Exercise Tips for Type 2 Diabetics

Chances are, if you’ve developed type 2 diabetes, you’re overweight, and that’s OK…stuff happens.  However, now that “stuff” has happened, you’re forced to deal with your type 2 diabetes and regular exercise is an essential part of your treatment.

There is no cure for type 2 diabetes, but don’t despair.  Studies have shown that it can be reversed to the point where you can reach and maintain normal blood sugar levels without medication.  To achieve that goal, a healthy diet and regular exercise are not only required, they’re essential.  Since this is a short, readable blog, let’s just deal with the exercise half of this equation for now.

Before we discuss exercise tips, you may be asking, why is exercise essential to manage your type 2 diabetes?  Type 2 diabetics have too much glucose, or sugar, in their blood.   This is because they don’t produce enough insulin to process it or because their body doesn’t utilize insulin properly, a condition known as insulin resistant.

One way to lower blood sugar levels is to exercise because working muscles burn glucose as energy (like a car burns gasoline) and they burn it without the use of insulin.  Therefore, working muscles will reduce your blood glucose levels without medication, as will eating the right foods.

Regular exercise can also help stave off long term complications associated with type 2 diabetes such as heart disease, nerve pain, kidney disease and high cholesterol.  It will also provide weight loss when coupled with a healthy diet.

So, about those exercise tips…

• Check with your doctor, especially if it’s been, shall we say, a while since you exercised on a regular basis. Your doctor can ensure your body, particularly your heart, is ready for physical activity and can offer advice on how often to exercise and for how long.
• Start slow. As a high school track and field and cross country coach, my mantra for new runners is, “better too slow, than too fast.”  Ease into your exercise regime like an old man easing into a hot bath.
• List all your exercise options and then focus on those that you think might interest you or, dare I say, sound fun. Different exercises flick different switches in different people.  While hot yoga might sound like torture, hiking just might float your boat.
• Keep track of your blood sugar levels especially during prolonged exercise of an hour or more…don’t worry, you’ll get there if you stuck with it.
• Keep some carbs on hand, like fruit or fruit drinks in case your blood sugar drops, again, during prolonged bouts of exercise.
• Incorporate strength training into your routine at least twice a week. This could involve weights or not.  Using your body weight as resistance counts as weight training such as push ups, pull ups, squats, lunges and planks.
• Go public with your plans with people close to you. Let them know about your type 2 diabetes and use them for motivation.  It’s also a good idea to join or create an exercise group as another form of motivation.
• Set realistic goals for yourself. Again, as a coach, I help my athletes set difficult to achieve, yet attainable goals.  If a 5:30 miler tries to convince himself that he’s going to break the four-minute mile barrier prior to graduation, they’re more than likely setting themselves up for failure.  Be honest with yourself and do the same…set difficult, yet attainable goals, both long and short-term.
• Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate before, during and after exercise.
• Muscle soreness acceptable, severe, sudden or chronic pain is not. Know and accept your physical limits and do not exceed them.  In other words, you can’t exercise if you’re injured…don’t exercise to the point of injury.
• Place exercise on your daily schedule like an exciting budget meeting or lunch date. Work towards 30 minutes of aerobic exercise most days of the week with an additional 20 minutes of strength training at least twice a week.  There you go, a difficult, yet attainable long-term goal.  Now get started!