Exercise is beneficial to the
health of people with both types of diabetes in two ways. First,
exercise can take some glucose out of the blood to use for energy during
and after exercise, which lowers blood glucose levels.
Secondly, it helps delay or stop
large blood vessel and heart (cardiovascular) disease. Cardiovascular
disease is the leading killer of people with diabetes All people with
diabetes should exercise to counteract their increased risk of
cardiovascular disease, to reach and maintain a healthy weight, and to
enjoy themselves.
An additional benefit for many
people with diabetes is that exercise, plus other healthy lifestyle
habits, can help them achieve good blood glucose control.
I've never been much into
exercising until recently. After hearing my diabetes educator
talking about it over and over again, my wife and I decided to start out
by taking walks. We normally walk an hour or so after dinner.
I take a quick blood test to see where my sugar level is standing then
we walk for about 20-30 minutes or so.
I come home and take another blood
test. My sugars have dropped, and dropped dramatically. Try
it for yourself!