Exercise and Diabetes
Along with a diabetes meal plan and insulin therapy, physical activity is an important
way to manage diabetes. Physical activity is important for everyone, but especially
for people with diabetes. Learn more about the benefits of
being active on LevemirCare™.
Check in before you start
Your doctor can help you make decisions about your exercise routine. You can also
talk to your doctor about the diabetes medicines you take. This may include both
prescription and over-the-counter medications. You may need to change from one medicine
to another or to adjust the amount you take.
Exercising with extra daily activity
Your everyday activities can actually help you manage your diabetes. Things like
walking the dog, cleaning the house, and washing the car can count as exercise.
You can also lengthen some of your daily tasks in order to be active longer, or
replace some daily activities with others. For instance, instead of taking a coffee
break or having a snack, you could go for a walk.
Here are more ways to get exercise with everyday activities:
At work
- Use the stairs instead of taking the elevator
- Park at the far end of the parking lot and walk to the building
- When you need to speak to a co-worker, walk over instead of calling or emailing
- Walk around while on the phone
At home
- Play with the kids
- Instead of using the remote control, get up to change the TV channel
- Rake leaves in the yard or work in the garden
- Lengthen your chores. For example, you can take several trips to the laundry room
instead of one
Other types of exercise
- Aerobic exercise. With aerobic exercise, you use the large muscles in your
body, such as the ones in your legs. Your heart rate will increase and you will
probably break a sweat. Brisk walking or hiking, cycling, basketball or other sports,
dancing, or taking an aerobics class at the gym all count as aerobic exercise
- Strength training. Building muscle by lifting weights or working with resistance
can help you burn calories more easily, since muscle burns more calories than fat.
With larger, stronger muscles, you may also find that you have better coordination
and balance
- Stretching. Touching your toes or sitting cross-legged are types of stretches.
Stretching can make your muscles less stiff. If you stretch more often, your muscles
may feel less sore after exercise or a long, active day
How you choose to exercise is less important than finding a way to stay active regularly.
Learn more about
being active as a part of your life on LevemirCare™.
Exercise and low blood sugar
It is possible that exercise can cause low blood sugar, also called
hypoglycemia. You may have to switch diabetes medicines to avoid low
blood sugar while exercising. It may also be a good idea to bring a snack or glucose
tablets in case your blood sugar gets too low while you’re exercising.
After exercising, check to see how it affected your blood sugar level. As always,
speak to your doctor if you’re concerned about low blood sugar. Learn more about
the
signs and symptoms of hypoglycemia by visiting LevemirCare™.
