Safe Exercising for People with Type 2 Diabetes

Once you get moving, you may want to add some more formal exercise to your routine. That may be walking in your neighborhood each day, taking an exercise class, swimming laps at a local pool, or joining a local gym. Whatever you choose, make sure that your plan is approved by your health care team. There are three basic types of exercise: aerobic, strength, and flexibility. All three types of exercise are important to your health.

Safe aerobic exercises are ones that make your heart beat faster and make you breathe harder. Things like walking, running, riding a bike, and swimming are examples of aerobic exercise. Regular aerobic exercises can help burn extra glucose in the blood and improve the way your body uses insulin. It can also help you reach weight-loss targets by burning body fat and helping you lose weight.

Strength exercises are ones that work your muscles. You can do strength exercises in many ways: with weight machines, free weights, or even elastic bands. Strength exercises make your muscles stronger and your bones sturdier. Strong muscles and bones are less likely to become injured. Plus, strength exercises can also help you burn body fat and lose weight, because muscles use more calories.

Safe flexibility exercising helps you stretch your muscles around your joints without stiffness or pain. Flexible muscles and joints are less likely to get injured when you use them. Everyone loses some flexibility as they get older; doing flexibility exercises regularly will help keep you active.

You’ll also want to make sure that you’re doing your chosen exercise correctly and safely. If you exercise incorrectly, you might injure yourself. If the exercises you have chosen require you to use equipment that is new to you, learn how to use and adjust it. Find out how to use any safety equipment that goes along with your exercise, too, such as safety goggles for racquetball and a bicycle helmet for cycling.

Each time you exercise, warm up for 5 to 10 minutes before the exercise, and cool down for 5 to 10 minutes after the exercise. This can be as simple as doing your exercise activity, like walking or bicycling, more slowly that normal, followed by gentle stretches.

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