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Diabetes and Exercise A regular exercise program has many benefits for everyone. These include: • An improved sense of well-being • Stress reduction • Lower blood pressure • Lower cholesterol and increased HDL cholesterol • Improved muscle tone and reduced risk of falls • Better sleep • Weight loss and maintenance • Maintenance of bone strength • Less risk of heart disease If you have diabetes, you will get all these benefits from exercise. In addition, regular exercise will improve your insulin sensitivity, and if you have type 2 diabetes, regular exercise will also improve your glucose control. However, there are a number of challenges to exercising safely if you have diabetes. The challenges include avoiding both high and low blood glucose levels during exercise, especially when you are on insulin, and how to exercise safely when you have complications of diabetes, especially neuropathy and heart disease. Exercise has numerous benefits for people with diabetes, but it is not as simple as saying “go and exercise.” Before embarking on an exercise plan, visit your physician and diabetes educator and get guidance on how to exercise safely. If you have type 1 diabetes, you may need to adjust your insulin and your carbohydrate intake before, during, and after exercise. You will also need to monitor your glucose levels more frequently. If you have type 2 diabetes, you may also need to cut back on the insulin or oral medicines that can cause hypoglycemia. Additional modifications of the exercise plan may be necessary if you have complications of diabetes.
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