Properly organized nutrition in diabetes and healthy physical activity can affect the course of the disease – increase the effectiveness of treatment, and in mild forms of the disease, even normalize blood sugar levels. In addition, playing sports will help prevent cardiovascular diseases, regulate blood pressure, improve bone density and mood, and reduce stress. Exercise improves your body’s use of insulin and helps you achieve a healthy weight (calorifier). For overweight people, feasible physical activity and a dietary diet will be the prevention of diabetes, and people suffering from this disease will be able to improve their quality of life.
What sports can you do with diabetes?
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is not a hindrance to any workout. There is research showing that resistance exercise and cardiovascular exercise improve blood sugar control.
Strength training helps build muscle tissue, and muscles in turn absorb glucose more efficiently. Insulin receptors become more sensitive to insulin, which allows type I diabetics to reduce their medication dosage. A combination of strength training and cardio can help type II diabetics burn fat and reach normal weight faster.
It is not a contraindication to DM loads, but before starting classes, you must first consult with your doctor in order to get recommendations, adjust nutrition and dosage of drugs. You need to see a doctor even if you plan on doing a moderate form of fitness, like swimming or yoga.
Keep in mind that individual exercises or the whole type of fitness may not be suitable for you if you have injuries of the musculoskeletal system, varicose veins, cardiovascular diseases, diseases of the organs of vision.
Sports restrictions
People with diabetes should be especially attentive to themselves and their feelings:
- Monitor your blood sugar by recording your readings in the morning on an empty stomach, before exercise, and 30 minutes after exercise.
- Build a proper pre-workout meal schedule – be sure to eat carbohydrates approximately 2 hours before your workout. If its duration exceeds half an hour, then you should drink fruit juice or yogurt to get a small portion of easily digestible carbohydrates and avoid hypoglycemia. In some cases, it is advisable to have a carbohydrate snack before the very beginning of the exercise, but all these particular points should be discussed with your doctor.
- Type II diabetes causes neuropathy of the legs – blood circulation in the vessels is impaired and any wound can turn into a real ulcer. So choose the right fitness shoes and clothing. Keep your sneakers comfortable and check your legs after training.
- If in the morning the sugar level is below 4 mmol / l, or above 14 mmol / l, then it is better to refuse sports on this day.
- Take care of yourself – start your journey into the world of fitness with light short sessions, gradually increasing their duration, and then the intensity (calorizator). For a beginner, the starting point will be short workouts of 5-10 minutes, which you will gradually bring to the standard 45 minutes. The shorter the session, the more often you can train. The optimal frequency is 4-5 moderate workouts per week.
It is extremely important for diabetics to be consistent and gradual in fitness. The effect of sports can only be appreciated after long periods of regular training, but it is easily negated if you quit sports and return to your old lifestyle. Exercise lowers blood sugar, while taking long breaks increases it. To always keep yourself in good shape, choose the feasible minimum of sports, do it regularly and with pleasure.