How to fight diabetes with exercise

Although diabetes is a serious and increasingly common health concern, exercise can stack the deck in your favour and potentially even reverse the effects of the disease. Here’s how even minor physical activity can help make big a difference managing this condition.

[Photo Credit: iStock.com/vgajic]

Exercise does naturally what some drugs do; it sensitizes cells to insulin so they soak up more glucose from the bloodstream to bring your blood sugar levels down

• Simple activities – from doing work around the house to tensing your muscles while you sit behind the wheel of your car – can help tone your muscles, burn calories and reduce blood sugar levels.

Exercise can also make or break efforts to lose weight and control blood sugar, as a long list of studies has proven.

• In one landmark study comparing weight-loss programs using diet alone, exercise alone, or a combination of both, people who combined approaches lost the most weight after a year.
• A year after that, those who ate less and exercised more were still ahead of the diet-only folks, who gained back much of their weight

If you want to cut 500 calories a day, which is the amount needed to lose 0.5 kg (1 lb.) a week, you could always eat 500 fewer calories.

• To make your eating plan much easier, if you burned half of those calories by being more active then you'd only have to cut 250 calories.
• Exercise also increases your metabolism long after the activity has subsided, burning more calories even when you're not moving around.

For people with diabetes, exercise does much more than aid weight loss. It also sensitizes cells to insulin – in effect, reversing the insulin resistance that is the hallmark of type 2 diabetes. How?

• When you work your muscles, they become more efficient at using glucose. That's because active muscles demand more energy in the form of glucose, which forces them to squeeze more glucose out of the blood.
• This glucose-gobbling effect continues even after you've stopped exercising, lowering your blood sugar for hours after a workout.

Also, as your body becomes more conditioned, your toned muscles require more energy all the time.

• This helps to make the glucose-controlling effects of exercise virtually permanent, as long as you stay active.

What's more, physical activity also reduces your risk of problems common among people with diabetes, such as:

• High blood pressure
• Heart attack
• Stroke
• Arthritis

Although you may feel reluctant to begin walking, once you get going you'll find that exercise feels so good, you'll want to keep doing it. You'll feel more energetic, sleep better and even look better

How do you start?

• Just move your feet and walk. That's right! The main activity we're talking about is taking a sunset stroll around your neighborhood, ambling along the trail in a local park or window shopping at the mall.
• Dedicate a certain amount of time on most days to walking. Start with just 10 minutes and add 5 minutes a week.

Exercise can also happen while you're stopped at a red light, standing in line at the post office or brushing your teeth.

• Your day is filled with countless chances to sneak in exercises that tone your muscles and lower your blood sugar.

Another reason to move your body is to release tension and calm your mind.

• Relaxing is important because stress hormones directly raise blood sugar levels and can contribute to weight gain.

Exercise along with diet is key to managing your diabetes, whether you were just diagnosed or have had the disease for years. Not only can it boost your mood, but it helps to alleviate stress and maintain a healthy weight that's so crucial to your success.

You should always consult a qualified healthcare provider before starting any exercise program, changing your diet or taking supplements of any kind. The general information in this article is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, instruction or treatment.