Exercise is vital for all, especially crucial for diabetes management. Besides regulating blood sugar, it aids in lowering blood pressure, shedding excess weight, and improving sleep, addressing cardiovascular risk factors. Despite time constraints, integrating simple routines into daily activities is feasible.
Discover Different Types of Exercises to Aid Daily Diabetes Management
Aerobic exercises- It is also known as cardio, are beneficial for managing diabetes and pre-diabetes. These exercises, like jogging, cycling, or swimming, elevate heart rate and enhance oxygenation. Improved insulin sensitivity helps cells utilize glucose effectively, aiding weight loss and lowering blood sugar levels.
With their adaptability and accessibility, aerobic activities require minimal equipment and can be tailored to individual preferences and fitness levels. Aim for at least 150 minutes per week for optimal results.
Yoga-Studies indicate that practicing Yoga Asanas and pranayamas plays a crucial role in managing diabetes by enhancing insulin production and reducing the risk of hypoglycemia. These exercises also help in lowering bad cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the body. Specific Yoga asanas such as Trikonasana, Tadasana, Sukhasana, Padmasana.
Surya Namaskar engages all muscle groups and limbs, making it an excellent exercise. It can be performed in sets of 15, 20, or 30, with gentle forward, backward, side bending, and twisting movements between every 8 to 10 repetitions to aid recovery. Surya Namaskar involves movements both on the floor and standing up, providing a comprehensive workout that energizes and revitalizes the body.
Strength training- resistance training or weightlifting, boosts muscle strength and endurance by working against resistance. Beneficial for diabetes and prediabetes, it enhances insulin sensitivity and increases lean muscle mass.
This form of exercise strengthens muscles, joints, and ligaments. Compound movements like squats and isolating exercises such as leg extensions, along with chest presses and cardio workouts, help maintain muscle mass. Slow circuit training targets major muscle groups effectively with low-intensity, high-repetition weight training.
High-intensity interval training- It involves alternating short bursts of intense exercise with brief periods of rest or low-intensity activity. Activities like sprinting, cycling, or bodyweight exercises are common. HIIT enhances insulin sensitivity and cardiovascular fitness, making it beneficial for managing diabetes. It also boosts fat and glucose utilization and calorie burning post-workout, aiding weight management and glycemic control.
Incorporating any of these exercises, alone or in combination, offers a straightforward and highly efficient approach to lowering blood sugar levels and enhancing cardiovascular health. Engaging in moderate activity for at least 30 minutes per day, five days a week, can elevate heart rate and regulate blood sugar levels effective.
Sources - The Indian Express
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