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'Muscle moving' means good diabetes control
The body uses blood glucose to help muscles move. So if you have diabetes, regular muscle movement (i.e. activity or exercise) helps your body stabilize its glucose levels. And this helps you control your diabetes.
- If you take insulin, regular activity can reduce your daily injection requirement.
- If you don't take insulin, regular activity can improve how your body regulates its own insulin.
Whatever kind of diabetes you have, making activity part of your routine can help you gain energy, lose weight, improve muscle tone, and lower high cholesterol and high blood pressure.
Get started
Check with your doctor about how to make activity part of your routine. He or she might suggest starting with easy exercises like these. You can do them almost anywhere.
- Bend and stretch forward, backward, and side-to-side.
- Wiggle your toes and make circles with your feet from the ankles.
- Lie on your back and bring one knee up as close to your chest as possible. Repeat with the other knee.
- Lie on your side, raise one leg and move it in a circle. Turn over and repeat with the other leg.
- While sitting, push down on the arms of your chair and try to lift yourself off the chair.
Keep going
In making activity part of your life, it's good to remember the need to increase your heart rate for at least 15 minutes a day. Aerobic activities like walking, jogging, bicycling or swimming help keep your heart and lungs – not to mention the rest of your body – healthy.
You don't always have to have a formal exercise program. Just try to do at least 30 minutes of physical activity a day.
Simple things like parking further away, doing yard work, using the stairs instead of the elevator and going for walks can help you manage your diabetes and keep your cholesterol and blood pressure at healthy levels.
In addition, active people with diabetes should keep these tips in mind:
- Warm up and cool down. This gets your muscles ready to work harder and helps your circulation return to normal afterward.
- Check your blood glucose before and after exercising. Do not exercise if your glucose is more than 240 milligrams per deciliter or if you have ketones in your urine.
- For every hour of activity, have some fruit, bread or juice to replenish blood sugar.
- Always carry fast-acting sugar in case of a reaction.
- Avoid injecting insulin into muscles you will use. For example, inject into your arm before leg-intensive exercise like jogging. Inject into your leg before for arm-intensive activity like washing the car. Inject into your abdomen when all muscles are used, for instance, during swimming.
- Avoid insulin injections right after strenuous activity. Your blood glucose will be high, but it should fall on its own as your body cools down.
- Remember to wear a medical identification bracelet or necklace in case of an emergency.
An activity log
Whether you're already active or just starting to get moving, it's a good idea to log your activities.
- Note each activity and its duration.
- Record your glucose readings before and after.
This will help you chart your progress and track patterns that may cause reactions.
Related Links
A little exercise means big results in managing diabetes
Weight control = Improved quality of life
"Dialog: Living with Diabetes" newsletter
Source: National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse, a service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disorders; University of Massachusetts Medical School
First published: 09/05/2000
Last updated: 11/01/2005
Reviewed by: Paul Kleeberg, MD, medical director, Allina.com