Exercise for Good Diabetes and Glucose Control

With diabetes exercise can make a huge difference in keeping blood sugar normal. Exercise is second only to diet to help you  keep good control of  blood sugar . Plus regular exercise can improve insulin resistance, reduce stress, reduce blood pressure, help you lose weight and has a host of other important benefits. 

 For diabetics taking medication or insulin, exercise can make controlling and keeping your blood glucose normal a bit more difficult. Still the benefits of regular exercise far outweigh not exercising. Here are a few suggestions to help you keep good glucose control and still exercise on a regular basis. 

 Exercising Timing for Controlling Blood Sugar

Exercising at approximately the same time each day can help regulate blood sugars. Since the benefits of exercise lasts for hours and even into the next day alternating exercise times, or not exercising one day can cause fluctuations for 24 to 48 hours. Maintain a daily exercise schedule at the same time each day to keep your blood sugars from going high or low..

 Keep Blood Sugars Normal during Exercise

 Along with controlling your blood sugar during the day, you'll also want to take a few precautions to make sure you don't have any problems during your exercise routine. Exercise requires energy, which the body gets from glucose(sugar) being delivered to the cells. You want to make sure you don't place demands on your body that can't be met. 

 If you are on diabetes medications or insulin, check your blood sugar before you exercise. If your blood sugar reading is lower than 100 to 120 have a snack before you exercise. This will prevent an unexpected low during exercise. Keep some candy on hand just in case your blood sugar drops.

 Another tip to keeping normal blood sugar  with exercise is to find out when your medication peaks. Try not to exercise during this peak as lower blood sugar may occur. 

 If your blood sugar is above 240 don't perform aerobics or strenuous exercise as this could place extreme demands on your heart and could cause problems.  Wait until your blood sugar is lower before you exercise. 

 Test and Record    

 As you exercise daily, test and record your  sugar several times a day. This will help you to identify patterns  so you will know when and how to make adjustments. Regular exercising and regular blood testing will do much to help you control your diabetes.