When you work out, your body uses glucose, or blood sugar, as a source of extra energy.
Muscles and the liver produce glucose as a source of energy when you need it most, like sprinting to catch a bus.
Your levels are likely to drop as a result of physical activity. Diabetes or insulin medicines may necessitate a change in your food, medication, or both if you increase the intensity of your workout or its duration. Make an appointment with your doctor to find out what’s best for you.
A longer period of moderate activity, such as hiking, provides the most benefits. When you do this, you cause a significant increase in the amount of glucose taken up by your muscles. Your blood sugar levels are lowered by using this method. When you stop exercising hard, your blood sugar may briefly spike.
By making it more difficult for your muscle cells to utilize insulin, exercising too hard might elevate your blood sugar. Small breaks in muscle fibers cause a burst of energy throughout an exercise. Your muscles will be stronger after they have recovered. However, if you aren’t used to intense workouts like HIIT (high-intensity interval training), they might do so much damage that you aren’t motivated to move for days. Your blood sugar will rise during this period because your muscles are unable to utilize insulin effectively.
If you don’t work out, your risk of heart disease may increase. If you are unable to attend your next gym session due to a severe case of muscle soreness, you may need to reduce the intensity. There is no need to hurry: You should gradually increase your intensity as you adapt to a new workout plan. Keep going when things don’t feel like they’ve been taken apart and rebuilt.
Affect Your Joints?
Statins, a class of cholesterol-lowering drugs, are commonly prescribed to persons with type 2 diabetes. Muscle and joint discomfort might make it difficult to perform high-impact motions swiftly or accurately. These medications also increase the risk of muscle or joint damage.
Yoga, Pilates, and tai chi, on the other hand, are excellent options. Help you improve your strength, balance, and flexibility by using these exercises.
Any Complications?
Depending on the sort of activity you engage in, several of the health issues associated with type 2 diabetes might worsen or increase your risk of injury.
Nerve injury as a result of diabetes
You can lose sensation in your feet and toes if you have a condition known as “peripheral neuropathy” by your doctor. It can also impair your balance, increasing the likelihood of a slip and fall. Try not to sprint or leap if you have it. Swimming, for example, is a low-impact activity that won’t strain your joints.
Autonomic neuropathy, another kind of nerve loss, can cause dizziness if you move too quickly.
Optic neuropathy
Your eyes might become infected with new blood vessels if you have diabetes. It could be referred to by your doctor as “proliferative retinopathy.” They’re flimsy and prone to rupture. Injuries to these delicate blood arteries can occur when you leap, carry large weights, make jarring movements, or hold your head down (as in some yoga postures). In the last year, your eye doctor should be able to tell you if the exercises you’re considering are safe.
To go from one modest kind of exercise to another, you usually don’t need to talk to your doctor about it. Get checked out beforehand if you wish to increase the intensity of your workout from moderate to intense. Diabetes-related eye damage typically goes undetected until it is too late, and you may not be aware that you have lost feeling in your feet.
10 + 1 Tips for Type 2 Diabetes Exercise
If you have diabetes, getting some exercise should be high on your priority list. Tips to help you get started:
1. Jot down a list of things to do that you’ll like.
You don’t have to go to a gym to get in shape. What do you think would be a good idea? Consider something you’ve always wanted to try or something you’ve loved in the past and put it on your list. A few suggestions are sports, dance, yoga, walking, and swimming. It doesn’t matter what you do to elevate your heart rate.
Rock-climbing and scuba-diving are generally safe for healthy people, except for those with diabetes. Don’t skimp on your education. If your blood sugar drops too low while participating in these activities, you may require assistance (what doctors call “hypoglycemia”). It’s a good idea to have some quick-acting carbohydrates on hand in the form of sports gels, glucose pills, or even cake frosting.
2. Get the go-ahead from your doctor.
Describe your plans to them. It is in their hands to see that you’re prepared. Whether you have diabetes, they will also check to see if you need to adjust your meals, insulin, or other diabetic medications. If the time of day you exercise matters, your doctor can let you know.
3. Perform a blood sugar level test.
It’s best to check with your doctor first. If you’re going to be working out for more than an hour, you should monitor your blood sugar levels to see if you’ll need a snack. After every workout, check your blood sugar level to see if you need to make any adjustments.
4. Carry carbohydrates in your bag.
Blood sugar levels can be lowered by exercise. In case your blood sugar drops, always have a small carbohydrate snack like fruit or a fruit drink available.
5. Start slowly.
If you’ve never exercised before, begin by doing 10 minutes of physical activity every day for a week. Work your way up to 30 minutes of practice each day. If you have any of the following symptoms after working out: trembling, anxiety, weakness, or confusion; increased sweating; racing heart; or a headache, it’s time to call it quits.
6. At the very least, you should strength train two or three times each week.
It has the potential to help people with diabetes better manage their blood sugar levels. You may either use weights or resistance bands to train. Several exercises may be done with your body weight, such as push-ups and squats. The entire body should be involved in your strength training regimen. Alternate shorter workouts with longer ones, or alternate working out different muscle groups on separate days. A skilled fitness teacher or trainer can show you how to do each exercise correctly.
7. Make it a routine.
To avoid low blood sugar or hypoglycemia, exercise, eat, and take your medication at the same time each day.
8. Go public with your thoughts and feelings.
You should exercise with a person who is aware of your diabetes and understands what to do if your blood sugar drops too low. Invite a friend over the phone. Having someone to encourage you and motivate you makes the time fly! It’s also a lot of fun. Just in case, you should also carry a medical identity badge or card stating that you have diabetes.
9. Treat your feet well.
Make sure your sports shoes are in good working order and appropriate for the activity you want to participate in. Jogging in tennis shoes is not a good idea as you require different support for your feet when you run. The toe space in your shoes should be adequate.
The best way to keep your feet healthy is to check and clean them every day, even if you haven’t worked out that day. If you discover any new concerns with your feet, be sure to tell your doctor.
10. Hydration is important.
Even if you don’t feel thirsty, sip water before, during, and after your workout.
11. Stop if you feel any pain.
It’s natural to feel a little sore after working out. Instant pain isn’t. If you don’t do too much, too soon, you won’t be hurt.
Benefits to Your Health
Keep in mind the many benefits of regular physical activity, such as:
- improving insulin sensitivity,
- decreasing blood sugar spikes,
- increasing muscle and bone mass,
- reducing blood pressure,
- raising HDL (“good”) cholesterol,
- reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke,
- elevating energy and mood,
- and reducing stress.
