Diabetes and Exercise

If you have diabetes, you need exercise. Exercise plays a vital role in controlling your blood sugar levels. It doesn't matter how long you've been sitting there doing nothing -- it's time to get up and move!

An exercise program requires a positive state of mind. You can't view it as something that is strenuous or tedious. You can't view it as something that you are being forced to do. Exercise, in its various forms, can be quite enjoyable.

When you think of exercise, you may picture yourself doing crunches and pouring sweat, but exercise doesn't have to be like that. Again, exercise can be a great deal of fun. Instead of thinking about crunches, think about dancing. Dancing is an excellent form of exercise.

Other types of exercise can also be enjoyable. These include walking, biking, canoeing, skiing, bowling, or even something as simple as playing in the park. Housework -- which most people don't consider to be fun -- can be turned into exercise. Taking care of your yard is exercise. Taking the stairs, instead of the elevator, is exercise.

You can turn just about any task into exercise. If you are sitting at a desk, make sure that you have a clear space in front of your feet and do some minor leg lifts. The objective of exercise is to move -- and you don't have to be wearing a sweat suit or holding weights to do that. You
don't have to be in an aerobics class to move. You also don't have to pay a lot of money to a gym for exercise.

All you have to do is move -- and if you are diabetic, you need to be moving for about 30 solid minutes, three to five times a week. Exercise, again, is vital for diabetics. Diabetes affects the circulatory system, and the way that you keep the circulatory system working properly is to keep the blood flowing through it. That is done by moving your body!

Are you still sitting there? Get up and move!