After recovering from the shock of your Type 2 diabetes diagnosis, you decided working out would help you to lose weight and lower your blood sugar levels. So now you've got your sneakers on, a stopwatch on your wrist, and a water bottle in hand. Great, you're ready for the most potent diabetes treatment out there... exercise. However, although exercise is beneficial to each and every diabetic (almost without exception), there are a few things diabetics should keep in mind before hitting the gym.
Here are a few crucial guidelines:
Watch your Blood Sugar Levels: You should know your blood sugar levels (BSLs), before, during, and after your workout. If not, you may find yourself hypoglycemic, which is not only uncomfortable, but potentially dangerous. Worst of all, this means downing a high-glycemic index drink to get your blood sugars back to normal... counteracting some of the benefits from your workout. However, regular intervals of blood sugar checking and keeping a high-GI snack on hand, can ensure that your workout goes without a hitch.
Prepare to Not Have Type 2 Diabetes: Believe it or not, but working out is such a potent and powerful diabetes fighter that a single bout of exercise reduces insulin resistance to the point that your diabetes briefly disappears. This means adjusting the food you eat as well and, of course, the insulin you take for the time surrounding your workout.
React: Knowing your pre-workout BSLs is one thing... acting on that information is most important. If your BSLs are high or low before you hit the gym, take a few hours off, get things under control, and then get your workout on. Controlling your blood sugar is hard enough when you're sitting at your desk at work... never mind when you add exercise into the mix.
Expect the Unexpected: One of the more perplexing phenomenons in diabetes is hyperglycemia after an intense workout. If you're having a brave moment and wander into an advanced spinning class or a Muay Thai training session, your body's release of stored glucose can send blood sugar sky high. Although somewhat rare, by monitoring your BSLs regularly, you can stop exercise from causing your BSLs to spiral out of control.
Hit The Weights...Often: Even though most diabetics, and people in general, tend to equate 'exercise' with activities like walking, jogging, and slaving away on a treadmill, there's much more to working out than cardio. Strength training is one of the least appreciated, yet most powerful ways of treating and reversing Type 2 diabetes. Even more so than cardio, pumping iron intensely stimulates your cell's insulin receptors... meaning that you need less insulin (both natural and artificial), to do the same job. A study in Diabetes Care found that diabetics who hit the weights regularly became dramatically more insulin sensitive after just a few training sessions. You don't need a lot of weight loss to see these benefits either... simply lifting resistance bands, canned goods, and other heavy things around the house can give you much of the same results you'd see at a trendy gym.
And now I would like you to claim your Free E-Book when you click on Answers to Your Questions
There you will find answers to the many question diabetics are asking.
When you click this link you will see how low-calorie diets really work for type 2 diabetics. Read the answer at The Diabetes Detectives. Beverleigh Piepers RN... the Diabetes Detective.
Beverleigh Piepers is the author of this article. This article can be used for reprint on your website provided all the links in the article are complete and active. Copyright (c) 2010 - All Rights Reserved Worldwide
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