Exercise : A Great Favor for type 2 diabetes

The treatment given to type 2 diabetes patients includes diet menu, exercise plan and drugs. Diet menu and exercise plan are good for long term, but drugs are better for extreme condition only. The main goal of type 2 diabetes treatment is to maintain a stable blood sugar level in bloodstream. By doing so, a diabetic patient can be as healthy as normal person.

Unlike diet menu with complicated selections, exercise plan can be any exercises you like, but slow and moderate movements are preferable, such as aerobic fitness, walking, jogging, swimming, bicycling and strength training. High intense exercise is rather risky for it can stress up the body and increase the blood sugar level, however it can be taken care with insulin injection after the exercise.

Understand how exercise affects diabetes

Exercise is good for human beings. Basically, there are two reasons why exercise is crucial for human beings :
1. Exercise provides sufficient oxygen and nutrients in blood, also improves a better blood circulation that supports maximum daily activities.
2. When exercising, the body releases a chemical substance named Serotonin which can enlighten your mood and make you relax.
Overall, exercise is excellent for both physical and mental supports. To maintain a healthy lifestyle, take four days weekly for exercise with 20-40 minutes each. Better if the exercise is done daily.

How does exercise affect diabetes? Well, generally exercise has all benefits to counter the diabetic affects on human health. Though so, exercise can't cure diabetes, it only can help maintaining a stable blood sugar level.

Five facts of how exercise affects diabetes :

1. Exercise helps weight loss
Most of the type 2 diabetes patients are overweight. Exercise burns a lot of fats for source of energy. That's why it helps the diabetic patients reduce weight. By reducing fat, the patients are prevented from high cholesterol levels.

2. Help the work of insulin
Diabetic patients have very limited insulin produced to take care of the blood sugar (glucose) in bloodstream. Exercise makes the muscles absorb glucose 20 times faster than normal speed, and therefore the limited insulin amount is sufficient to take care of the left glucose in bloodstream. As the result, blood sugar level maintain stable.

3. Prevent Heart Diseases
Diabetes can cause nerve disorders and interrupt the blood circulation. This situation may lead to heart diseases. Exercise helps to improve blood circulation and therefore prevents the diabetic patients of having heart diseases.

4. Provide more energy
Diabetic patients are experiencing extreme fatigue. It means that they easily get tired because they have no sufficient insulin to change the available glucose into energy to support their daily activities. Exercise brings more oxygen and nutrients into blood which are mostly needed as source of energy. It also improves the blood circulation and the oxygen can be sufficiently delivered to the whole body. Through exercise, the diabetic patients experience an energy boost for a better stamina in fulfilling daily activities.

5. Long Term exercise lifestyle
A diabetic patient will live with a certain exercise plan. This means a long term and continuing lifestyle, therefore the patient should choose the type of exercise he/she likes and enjoy doing it forever. Although the patient has reached an ideal weight and having a good shape, the exercise is still needed for maintaining the blood sugar level.

However, these are some important things to note when doing an exercise :
1. Always start with 5-10 minutes warming up and slow movements, then gradually increase the intensity.
2. Check the glucose rate before, during and after exercise. Do not start the exercise if your glucose rate is high, wait until it backs to normal rate.
3. Drink sufficient water to avoid dehydration.
4. Stop immediately if pain occurs.
5. Learn the effects of the exercise to your blood sugar level.