As a diabetic, every doctor that you see is going to tell you that you must stay active to get better control of your diabetes. It can be rather intimidating thinking about what exercises you need to do and how often you should do them. Below, is a guide that is sure to help you find exercises that you can do to stay healthy.
How much exercise do you need each day? Many physicians recommend getting at least a half hour each and every day. If you do not have the time or cannot do a 30 minute workout at one time, you can break that up into intervals throughout the day. Remember that just getting out of your chair and making your way up and down the stairs in your home is a workout and can be counted toward your time. You do not need to be doing aerobics for your activity to be counted as a workout. Use a pedometer to track how much walking you are doing: this too can count toward your workout time.
Find a friend, neighbor or family member that will be willing to get active with you. It will make your workout time much more fun and it will help you to stay dedicated to the routine. You will have a much more enjoyable time going for a walk with a good friend on a warm spring day than you would spending your time walking on a treadmill in your basement. If you cannot find one friend that can dedicate a half hour each day to workout with you, enlist a group of friends that can dedicate one day a week to helping you.
Sit down and write down some activity goals for each week. Include things like getting out for a ten minute walk on certain days, playing your favorite motion video game, taking so many trips up and down the stairs, etc. As you are writing down your goals, be sure that you keep them realistic. If you set your goals too high, you may not reach them and loose all ambition to keep up with attempting to reach them. When you do get through a week reaching those goals, reward yourself with something you really enjoy. This could be a sweet, sugar-free snack, time with a friend you do not get to see often or anything else that really makes you feel good.
Keep a written journal about all of your exercises, your sugar levels, the foods that you have eaten and how you feel each day. Writing all of this down will help you to realize what is working the best for you to manage your diabetes. It is also something that you can take with you to your doctor’s appointments and may help your doctor make any changes with your wellness plan to improve your situation.
Getting started with an exercise routine may be difficult at first, but it is going to go a long way in helping you manage your disease. Use the above tips to help you develop a plan that works for you.