Exercise Diabetes

The Importance of REGULAR physical activity in the diabetic patient

Regular physical activity is a very important part of managing diabetes. Of course along with proper nutrition, meal planning and taking medication if necessary.
If you have diabetes, you have too much glucose in your blood, either because your body doesn’t produce enough insulin to process the glucose, or because your body doesn’t use the available insulin properly (insulin resistant).
Controlling your blood glucose levels is essential to prevent long term complications, such as vascular damage and nerve damage. These complications can lead among other to myocardial infarctions, cerebral vascular accidents (CVA), peripheral vascular disease (PAD), kidney disease, peripheral neuropathy , slow wound healing (which can lead to wound infection resulting in amputation), autonomic neuropathy and retinopathy.
All of which diminishes your quality of life rapidly and drastically.

Although the objectives of exercise therapy vary according where the individual is in the continuum of cancer treatment, the main objectives of exercise prescription in oncology rehab are

Why is regular physical exercise so important to control your diabetes?
  1. Exercise reduces the glucose in your blood. The muscle can use glucose without insulin when you’re exercising. The result is that your blood glucose level goes down.
  2. Exercise makes your body less insuline resistance, the insuline will be more effective. Persons with diabetes requiring insulin need to adjust their insuline dose before and after an exercise session.
  3. Exercise will help to prevent long term complication from diabetes, as described above.
  4. Exercise will change your body composition and will help to control your body weight.
Exercising safely with diabetes.
  1. Monitor your blood sugar levels when you start exercising. Check you bloodsugar level before exercise.
    • If your level is below 100 mg/dl, you need to eat a small snack to avoid hypoglycemia.
    • If your level is above 350 mg/dl, you need to lower your blood glucose levels before you start.
  2. Extra food care is very important due to the fact that diabetes affects your blood flow and your nerves. This makes you more prone to irritation, blisters and sores. Since it also takes more time for your body to heal, this can lead to infection and even amputation.
Rafana works with a qualified multidisciplinary team dedicated to guide the patients in this life changing moment with exercise, education and behavioral changes with the ultimate goal to empower the patients to provide self-care to facilitate the management of their diabetes.