Exercise

Exercise has long been known to have a positive effect on diabetes control. And if weight loss is part of your strategy for achieving better control, then exercise is essential because it is nearly impossible to lose weight without increasing activity levels.

Exercise has about five distinct benefits for diabetes control:

1. Muscles do not require insulin to use sugars. This means that if your blood sugar is too high, and you are controlling it strictly with diet, you can exercise and lower it. For me, 5 minutes on a treadmill will lower it 10 points.

2. Exercise improves metabolism which improves overall blood sugar control. The more work your body is used to doing, the faster it burns energy. More efficient metabolism also results in better use of insulin and sugars, and helps to keep sugar levels more stable.

3. Exercise reduces effects of insulin resistance. Aside from the weight issues, regular exercise helps to improve insulin use efficiency. Most people with insulin resistance are overweight, but not all, and exercise can help in both instances.

4. Exercise promotes weight loss, which in turn, improves metabolism and reduces insulin resistance in those who are overweight. Exercise is one of the keys to successful weight loss.

5. Diabetes leads to a wide range of health problems, many of which are less likely to occur in a fit person, so exercising can help to control some of the risks associated with diabetes.

The benefits of exercise for diabetes control have been proven over and over. They will not appear instantly, it will take time and consistency to show a difference. Normally, it will take a month or more to see any results - incidentally, the same amount of time it takes you to form a healthy exercise habit!

One reason many people fail to see benefits from exercising is because they do not develop a habit. They fade out somewhere between two and three weeks, and do not do it long enough to really effect permanent change.

Where diabetes and exercise are concerned, permanent change to your life is critical. Doing it for a week or two and then stopping won't help you at all.

Remember, consult your physician and learn how exercise affects blood sugar levels before embarking on an exercise program. For those with brittle diabetes, new forms of exercise may produce dangerous lows unless they are properly compensated for. In any diabetic, a consistent exercise program may necessitate changes in diet or insulin dosages, so proceed with care.

Written by Laura Wheeler, Owner of Firelight Business Enterprises, Inc.