Do you have diabetes? Are you worried about a healthy life? You need not worry. It is possible! You can keep yourself healthy and the blood glucose on target by being physically active every day. Moving the body burns some of the calories you take in and helps you to maintain your weight and blood glucose levels.

By being active you can

• Look and feel your best
• Stay toned and fit as you age
• Cope better with stress
• Feel energetic
• Have good and complete sleep
• Keep your heart healthy by improving good cholesterol and lowering blood pressure
• Make insulin work more effectively
• Live longer and have a better sense of overall well being

Ways to increase your activity
Studies have shown that 150 minutes of exercise per week helps to lower blood glucose and keep your heart healthy. The recommended levels are 20-30 minutes of continuous physical activity every day.

Getting started: Staying physically active involves 4 simple steps

Step I: Plan: Walking is the most basic physical activity and is a powerful medicine all by itself. You do not need any special equipment other than good shoes and socks / proper diabetic foot wear. Of course, if you find an exercise partner exercise is much more enjoyable and it also helps to motivate you to stick to your program. Whatever you do, be sure to start off slowly about 5-10 minutes at a time, slowly adding 3-5 minutes each day.

Step II: Keep it simple: Don`t forget that exercise can be as simple as a half hour daily walk. Exercise should be fun, but it can also get boring at times giving you excuses to miss the sessions. Hence try various kinds of exercise - dancing, swimming, playing tennis, or any other outdoor games. The secret is to find what you really like to do.

• If you exercise away from home, don`t forget to carry your medical identification card.
• Remember foot care; It is very important to have proper shoes/foot wear.

Times to avoid exercise
Avoid excercise in case of heart problem/ arthritis/ foot infection/ neuropathic problems etc.

Step III: Build up slowly: It is important to start your program at a comfortable pace that you think you can maintain. Walk at a normal speed and move your arms in slow swinging motion, which thereby increases the amount of energy. Don`t get too exhausted in the first couple of days especially if you know that you can`t maintain the pace. When starting a new exercise program, limit your work out and when you feel comfortable with the pace, you can gradually increase the frequency of workouts.
Some tips to help you add to your daily activity time

• Warm up by stretching for 15-20 minutes before you start any physical activity; shrug your shoulders, move your arms in circles and lift your foot and leg.
• Start walking before you start jogging or running.
• Set realistic goals and try to achieve them.

Increasing everyday activity by:

• Car: park the car at the end of the parking lot and walk.
• Bus: Get off the bus a few blocks before your stop and walk.
• Watching TV: Getup to change the channels and walk inside the rooms during commercials/advertisements.
• Fast foods: Walk around the building before going in (spend more time walking to burn extra calories)
• Staircase: Use the staircase as far as possible/ say good bye to lifts or escalators.
• Work area/ office: Get up every hour and walk in the hall. Stand up and stretch every half an hour. Sit on your chair and stretch every hour.
• House work: Clean the house with lively music that helps you to move and try to do work briskly.

Be organized

• If you do over exercise when you are on insulin, you should monitor for low blood sugar (Take your health care provider or physician`s advice to monitor and manage hypo).
• Do not walk on an empty stomach; Have a cup of tea/coffee/milk without sugar.
• Always carry biscuits/ candies or juice to treat your low blood sugar.
• If you are in pain or feeling sick.
• If you have hypoglycemic symptoms.

Yoga is an alternative for those who cannot do exercise.

Text courtesy: Reesha PM, Diabetes Counsellor, www.mvdiabetes.com

Image: Flickr/creativecommonsEd yourdon