Exercise therapy is an essential treatment method for diabetes patients. Patients who exercise regularly experience significant improvements in blood sugar levels and the occurrence of diabetes complications compared to those who do not exercise. So what types of exercise are best for diabetes?
Jogging
Jogging can lower blood sugar, improve insulin sensitivity, increase glucose uptake by skeletal muscles, and burn excess energy, thereby improving blood sugar levels. Additionally, jogging increases muscle activity, which significantly enhances the breakdown of fats, promotes the utilization and metabolism of fats, cholesterol, and free fatty acids, and lowers blood lipids. It is beneficial for preventing and treating diabetes-related cerebrovascular diseases, lipid metabolism disorders, hypertension, atherosclerosis, and coronary heart disease.
Considerations for Jogging
Diabetes patients should choose to jog within half an hour to two hours after a meal, avoiding exercising before meals or before bedtime. Generally, jogging should be done for 20-40 minutes, 4-5 times per week, with intensity depending on individual differences.
Elderly patients should have someone accompany them during exercise. The exercise venue should be spacious, comfortable, and have fresh air. It should be located near home or the hospital.
The intensity of exercise should gradually increase to avoid muscle and joint injuries caused by sudden increases in exercise load.
For patients who have just started jogging, they can start with short distances, such as 50 meters, and gradually increase to 100, 150, and 200 meters.
When finishing the exercise, gradually reduce the amount of exercise and avoid suddenly stopping.
Be mindful of keeping warm in cold weather to prevent catching a cold.
Carry a small amount of low-sugar biscuits or other food during exercise to prevent hypoglycemic reactions.
Brisk Walking
Brisk walking can burn a large amount of glucose in the blood, enhance the regulation of sugar metabolism, and improve the utilization rate of glucose, thereby reducing blood sugar and urinary sugar. It can also effectively reduce weight, which increases the sensitivity of tissues and cells to insulin and reduces the need for insulin. Furthermore, brisk walking can effectively maintain blood flow in the lower limbs, protect the feet, and prevent diabetic foot complications.
Considerations for Brisk Walking
Diabetes patients should start to see significant reductions in blood sugar levels after 20-30 minutes of brisk walking. If the exercise exceeds 40 minutes, the body starts to consume fat, which also has a blood sugar-lowering effect but is not optimal. Therefore, brisk walking should be done continuously for 20-30 minutes, 1-2 times per day.
Jumping Exercises
If diabetes patients perform moderate jumping exercises every day, it can not only improve cardiovascular function and prevent osteoporosis but also enhance the metabolism of glucose and lipids, helping to lower blood sugar and prevent and delay diabetes complications.
Considerations for Jumping Exercises
When middle-aged and elderly diabetes patients start jumping exercises, they should prioritize safety. They can start with fewer jumps and slower speeds based on their physical condition and gradually increase the number of jumps, speed, and difficulty. It is recommended to wear proper sports shoes instead of leather shoes, slippers, or shoes with slippery soles to prevent slipping or spraining. Pregnant diabetes patients should avoid jumping exercises.
Swimming
Swimming can improve blood circulation, enhance digestion and absorption capabilities, and strengthen the function of various organs and systems in the body. It is a comprehensive and systematic treatment for diabetes patients. Long-term adherence to swimming can promote the development and contraction of the heart muscle, increase the consumption of glycogen and fat stored in the body to maintain a constant body temperature in cold water. Additionally, swimming exercises the legs and feet, making it the best exercise for diabetes patients with knee, foot, ankle, or spinal problems. It also helps prevent diabetic foot complications.
Considerations for Swimming
Swimming can be performed by obese type 2 diabetes patients with blood sugar levels between 11.2-16.7 mmol/L, stable type 1 diabetes patients, and those without serious complications. However, diabetes patients should undergo necessary checks before swimming to exclude cardiovascular diseases such as coronary heart disease and hypertension. They should not blindly engage in swimming exercises to avoid worsening their condition or encountering danger.
Swimming should be done 30-60 minutes after a meal and not on an empty stomach to prevent hypoglycemia. It is also best to avoid swimming 2 hours before bedtime as it may affect sleep.
Swimming should be done in shallow water areas and at venues with lifeguards.
Warm-up exercises should be done before swimming to gradually increase heart rate and breathing to adapt to the intensity of exercise and avoid cramps. Similarly, post-swim exercises should be performed instead of stopping immediately.
Generally, swimming should be done at a comfortable or slightly challenging intensity that can be sustained. If feeling fatigued, rest and recover before continuing. During swimming, pay attention to any discomfort such as palpitations or dizziness. If experienced, immediately leave the water and take necessary measures to prevent adverse effects.
Diabetes patients using insulin pumps should take care of their infusion site to prevent infection before swimming.
Playing Table Tennis
Playing table tennis can enhance the functions of the nervous and endocrine systems in diabetes patients, promote the regulation of sugar metabolism by the pancreas, help maintain blood sugar at lower levels, improve pancreatic function to promote insulin secretion and enhance its effectiveness, and increase the utilization of glucose by peripheral tissues. Therefore, playing table tennis has good blood sugar-lowering effects.
Considerations for Playing Table Tennis
Diabetes patients can play table tennis 1-2 hours after a meal, with each session lasting 30 minutes.
During the game, patients should avoid being overly competitive and maintain a calm mindset to reap the benefits of blood sugar reduction.
Hiking
Hiking is an aerobic exercise that can enhance physical fitness and help diabetes patients control their blood sugar effectively.
During hiking, the body's physical fitness can be improved, which in turn enhances immunity and reduces or avoids complications. It burns excess calories, reduces weight, increases sensitivity to insulin, and reduces the dosage of insulin and oral hypoglycemic drugs. Hiking also promotes the utilization of glucose by body tissues, especially the skeletal muscles, and restores the absorption of glucose by cells, leading to decreases in blood sugar and blood lipid levels. Therefore, hiking not only has a therapeutic effect on diabetes itself but also on diabetes complications.
Practicing Tai Chi
Practicing Tai Chi improves cardiovascular function and enhances the immune system. It also lowers blood sugar levels in diabetes patients by increasing the metabolism of glucose. Additionally, practicing Tai Chi has a regulating effect on the vital energy and spirit of diabetes patients. Tai Chi emphasizes the relationship between the whole and the parts, with the whole body displacement centered around local rotation. By rotating the hips and waist, changes in the center of gravity during movement are achieved, resulting in coordinated and rounded movements of the limbs and body. This promotes the relaxation of tendons, harmonization of Qi and blood, strengthening of muscles and bones, regulation of organs, and balance of Yin and Yang. When Yin and Yang are balanced, Qi and blood are harmonized, meridians are unblocked, and organs function normally, which is beneficial for blood sugar control.
