In modern society, diabetes has become a widespread chronic disease, which seriously affects the quality of life of patients. With the deepening of medical research, people are becoming more aware that exercise plays a vital role in diabetes management in addition to medication and dietary management. Not only does it help improve insulin resistance, but it also lowers blood sugar levels and improves overall well-being. So, how to carry out scientific and effective exercise to maximize its benefits? Below, we'll elaborate on the key points of the science movement in five simple numbers.
1. The best time to exercise every day: 1 hour after meals
From the first bite of the meal, 1 hour after the meal is the prime time to start the exercise. At this time, the food has begun to be digested and absorbed, and the blood sugar level gradually rises, and the utilization and consumption of blood sugar can be promoted through exercise, which can effectively avoid the occurrence of postprandial hyperglycemia. It is important to note that although fasting exercise can help with fat loss, it may induce hypoglycemia in people with diabetes, so it is important to avoid it.
2. The time of each exercise: at least 30 minutes
To achieve a hypoglycemic effect through exercise, each exercise should last at least 30 minutes. This length of time is enough for the body to enter a stable aerobic metabolic state, which promotes the utilization of fats and sugars. If you are busy with daily work and it is difficult to spare the whole block of time, you can also accumulate the amount of exercise in a short period of time, such as walking briskly for 10 minutes each time, accumulating 3 times a day, which can also achieve good results. Remember, action is beneficial, and it's all about perseverance.
3. Exercise frequency per week: at least 5 days
In order to maintain the continuity and stability of the effect of exercise, it is recommended that people with diabetes do at least 5 days a week of moderate or high intensity aerobic exercise. This not only strengthens the heart and lungs, but also increases the body's metabolic rate and promotes the stability of blood sugar. Moderate-intensity exercise, such as jogging and cycling, will not cause physical injury due to excessive strenuous exercise, but can effectively consume energy; Higher-intensity exercises, such as brisk running and fast cycling, can further improve the exercise effect, but they need to be carefully selected according to personal physique and health status.
4. Heart rate control for exercise: pulse does not exceed (170-age) beats/minute
Heart rate control while exercising is key to ensuring the safety and effectiveness of exercise. For diabetics, the recommended heart rate range is within (170-age) beats per minute. For example, a 50-year-old sugar friend should not have a heart rate of more than 120 beats per minute when exercising. By feeling your pulse or using a sports watch to monitor your heart rate, you can adjust the intensity of your exercise in time to avoid the risk of overexercising. At the same time, you can also judge whether the exercise intensity is moderate through self-perception and conversation tests: after exercise, you should feel warm and sweaty all over your body, but you can still speak normally and cannot sing.
5. Perseverance: long-term persistence
Exercise is not something that happens overnight, but a lifestyle that requires long-term persistence. In order to make it easier for yourself to persevere, you can choose your favorite sports, such as swimming, climbing, running, etc., so that exercise becomes a pleasure rather than a burden. In addition, exercising with family, friends, or colleagues is also a good option, and mutual motivation and support can greatly enhance the fun and motivation of exercise. At the same time, it is also necessary to pay attention to the reasonable arrangement of exercise time and intensity to avoid overwork and injury.
Precautions for exercise
Diabetics need to be well prepared before exercising. The first is to conduct a comprehensive assessment of one's own condition, understand one's exercise experience, treatment plan, exercise-related knowledge and complications; This is followed by necessary examinations, such as diabetic foot, kidney function, neurological complications, etc.; Finally, it is necessary to choose the right sports venue and equipment to ensure the safety and comfort of the sport.
During the exercise, it is necessary to follow the "exercise trilogy": warm up for 5~10 minutes before exercise, mainly to move the joints and muscles; Moderate intensity exercise for 20~30 minutes, adjust the intensity according to personal physique and heart rate control; Tidy up for 5~10 minutes after exercise to help the body gradually return to a calm state. Do not take a shower, binge, or smoke immediately after exercise; At the same time, check whether the skin, feet, and joints are damaged, and treat them in time.
In addition, monitoring blood sugar before exercise is also an essential step. If the blood sugar is too high (e.g., >16.7 mmol/L) or fluctuates greatly, or if there are acute complications of diabetes such as acute infection, severe diabetic nephropathy, retinopathy with fundus hemorrhage, diabetic foot, severe cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, etc., you should avoid exercise or consult your doctor before making a decision.
In conclusion, exercise is an important part of diabetes management, and through scientific and reasonable exercise, we can effectively improve insulin resistance, lower blood sugar levels, and improve quality of life. Let's start today and integrate exercise into our daily lives and enjoy the joy of health!