HEALTHY LIVING
Best Exercises to Manage Diabetes
When, and how, you work out makes a big difference. :: BY CHARLOTTE LIBOV
E
xercise is good for everyone, but it’s especially important for people with Type
2 diabetes. A general recommendation to
exercise can be frustrating for some people because they don’t know how to maximize the benefits of working out. “People know they should
exercise, but the biggest barrier is finding the time to do it,” says Steven Malin, Ph.D., associate professor of kinesiology and health at the Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences. This is why Malin and his colleagues did a study, published in the American Journal of Medicine, to determine how to help people with diabetes design the most effective exercise plan. More than 38 million Americans
have diabetes, and 90% or more of them have Type 2 diabetes. People with Type 2 diabetes
produce insulin, the hormone that promotes blood glucose control, but their bodies don’t respond properly to it. This means that glucose builds up, causing damage that can lead to heart disease, blindness, kidney disease, and other complications. Exercise is important because it
reduces blood glucose and improves insulin effectiveness. “I consider exercise to be a drug for people with diabetes,” Malin says.
EFFECTIVE WORKOUTS Malin and his colleagues analyzed numerous studies to assess whether
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aerobic exercise or resistance training is more effective, the optimal time to exercise, and whether exercising before or after meals is better. The two kinds of exercise
recommended for people with
diabetes: aerobic, aka cardiovascular, exercise that raises your heart rate for extended periods; and resistance, or weight training, which builds strength and muscle mass. Malin notes that both are
important, but for different reasons. Aerobic exercise boosts blood
flow and helps muscle take up glucose to use it for energy, and resistance training improves insulin sensitivity (effectiveness). Recommendations usually call for
both aerobic and resistance training to be done on different days to yield maximum results for glucose control, Malin says.
WHEN TO EXERCISE “Any time you move is beneficial, but as the day goes on, our body’s ability
How to Get Started
Tips for people with Type 2 diabetes who want to start exercising:
1. See your doctor first to make sure you have no underlying conditions, such as heart disease, that could make certain exercises dangerous.
2. People with diabetes tend to have sensitive feet, so make sure you’re wearing good shoes with support.
3. When you start exercising, you may feel some discomfort. Make sure to warm up gently first.
4. Do activities that you like and at times of day you prefer; walking, running, lifting light weights, and dancing are all great ways to exercise.
5. Ramp up slowly. Start by taking a walk after dinner, for example, and build up gradually to longer durations.
to secrete insulin from the pancreas declines and we become more insulin resistant,” he says. Exercising later in the day may
help reduce glucose and raise insulin effectiveness more than in the a.m. Also, when it comes to meals,
exercising afterward — even just a short walk — helps lower blood glucose and triglycerides, he notes. Triglycerides, a blood fat, contribute to heart disease. Another important finding of the
study is that people with diabetes can benefit from exercise even if they don’t lose any weight. “We put losing weight on a
pedestal, but you don’t need to lose weight to get benefits from exercise. “The reason is because you can
lose the amount of fat you have in your abdominal region and liver while gaining muscle mass. This helps overall health,” Malin says.
WOMEN/KARELNOPPE/SHUTTERSTOCK / CHECKLIST/
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