Basic skills for living with diabetes: Physical activity/exercise

Physical activity/exercise is important for everyone, but especially for people with diabetes. It can lower your glucose* level and help your body use insulin better. Other benefits include:

• lowering blood pressure
• decreasing bad cholesterol
• burning calories, building muscle and losing fat
• helping you to feel better and have more energy
• reducing stress.

Differences between physical activity and exercise

Activities are things you do each day, such as walking to your car, making a meal, doing a hobby, or housework. Exercises are physically-exerting activities done to make your muscles, heart and lungs stronger.

Getting started with physical activity

• Choose activities that you enjoy.
• Any increase in daily activity is helpful.
• Simple ways to increase your daily activity are:
• Park farther away at the shopping mall or grocery store and walk.
• Take the stairs instead of the elevator/escalator.
• Do yard work or housework.
• Move around during TV commercials.

Adding exercise

There are two types of exercise that can help keep your physically healthy:

• Aerobic exercise is a rhythmic, repetitive activity such as walking, swimming and biking that continues for at least 30 minutes. This exercise restores a steady supply of oxygen to the muscles that are being exercised. Aerobic exercise reduces body fat.
• Strength training improves your muscle strength and tone, reduces body fat and may reduce pain in your low back. There are several different types of strength training: elastic bands, cuff and hand weights, free weights, wall pulleys and weight machines.

Exercise precautions

Remember the following basic exercise guidelines.

• Check with your doctor before starting a program.
• Wear layers of loose-fitting clothing so you can adapt to temperature and/or environment changes. Wear comfortable athletic shoes that tie.
• Avoid outdoor exercise in very hot or cold temperatures.
• Start your exercise slowly by stretching and warming up (a slow pace of exercise for 5 minutes). Finish your exercise by cooling down (a slowerpaced exercise for 10 minutes).
• Do not exercise if you are not feeling well or if you have a temperature of more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Do not exercise if you have type 1 diabetes and your blood glucose is more than 250 mg/dL.
• Do not drink alcohol right before or after exercise.

• If you take insulin or sulfonylurea, carry candy or glucose tablets with you during exercise to use if your blood glucose gets below 80 or if you have symptoms of low blood glucose.
• Check your blood glucose before and after exercise if you take insulin or a sulfonylurea. If your glucose level is less than 100 before you start to exercise, have a piece or fruit, one-half cup of fruit juice or any other food that can give you 15 grams of carbohydrate.
• If you have low blood glucose two times a week before or after exercise, be sure to check with your doctor or diabetes educator to see if you need a change in your diabetes medication.
• Check your feet for signs of blisters, redness or injury. Do not exercise until your feet have healed.
• Stop right away if you feel new pain or discomfort. Check with your doctor.

Positive changes from exercise

Beginning an exercise program can be a challenge, but after a few days or weeks you will begin to see and feel these positive changes:

• more confidence and independence
• more energy to do your everyday activities
• less difficulty reducing or maintaining weight
• more strength and endurance
• increased flexibility and balance
• improved feeling of well-being and a reduction
• stress
• better quality sleep.

You do not need to join a health club or buy expensive health equipment to exercise. Choose an exercise you enjoy so you will stick with it. If you feel adventurous, try something new. You may find a hidden talent or new passion.

How to stick with a physical activity program

If you've tried an exercise program in the past that didn't work, don't get discouraged. You can start — and stick with — a physical activity program! Remember, physical activity is something you need to continue throughout your life. Choose activities you enjoy. If you feel adventurous, try something new. You may find a hidden talent or new passion.

• Set a routine. Aim for getting at least 30 minutes of physical activity most days. For example, go for a 30-minute walk at 9 a.m. Or, you can break it up into chunks. Go for a 15-minute walk in the morning and do 15 minutes of strength training in the afternoon.
• Set goals that are specific and realistic. You can't go from no physical activity to walking 5 miles a day overnight. Start with small gains and slowly increase your goals. If you aren't used to regular exercise, start by walking around the block once or twice. The more exercise you do, the stronger you'll get.
• Do your physical activity with a partner or friend. Support from someone who cares about you will help you stick with your new program. Having someone to talk with will also help the time seem to pass more quickly.
• Choose activities you enjoy. Find several activities you can do all year, such as walking, bike riding, lifting weights or dancing, so you won't get bored.
• Keep a log of your activities and how long you did them each day. (Use the Physical Activity Log)
• Combine your activity with something fun. Ride a stationary bike or walk in place while you watch a TV show or listen to music or an audio book. Lift weights or do stretching during TV commercials.
• Reward yourself for reaching goals. Buy a new CD or DVD, go to a movie, or treat yourself to new clothing. (Do not reward yourself with food or alcohol.)
• In addition to your regular physical activity, try to sneak bits of other activity into each day, such as:
• Park your car at the end of the parking lot and walk to the store.
• Take the stairs instead of an escalator or elevator.
• Get up and walk around every hour if you have a job or hobby that involves sitting.
• To get the right amount of activity through walking, most people need to take about 10,000 steps a day. The average person takes between 700 and 2,500 steps a day! You can buy an inexpensive pedometer to keep track of your steps. Try to increase your steps by 200 to 500 every few days. Online, you can visit www.fitness.gov (The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports) for ideas of activities and tips.
• If you break your new routine, don't be too hard on yourself. Figure out what derailed you and get back on track.

*Note: We used the word glucose instead of the word sugar so it does not get it confused with the sugar in food.

Related Links

Physical activity log (requires Adobe Reader)

Tools for managing your diabetes

Dialog: Living with Diabetes (free e-newsletter)

Allina Medical Clinic - Diabetes education

First published: 12/01/2006
Last updated: 12/01/2006

Reviewed by: Allina Patient Education experts