Smart Fitness Tips to Manage Diabetes

Smart Fitness Tips to Manage Diabetes

Stay motivated--and control diabetes--with these exercise strategies.

FITNESS TIPS FOR PEOPLE WITH DIABETES

OK, so you know exercise can do wonders to help prevent or control type 2 diabetes, but the real trick is finding an exercise plan you can maintain. First, focus on all the great benefits: Regular workouts not only help prevent insulin resistance and lower blood sugar levels, they can also improve your cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, and even reduce stress. Sold? Try these 6 ways to get moving, stay motivated, and manage your diabetes better than ever.

SET REALISTIC FITNESS GOALS

Make exercise a habit by setting both short- and long-term fitness goals. Sharecare fitness expert Michelle Cleere, PhD, says short-term goals are the most important because they help build confidence and act as stepping stones to longer-term fitness goals while controlling blood sugar. If you want to lose 20 pounds in 6 months, for example, your short-term goal might be to lose 2 pounds a month along with some other measurable goals, such as walking every day and doing resistance training with weights twice a week.

MAKE A DATE WITH EXERCISE

One of the best ways to make exercise part of your routine to manage diabetes is to schedule it. That's right: Make physical activity a top priority, like an important meeting with the boss. (You can even do double duty and ask your boss to walk while you meet.) If something always comes up, do a brisk 15-minute workout in the morning, such as jumping rope or taking a fast walk around the neighborhood. When you can't do your normal workout routine, add exercise breaks to your daily calendar.

RECRUIT A WORKOUT PARTNER

Friends with exercise benefits can make your routine more fun and help you stay on a regular workout schedule. Fitness partners can also benefit from mutual support and some friendly competition. Look for someone who shares and supports your fitness goals. Your fitness buddy can be a spouse, neighbor, coworker, or friend from the gym. No buddy to exercise with? Even a virtual exercise partner -- say, a digital coach -- may boost your output by 24%. And don't underestimate the power of social networking sites to recruit faraway pals who share your goals or at least offer support and hold you accountable.

DO MINI WORKOUTS

The toughest thing about exercise often isn't doing it. It's finding time to do it. If you can't swing a 30-minute walk every day, plus about 30 minutes a week of strength training, no worries! Splitting your physical activity into 10-minute mini workouts throughout the day can be a smart strategy to manage (or even prevent) type 2 diabetes. Just be sure to do a total of at least 30 minutes of exercise each day. For starters, walk wherever you can and -- unless your doctor says otherwise -- always take the stairs.

RACK STEPS WITH A PEDOMETER

Do you know how many steps you walk each day? If not, now is a great time to get a pedometer. It's sure to motivate you to walk more to control your blood sugar level. No matter how much you're walking now, just strapping on a pedometer is enough to encourage you to add another 2,000 steps per day, according to one study. That's an extra mile! Aim to cover 10,000 steps a day for the most benefit. (RealAge cofounder Michael F. Roizen, MD, doesn't go to bed without logging his 10,000 steps a day.) Pick a pedometer model with an easy-to-read display, a sturdy clip, and a loop-on "leash" so you don't lose it.

MAKE FITNESS FUN

Workouts don't have to feel like work to help control diabetes. Try skating, a Zumba class, salsa dance lessons, or all three to spice up your workouts and use your muscles in new, fun ways. Think back to activities you loved as a kid. Were you a double-dutch champ? Buy a jump rope and start skipping. If you have kids, get them exercising, too, by teaching them to hula hoop. Or, play fetch with your dog at a park, or just set up a Wii Fit system and choose your workout (or play date!).