Diabetes and Exercise

Exercising is challenging for many people, particularly for those people that are not accustomed to exercising on a regular basis. For most, starting and sustaining regular exercise routines involves incorporating lifestyle changes on a daily basis. Staying motivated to sustain these changes and to continue exercising can be difficult.

Exercising should be an important part of everyone’s daily activities. Working out not only reduces stress and improves your health, but it can also dramatically reduce your risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes. If you are a beginning exerciser, you will face some challenges that you will have to overcome. However, once you are able to overcome common obstacles to getting started, you will find lasting enjoyment as you reap the benefits of exercise.

Regular exercise should be an essential element of your Diabetes care. Exercise can help you reduce your weight, alleviate stress, and stave off many complications associated with Diabetes.

Many older adults face challenges when it comes to staying active and healthy. As we age, our bones become more fragile, our muscles begin to weaken, and our stamina for sustaining physical activities lessens. All of these factors can lead to Diabetes complications and other health concerns. However, even though exercising may pose a bit of a challenge for many older adults, it is important to include physical activity as part of the daily routine.

This excellent stretch should be a regular part of your cool down. Strength training exercises such as squats, step-ups, and knee extensions focus on strengthening the quadriceps muscles. This stretch will help these muscles relax and make them more flexible.

When you've been doing the exercises from Stages 1 and 2 for at least six weeks, you can add these Stage 3 exercises. Remember to always do the Warm-up and Cool down as part of each exercise session:

When you've been doing the exercises from Stage 1 for at least two weeks, OR if you are fairly fit right now, you can add these Stage 2 exercises. When you've been doing the exercises from Stages 1 and 2 for at least six weeks, you can add the exercises in Stage 3. Remember to always do the Warm-up and Cool down as part of each exercise session.

The following four exercises comprise Stage 1 of the Growing Stronger Program. When you've been doing the exercises of this stage for at least two weeks, OR if you are fairly fit right now, you can add the exercises in Stage 2. Remember to always do the Warm-up and Cool down as part of each exercise session.

To get your muscles warm and loose for strength training, walk for five to ten minutes outside if weather permits, or inside around the house or on a treadmill if you have one.

Weight TrainningStrength training plays an important role in the improvement of your overall health and well-being. When you lift weights, you challenge your muscles to grow stronger and you improve circulation to the muscles that you are working. For example, when you do bicep curls, you are not only increasing the muscles mass in your biceps, but you are also decreasing the amount of fat in the muscle and improving the flow of blood throughout your arm. Therefore, strength training has many benefits – beyond just helping you grow stronger.