The Best Ways Diabetics Can Maintain an Active Lifestyle

Diabetes is a health condition where the body doesn’t produce enough insulin. This can affect many things, but it can lead to heart disease, loss of vision, and kidney disease. Because of this, people with diabetes need to manage their blood glucose levels through a healthy diet and exercise. Exercise is particularly important in managing the condition, but not all exercises are good for people with diabetes. So what are some ways people with diabetes can maintain an active lifestyle safely? Read on to find out.

Start Small

When you first begin to exercise, it might be wise to start small. You don’t need to run a marathon. You don’t need to run at all, but we’ll get to that later—but you can walk and do several other low-intensity exercises. As always, consult with your doctor before you do any exercise. However, suppose you’re beginning to get active. In that case, you want to start exercising once or twice a week for about 20 minutes a day. Walking is a good go-to, but any low-intensity exercise will do. Don’t forget to buy your orthopedic shoes online! They’ll keep you comfortable and help you protect your feet.

Supplement With Eastern Healing Methods

A quick disclaimer: just because the alternative methods we mention could help you doesn’t mean you should stop taking any prescription medication your doctor has given you. When we talk about exercise, we often think about running, calisthenics, and lifting weights. However, Eastern exercise modalities such as qigong, tai chi, and mindfulness meditation other great techniques. Studies show that qigong and mindfulness meditation, in particular, can help regulate blood sugar levels by lowering stress. Qigong is also an amazing addition to your exercise regimen. While it may not look strenuous at first glance, you’ll find as you perform the movements, they work more muscles than you may have assumed. Yoga is another exercise with clear health benefits that isn’t too harsh or intense on the body. 

Other Tips

So we’ve covered Eastern and Western forms of activity. Now that you’ve chosen what you want to do, what can help you stay “on the wagon”? You can include an additional factor when you have diabetes and need to keep an active lifestyle. One thing you might want to do is set a goal. Do you want to lose 5 pounds? Raise your energy levels? Feel your best? These things should also inform the type of exercise you do. When you’re trying to get active, get a buddy. Having someone cheer you on and make you accountable is half the battle and makes things a lot easier for you. Finally, stay away from too many strenuous exercises. Try not to do anything that involves running, jumping, or dancing. These things can cause your feet to take damage. As a person who already deals with slow wound healing, that could be detrimental.

In short, staying active isn’t hard. You can pursue several exercises, healing, and fitness plans that will keep you in tip-top shape. This is just the tip of the iceberg. No matter what type of exercise you do, look at our diabetic shoes at Anodyne. We’ll get you exactly what you need.