Type-2 diabetes patients suffer with a fair bit of anxiety. The body is constantly battling it out with increasing blood sugar levels. At such a state, thinking about starting to workout especially when you don’t have the habit, may seem intimidating.
But, it’s not. Exercising isn’t just safe but also encouraged for Type-2 diabetes patients. Just keeping your body in check and a few precautionary measures would lead you to the kind of workout patterns you are looking for. Moreover, exercise will surely help lower blood sugar, lose weight and help getting fitter along with increasing the insulin sensitivity of muscles absorbing more blood sugar. Being physically fit not only helps in looking good but reduces stress, increases confidence, maintains a good headspace and elevates the mood. Before you look at the exercises that will be more effective for you, here are a few things to keep in mind :
Consult your doctor (specially for Type-2 diabetes patients)
Before starting your regime,Type-2 diabetes patients should consult their doctor. Tell him what you need from your body, be it weight loss or muscle gain. So he may prescribe you the dos, and the don’ts by checking your heart rate, blood pressure, and other complications. He also might refer you to a physiologist or fitness trainer who knows how to go about it.
Get a pedometer or a fitness tracker watch.
Walking is one exercise that increases the overall health, maintains good heart rate, burns calories, helps make the bones strong among other benefits. Using a pedometer helps keep count of daily steps, so you set goals and can try to reach them by tracking them real-time and grab the stairs instead of the lift when you’re missing out on your target.
Find a partner
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Plan the workout
Scheduling is very important. You need to maintain a habit of creating workout patterns that include a sufficient amount of exercise and a balanced diet. Consistency is the key to creating the desired physique.
Determinants of your kind of workout
The workout regime you follow depends upon your body goals as well as the limitations of your body. Do you want to just lose some fat? Or do you want to gain muscle too? Is staying fit and healthy is all you want? Is the body of Type-2 diabetes patients capable of doing heavy workouts? Or would you have to start slow?
These are some questions you have to ask yourself before devoting yourself to a consistent workout routine.
Following are some effective ways to workout after being diagnosed with Type-2 Diabetes :
Aerobic Exercises
Aerobic exercises are the most hassle-free and no less effective way to start exercising. Mild to Moderate aerobics help in substantially decreasing blood glucose levels. They also help in :
- Using insulin more effectively
- Improving blood circulation
- Weight loss
- Maintaining blood pressure
- Increasing good cholesterol levels and decreasing bad cholesterol
- Making the bones strong
Aerobic exercises have the advantage over other exercises also because they don’t usually require bully equipment, lifting heavy weights, etc. You can carry out aerobic exercises while still going through your daily routine. Aerobic exercises combined with strength training fast tracks the bodybuilding process, thus, faster results.
The following aerobic activities may be followed:
- Walking (at a brisk pace so you push your body)
- Bicycling
- Aerobic dance
- Playing sports – Football, basketball or Rugby
- Swimming
- Cardio Machinery
- Kickboxing
and so on and so fore.
National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse recommends that you get at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercises at least five days a week for maximum benefits.
If you get tired sooner, you can start slowly by exercising in 10-min bursts three times a day. The good thing is that all the aerobic exercises don’t run you out of breathing drastically so you will get accustomed sooner.
Strength Training
Strength or Resistance training is a moderate to the high-intensity activity performed in short-duration intervals. It includes all kinds of weight lifting, Sprinting.
Strength training for Type-2 Diabetics helps in :
- Increasing muscular strength
- Increasing sensitivity to insulin
- Lowering blood glucose levels
- Increasing bone strength
What strength training does better than aerobics is that it decreases blood sugar levels at a slower but sustained rate improving the glucose stability.
These are some types of strength training for Type-2 diabetes patients:
- Total Body circuit training – Lighter weights used in different motions for full body workout
- Powerlifting
- Muscular Isolation training – Training only 1 or 2 muscle groups in a day
Building muscle also helps in burning fat at a faster rate. Strength training should be done at least three days a week along with aerobic exercises for best results. Resistance training doesn’t always require equipment and calisthenic exercises that make you lift your body weight may be followed if you can’t go to the gym.
Yoga
Yoga is a form of exercise consisting of breath control, meditation, and adoption of specific bodily postures.
Yoga helps Type-2 diabetes patients, since it improves the function of pancreas, liver, and kidney. It also increases blood circulation. Yoga is one form of exercise that reduces stress, relieves the nerved and stabilizes the system.
Here are 5 must follow yoga asanas for Type-2 Diabetics :
- Paschimottanasana (Seated forward bend pose)
This asana filters out toxins and excessive sugar content thus decreasing blood sugar levels. It also helps improve functioning of kidneys, liver and pancreas.
- Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation)
Surya namaskar asana consists of full body movements thus increasing the blood circulation all around and also strengthens the nerves and bones. It improves function of pancreas and insulin sensitivity. It should be worked out slowly for best results.
- Trikonasana (Triangle Pose)
Trikonasana works out the abdomen and waist muscles. It improves digestion and is brilliant for stomach health. It also helps lose belly fat and helps maintain a good shape removing obesity.
- Mayurasana (Peacock pose)
Mayurasana also improves functioning of pancreas, kidney and liver thus helping keep blood sugar as well as pressure in control. It requires good arm as well as core strength and so it also strengthens these muscles.
- Halasana (Axe pose)
The halasan also improves functioning of liver and kidney while activating the pancreas and so it’s beneficial for diabetes patients.
Precautions
- Always keep a snack handy during and post workout. As the workout decreases sugar levels rapidly, it may lead to excessively low levels of blood sugar, and so a snack like chocolates or fruit juice would help stabilize it.
- During prolonged moderate aerobic exercises, blood sugar may decrease rapidly increasing the risk of hypoglycemia. Short bursts of higher intensity activities that produce smaller declines for a long time maybe more helpful.
- Perform a blood test before exercise. If it’s already low, wait for it to be stable to start. A good amount of carbs should be taken to balance the drop in glucose.
- Stop exercising if it suddenly starts paining excessively anywhere – If muscles get excessively sore, stop exercising to avoid the risk of injuries.
We at Deevefit aim to provide a comprehensive solution to all these concerns of Type 2 Diabetic Patients. We have different kinds of live workout sessions meant for diabetic patients under the live supervision of expert trainers in this field! The sessions have a limited number of course takers at a time so as to give utmost attention to each one at a time. These sessions can be accessed by you at your own place!
For more details visit us at https://www.deevefit.com
References :
- https://www.ontrackdiabetes.com/amp/4722
- https://www.google.co.in/amp/s/nirogam.com/11-beneficial-yoga-asanas-type-2-diabetes/amp/
- http://www.diabetes.org/food-and-fitness/fitness/types-of-activity/what-we-recommend.html?referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F
- http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/36/3/537
- images source from pixabay and unsplash