dinning Table. She bends umteen times. Hence no problem. You have grinder/mixee/no bending.No exercise to your back. This also holds good for diabetic

[ShooterGeorge]

Exercise medicine etc are good but diet is the most important thing - not only for a diabetic but for any one. I cured my diabetes in just three years with diet alone. You can see my blood sugar test results from 2006 to 2013 at

appropedia.org/Diabetes_mel... and decide whether I had been diabetic during 2006-2009 & whether I am cured after that. I am on normal diet from 2009.