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Exercise Tips for Diabetics taking Insulin

Exercise, in combination with diet and medication (if indicated) is one of the most important parts of treating diabetes mellitus. All too often, some individuals with diabetes mellitus type 1 or type 2, have the false belief that they can cut corners, and avoid the exercise while eating and drinking whatever they want to. Some new diabetics sometimes have the notion they can just eat what they want and follow it with a shot of insulin and remain healthy. This kind of thinking couldn’t be farther from the truth, and it could land you in the hospital. Every now and then 911 is called and paramedics have to come and revive a person who has fallen unconscious from insulin shock. What sometimes happens is the person ate something they have been craving and then gave themselves an insulin shot to counteract the calories from the treat, and a short time later the person falls into shock from an overdose of insulin.

Exercise is the best way to burn the calories you ingest, and is conducive to weight loss or weight management. Many type 2 diabetics can get completely off diabetic medicine, including insulin, when they lose enough weight. It doesn’t always take a large amount of weight loss to make a significant difference in the severity of your diabetes. Therefore, over time, if you exercise regularly and watch your food intake, you may be able to manage your blood glucose levels without any medication at all.

Regular exercise not only lessens the severity of diabetes, in most cases, but it also lowers your cholesterol. You can improve your heart health with regular exercise; thus you prevent the conditions that are usually associated with diabetes. Improving heart health through exercise increases circulation to your extremities; therefore, with adequate circulation you prevent the possibility of developing ulcers on your feet and legs, which are associated with poor circulation, which is a secondary problem associated with diabetes mellitus.

If you are going to start an exercise plan, to walk, jog or run you need to make sure you have walking or running shoes that fit you well. If your shoes rub your feet, they could cause blisters, which could put you at risk for infection. Feel the inside of new shoes before you buy them. If they have stitching that could rub against your feet or toes, don’t buy them, because they could cause sores, which could lead to ulcerations or infections.

If you are not in condition to walk much, start a little distance at a time. You may also benefit from swimming in a swimming pool. If you don’t have a swimming pool, you might want to go a place like the YMCA where you can exercise in water. There is less stress on your joints while you are in water, so exercising in water may be a good option for you.

When starting a new exercise plan you need to pace yourself. Start out with light exercise and build up your endurance to exercise more. If you try too hard and exercise past your endurance level, you may cause injury to yourself. If you are an insulin dependent diabetic and you plan to exercise 30 minutes or more after administering insulin to yourself, you need to have a snack with you, or you could experience hypoglycemia, also referred to as low blood glucose.

There are times when you should not exercise, and those times are when your blood sugar level is above 300 mg/dl, or if you experience numbness in your lower extremities, if you are short of breath, or you have a lowered level of consciousness, as what might happen if you in ketoacidosis. If you experience any of these symptoms contact your medical professional for medical advice.

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