Exercise and Weight in Diabetic Patients

You can stay healthy with type 2 diabetes. Adequate physical activity, along with a healthy diet, will help keep your blood sugar levels under control. They will also help you control your weight and make you feel healthier overall.

Keeping your body active will also keep your blood sugar levels under control:

Regular exercise or physical activity will help lower your blood sugar levels. Try to exercise for at least two and a half hours per week. Don’t be overwhelmed by two and a half hours; you can split these two and a half hours over the seven days of the week. Even if you do only 30 minutes of exercise every five days of the week, it will be two and a half hours of physical work in a week.

You can choose any of the activities that make your body sweat and get tired for your exercise.

This task can be:

Brisk walking, jogging, or running
Climb the stairs.
Cycling
Doing relatively heavy housework or gardening

Your weight and its importance:

If you are overweight, losing weight will help lower your blood sugar. Also, it will be easier to keep your blood pressure and blood cholesterol under control.

Important Note:

Get a full diabetes checkup at least once a year to make sure your blood pressure and blood cholesterol levels (the amount of fat in the blood) are under control.

Measure your BMI to find out if you are overweight.

If you need to lose weight, keep in mind that it’s usually best to lose weight gradually over time. Plan to lose half a kilogram to one kilogram a week.

Studies have shown that short-term (about 12 weeks) and low-calorie (800–1200 calories per day) diets help control symptoms of type 2 diabetes. Some have also been completely relieved of their symptoms.

However, this low-calorie diet is not appropriate or safe for everyone with type 2 diabetes. For example, such a diet is not safe for those who need to take insulin, so it is important to consult a doctor before starting such a diet.