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Exercise tips from Jewish Diabetes Part 2

Always check with your health care team before starting on a new exercise program!

During the summer there is a lot of off time for the children and having them or young siblings and/or friend's children or siblings join you while exercising makes it all more enjoyable and the children will be more likely to encourage you to exercise even when you are tired ---so make them a part of it.  It is also one of the most important habits you can instill in your children!

If the weather suddenly turns cold and/or rainy---don't give up---Summer time is shopping time so go to the mall, but do your walking first then have fun and shop.  You'll feel better about yourself and enjoy the shopping that much more! 

A Healthy Exercise Program Is Made Up Of Three Parts:

Warm-up: 
Stretching, flexing, and rotating exercises get your body ready for a workout by slowly increasing your heart rate and loosening up your muscles and ligaments, which also help to prevent dizziness and injury.

Workout: 
The type of exercise you choose will depend upon your fitness and health and the best incentive that will keep you going.

In order to start an exercise plan that will become a lifestyle change, you should begin with an activity you can really enjoy - maybe a ten-minute walk while listening to your favorite music or lecture. The goal of a workout is to get your heart rate up and your muscles and ligaments loosened. You should be able to carry on a conversation. If it is difficult to speak or catch your breath, you need to slow down. Over time, you will be able to gradually increase the pace. Whatever activity you choose, breathe deeply and try to exercise your whole body - when walking, swing your upper body and arms. If your healthcare team approves, you may gradually build to aerobic activity - which is continuous, steady, and rhythmic exercise that increases your heart rate to 70-85% of your maximum heart rate for 15-20 minutes minimum. (This level of workout will likely cause you to perspire.) Your healthcare team can help you determine the best target heart rate for your age and fitness level.

Cool-down: 
To bring your heart rate back to normal, slow your activity gradually. Begin this process before you become too tired. Your cool-down activity may be continuous slow walking or the stretching, flexing, rotating exercises you used during warm-up.

After Exercise:
Take your shoes and socks off in order to carefully inspect your feet. Look for blisters, splinters, or chafed and/or peeling or broken skin. People with diabetes can get skin infections easily; so take care of any irritation immediately. Call your healthcare team or foot doctor if you have broken skin or blisters and deal with it immediately!

Test your blood sugar to see how the activity affected you. Testing will tell you if you need to increase or decrease your snack next time. Remember, your blood sugar level can go down hours after exercise, so test immediately and then again an hour later. Also test at bedtime and increase your snack if your blood sugar level is low. Test more frequently over the next 24 hours.

Do not take on too much too fast---it will backfire--start slow and increase slow--Remember it usually takes 40 days to get used to a new habit.

©Copyright Jewish Diabetes Association 2017