Diabetes patients are often advised by experts to exercise as this can improve sensitivity to
insulin, and reduce excess fat. Experts believe that this can eventually help in controlling the sugar levels in blood. While exercise is helpful, one has to be cautious before creating an exercise plan if the person has existing diabetes.
The exercise plan can be created in consultation with the diabetologist who can assess other factors like patient weight, any heart related ailment and diabetic neuropathy. While this is suggested for all patients, people with more than 10 years of diabetes history or those with age of over 35 years should discuss the exercise plan with their doctors. Based on the condition, at times doctor can recommend specific tests to check exercise tolerance through tests such as TMT and then suggest the safe range of exercise intensity.
A common rule of exercise for a diabetic person is to exercise when the sugar level is high which can be few hours after meals. In case the patient is taking any medicines like insulin before exercising, it is important to check sugar level before the exercise. Hypoglycemia or very low blood sugar level is the risk that one faces if sugar levels are low, for e.g., 100 mg/dL. In such a case, a small food helping can ensure that you are ready for exercise.
