Maintaining A Normal Blood Glucose Level Through Exercise

Doctors have always recommend exercise as one of the effective ways to start controlling your diabetes. As little as fifteen to thirty minutes of daily, heart-pumping exercise can help to maintain a normal blood glucose control and reduce your risk of developing diabetic complications. One of the easiest and least expensive ways of getting moving is to start a walking program. All you need is a good pair of well-fitting, supportive shoes and a direction to head in.

So how does exercise help to maintain a normal blood glucose level? When you exercise, your body uses glucose for energy. During the first fifteen minutes of your workout routine, your body converts the glycogen stored in your muscles back into glucose and also uses the glucose circulating in your bloodstream for fuel. This action causes the natural blood-glucose-lowering effect of exercise.

After fifteen minutes of exercise, your body turns to the liver to convert its glycogen stockpile into glucose energy. After about thirty minutes, your cells will also begin to burn free fatty acids for fuel. Once the glycogen stores are used up, without a carb refueling in the form of food, hypoglycemia is a real danger, particularly to those with type 1 diabetes.

Before you get moving, test your glucose levels. If they are less than 100 mg/dl, don’t start working out without a carbohydrate snack for fuel. A fast-acting carb should be available during and after your workout, in case you need it.

To maintain a normal blood glucose level, you do not need to perform gravity defying stunts such as skydiving. There are a lot of household tasks that you perform daily, which are actually calorie-burning, heart-pumping ways to reduce your sugar levels. Some of the activities are in the list below:

  • Washing windows or floors for 45 minutes
  • Waxing a car for 45 minutes
  • Pushing a stroller 1.5 miles in 30 minutes
  • Walking 2 miles in 30 minutes
  • Watering the garden flowers for minutes
  • Riding a bicycle for 15 minutes
  • Shoveling snow for 20 minutes
  • Walking up or down the stairs for 20 minutes

As you can see, virtually everyone who has the capability to move can exercise to some degree. Even if you suffer from diabetic complications or other health issues, your doctor can also recommend a form of exercise that is appropriate for maintaining a normal blood glucose level. If you are interested in more information related to effective diabetic exercise, easy and free diabetic food receipes , you can read about them here: Living With Diabetes Guide