Lower risk of heart disease and stroke
Diabetes raises the risk of heart disease, but you can help to counter this by improving your fitness level. Aerobic exercise strengthens the cardiovascular system (the heart and blood vessels), reducing blood pressure and lessening the risk of heart disease and stroke.
Assist weight loss
People with type 2 diabetes are often, though not always, overweight. Exercise, along with a healthy diet, is the best way to help you shed excess pounds and prevent them creeping back on again. And if you’re already a healthy weight, regular physical activity will help you stay that way.
You should always consult your doctor or your practice nurse, if you've never exercised before, or have any concerns.
What’s the best exercise for me?
With type 2 diabetes, the main goal of exercise is to raise your daily calorie expenditure. And that means the longer you exercise for, the better! But to ensure you can keep going for a prolonged period, choose low-intensity aerobic activities like walking and leisurely cycling, rather than explosive ones like squash, which can’t be maintained for very long. Remember, aerobic activity doesn’t have to mean structured exercise – it could simply be about being more active in your daily life. Anything is better than nothing!
Getting started
So how do you go about making physical activity part of your life? Start by gradually increasing the amount you do as part of your daily routine – for example, walking more, putting more effort into household and garden chores. The ultimate aim is to build up to 30 minutes per day, 5 days per week. But don’t worry if you can’t achieve 30 minutes straight away – start with 10 minutes, twice a day and build it up when you feel ready. See below for 5 ways to inject more activity into a typical day
If you like to have structure and routine in your life, you may prefer to allot specific times to exercise and do something more formal, such as a regular swim or walk, or a fitness class. Again, the aim is to work up to 30 minutes per day of aerobic activity, 5 days per week.
Here’s an idea of how many calories you burn doing some common activities...
- A 14 stone man will burn 300 calories walking at a fairly leisurely 20 minutes per mile pace for 60 minutes
- A 12.5 stone man will burn 530 calories swimming breaststroke for 40 minutes
- A 10.5 stone woman will burn 400 calories cycling at 10-12 mph for 1 hour
5 ways to inject more activity into a typical day
- Take the dog for a walk and then chase the ball/stick with him instead of just standing still
- If you drive to the supermarket, park as far from the store as possible.
- Walk every journey you make that’s under half a mile
- Hide the remote control and get up to change TV channels
- Never email a colleague in the same building. Go and talk to them!
Taking it further
If you already exercise regularly, don’t rest on your laurels! While 30 minutes, 5 days per week is good, more is better, if you can manage it. This is partly because the body is very good at adapting to the physical demands you place upon it – and it’s only by moving the goalposts a little further away every now and again that you can make further fitness gains. There are three ways you can progress, nicely summed up by the acronym FIT.
F for frequency: you can exercise more often.
I for intensity: you can push yourself a little harder during exercise.
T for time: you can increase the duration of your workouts.
Top tip: Pick just one letter at a time to work on! Don’t try to increase the duration and intensity of an exercise activity all at once.
How to exercise safely with diabetes
- If you inject insulin, do not inject into the main muscle groups being used (eg. the legs, if walking, cycling or running), as the insulin will be absorbed too quickly.
- Carry a fast-acting carbohydrate, such as a juice or sugary snack, in case hypoglycaemia develops while exercising.
- Wear supportive good-fitting footwear for exercise, and check your feet regularly for blisters or cuts. There are walking shoes available that are specifically designed for those with circulation issues in their feet.
- When you exercise, take an ‘emergency pack’ with you containing a blood glucose testing kit, identification, money, food, glucose tablets and a drink.
- If you exercise with a trainer or instructor, let them know about your condition and discuss with them how it might affect your exercise regime. Ensure they are aware of what to do, should you develop hypoglycaemia during a workout.
- If you perform a tough exercise session in the evening, consider having a carbohydrate-based snack before bed and check your blood glucose in the morning.
You should always consult your doctor or your practice nurse, if you've never exercised before, or have any concerns.
7 ways to stay motivated
Half the battle with exercise is getting started – the other half is sticking with it! There are some key things to think about.
- Make it fun – If exercise is boring or unpleasant, you will do your utmost to avoid it. That’s why it’s so important to make it as enjoyable as possible. Why not put on your favourite music while doing household chores, to encourage you to move your body, or do your aerobic exercise with a friend or partner?
- Make it varied – Varying your activities not only helps prevent boredom, it also gives your body a better challenge, by using a greater range of muscles and movement patterns. For example, you could take a walk every weekday, do yoga on Wednesday evenings and go for a long bike ride on Sundays.
- Set goals – Every journey needs a destination – and knowing what you are aiming to achieve through physical activity makes it easier to stick with it, particularly when exercise feels tough. You may have a weight loss goal, or you may want to get fit for a physical challenge, such as a charity bike ride or a walking holiday. Once you’ve set your goal, decide on a deadline by which you want to achieve it – one that is realistic but challenging – and then start your journey. Remember the golden rule: make haste slowly!
- Look for support – Get some support for your new regime. Ideally, recruit an exercise buddy to do your activities with you – which provides both a social element and some competition! Or you might consider joining a class or group – or becoming a member of a gym. If you do, let the instructor know about your condition, so that they can tailor activities to your needs, if necessary.
- Fit it in – Exercise – like any appointment – has to be fitted in to your lifestyle. So rather than pledging to exercise ‘every day’, think about where and when you can fit in the different forms of activity and then schedule them in. It’s also a great idea to keep an exercise diary in which you record what you did and how it felt. This could prove really helpful – indicating whether certain types of activity made you feel better or worse, for example. And looking back at how much you’ve done can be very motivating.
- Stay positive – If things don’t go quite to plan, don’t be discouraged. Stick with it and remember that many of the benefits of exercise go far beyond what we can immediately see. OK so you may not have lost weight or reduced your blood pressure, for example, but perhaps you are sleeping better, you are less snappy with family members and your skin has a new healthy glow. Be patient – changes take time. It’s inevitable that you will occasionally miss the odd session, or not achieve what you set out to – but as long as you keep focused on the ultimate goal and exercise regularly and consistently, you are doing fine.
- Reward yourself. Make sure that you reward yourself for your fitness achievements. Why not try keeping an ‘exercise jar’, in which you put a small sum of money each time you complete a workout. After a month, empty your jar and spend the money on something just for you.
6 top tips to finding the right exercise teacher or venue
- Watch an exercise class before making a decision about joining, to see if it looks like something you’ll enjoy and be able to do.
- Visit a health club/gym you are considering joining for a tour of the facilities. Make sure there are lots of different options for activity available.
- Ask about a teacher or instructor’s qualifications and experience. Are they aligned to a governing body, such as the British Wheel of Yoga (www.bwy.org.uk) or Register of Exercise Professionals (www.exerciseregister.org)
- Consider getting some one-to-one sessions with a qualified personal trainer to get you off on the right foot. Check out the Register of Exercise Professionals (www.exerciseregister.org) or National Register of Personal Trainers (www.nrpt.co.uk)
- Tell the instructor or trainer about your condition and ask how this might affect your ability to exercise and whether they are able to offer adaptations/modifications.
- Use your intuition. If you don’t get on with someone, or don’t get a good feel about a place, look elsewhere.