Exercise
Think about making a one-month commitment to exercise. If you are able to increase your physical activity for 30 days, that's a good sign that you are on your way to making exercise and physical activity regular, life-long habits. Let's get started!
The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Exercise works the same way. Taking that first step can be hard, especially if you've been diagnosed with diabetes. Remember -- it's never too late. You can always improve your level of fitness.
What is exercise (physical activity) and what can it do for me?
Exercise is also known as physical activity and includes anything that gets you moving, such as walking, dancing, or working in the yard. You can earn the benefits of being physically active without going to a gym, playing sports, or using fancy equipment. When you're physically fit, you have the strength, flexibility, and endurance needed for your daily activities. Being physically active helps you feel better physically and mentally.
Physical activity can lower your blood glucose (sugar), blood pressure, and cholesterol. It also reduces your risk for heart disease and stroke, relieves stress, and strengthens your heart, muscles, and bones. In addition, regular activity helps insulin work better, improves your blood circulation, and keeps your joints flexible. If you're trying to lose weight, a combination of physical activity and wise food choices can help you reach your target weight and maintain it. All of these benefits can be yours even if you haven't been very active before.
Overcoming Barriers How do I get past the barriers to being physically active? If you’re not active, it’s likely that you have at least one reason why. Perhaps you’ve never been very active. Maybe you’re afraid you’ll get low blood glucose. Think about what’s keeping you from being active and then look into ways to overcome the barriers.
Barriers:
1) I don’t have time to exercise for 30 minutes a day.
Ans.: Do as much as you can. Every step counts. If you’re just starting out, start with 10 minutes a day and add more little by little. Work up to 10 minutes at a time, three times a day.
2) I’m too tired after work.
Ans.: Plan to do something active before work or during the day.
3) I don’t have the right clothes.
Ans.: Wear anything that’s comfortable as long as you have shoes that fit well and socks that don’t irritate your skin.
4) I’m too shy to exercise in a group.
Ans.: Choose an activity you can do on your own, such as following along with an aerobics class on TV or going for a walk.
5) I don’t want to have sore muscles.
Ans.: Exercise shouldn’t hurt if you go slowly at first. Choose something you can do without getting sore. Learn how to warm up and stretch before you do something active and how to cool down afterward.
6) I’m afraid I’ll get low blood glucose.
Ans.: If you’re taking a medication that could cause low blood glucose, talk to your health care provider about ways to exercise safely.
7) Walking hurts my knees.
Ans.: Try chair exercises or swimming.
9) It’s too hot outside.
Ans.: If it’s too hot, too cold, or too humid, walk inside a school or a shopping center.
10) It’s not safe to walk in my neighborhood.
Ans.: Find an indoor activity, such as an exercise class at a community center.
11) I’m afraid I’ll make my condition worse.
Ans.: Get a checkup before planning your fitness routine. Learn what’s safe for you to do.
12) I’m afraid I’ll make my condition worse.
A)Get a checkup before planning your fitness routine. Learn what’s safe for you to do.
13) I can’t afford to join a fitness center or buy equipment.
Ans.: Do something that doesn’t require fancy equipment, such as walking or using cans of food for weights.
14) Exercise is boring.
Ans.: Find something you enjoy doing. Try different activities on different days.
Types of Exercise:
What kinds of physical activity should be part of my routine?
A comprehensive physical activity routine includes three kinds of activities:
- Aerobic Exercise
- Strength Training
- Flexibility Exercises
Aerobic Exercise
Aerobic exercise increases your heart rate, works your muscles, and raises your breathing rate. For most people, it's best to aim for a total of about 30 minutes a day, at least 5 days a week. If you haven't been very active recently, you can start out with 5 or 10 minutes a day and work up to more time each week. Or split up your activity for the day -- try a brisk 10-minute walk after each meal. If you're trying to lose weight, you may want to exercise more than 30 minutes a day. Here are some examples of aerobic exercise: Take a brisk walk (outside or inside on a treadmill)
Go dancing, Take a low-impact aerobics class,Swim or do water aerobic exercises,Try ice-skating or roller-skating,Play tennis,Stationary bicycle indoors.
Strength Training
Strength training, done several times a week, helps build strong bones and muscles and makes everyday chores like carrying groceries easier for you. With more muscle, you burn more calories, even at rest. Here are some ways to do it:
- Join a class to do strength training with weights, elastic bands, or plastic tubes
- Lift light weights at home
- Flexibility Exercises
Flexibility exercises, also called stretching, help keep your joints flexible and reduce your chances of injury during other activities. Gentle stretching for 5 to 10 minutes helps your body warm up and get ready for aerobic activities such as walking or swimming. Your health care team can provide information on how to stretch.
Being Active Throughout
The Day In addition to formal exercise, there are many opportunities to be active throughout the day. Being active helps burns calories. The more you move around, the more energy you'll have. These strategies can help you increase your activity level: Walk instead of drive whenever possible Take the stairs instead of the elevator Work in the garden, rake leaves, or do some housecleaning every day Park at the far end of the shopping center lot and walk to the store When you exercise, you're helping build a strong body that will be able to move around and do all the stuff you need it to do.Try to be active every day and your body will thank you later!
Exercise Makes Your Heart Happy
You may know that your heart is a muscle. It works hard, pumping blood every day of your life. You can help this important muscle get stronger by doing aerobic (say: air-o-bik) exercise.
Aerobic means "with air," so aerobic exercise is a kind of activity that requires oxygen. When you breathe, you take in oxygen, and, if you're doing aerobic exercise, you may notice you're breathing faster than normal. Aerobic activity can get your heart pumping, make you sweaty, and quicken your breathing.
When your give your heart this kind of workout on a regular basis, your heart will get even better at its main job - delivering oxygen (in the form of oxygen-carrying blood cells) to all parts of your body.
So you want to do some aerobic exercise right now? Try swimming, basketball, ice or roller hockey, jogging (or walking quickly), in-line skating, soccer, cross-country skiing, biking, or rowing. And don't forget that skipping, jumping rope, and playing hopscotch are aerobic activities, too!
Exercise Strengthens Muscles
Another kind of exercise can help make your muscles stronger. Did you ever do a push-up or swing across the monkey bars at the playground? Those are exercises that can build strength. By using your muscles to do powerful things, you can make them stronger. For older teens and adults, this kind of workout can make muscles bigger, too.
Here are some exercises and activities to build strong muscles:
push-ups, pull-ups ,tug-of-war ,rowing ,running ,in-line skating, bike riding.
Exercise Makes You Flexible
Can you touch your toes easily without yelling ouch? Most kids are pretty flexible, which means that they can bend and stretch their bodies without much trouble. This kind of exercise often feels really good, like when you take a big stretch in the morning after waking up. Being flexible is having "full range of motion," which means you can move your arms and legs freely without feeling tightness or pain. It's easy to find things to do for good flexibility:
tumbling and gymnastics, yoga dancing, especially ballet, martial arts, simple stretches, such as touching your toes or side stretches .
Exercise Keeps the Balance
Food gives your body fuel in the form of calories, which are a kind of energy. Your body needs a certain amount of calories every day just to function, breathe, walk around, and do all the basic stuff. But if you're active, your body needs an extra measure of calories or energy. If you're not very active, your body won't need as many calories. Whatever your calorie need is, if you eat enough to meet that need, your body weight will stay about the same. If you eat more calories than your body needs, it may be stored as excess fat.
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