Diabetes: The Benefits of Exercise
Exercise can lower your blood sugar level, help you control your weight, improve your circulation, lower your blood pressure, and improve your heart health. It can also boost your mental outlook. Even a small amount of regular activity can greatly improve your health.
What Can You Improve with Exercise?
Mental and emotional health: Physical activity relieves stress and helps you sleep better.
Heart health: With regular exercise, you can reduce your risk of heart disease and high blood pressure. You can also improve your cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
Weight: Exercise helps you lose fat, gain muscle, and control your weight.
Health of blood vessels and nerves: Activity helps lower blood sugar. This helps prevent damage to blood vessels and nerves that can cause problems with your brain, eyes, feet, and legs.
Finances: If you manage your blood sugar, you may spend less on medical care.
A Goal to Shoot For
Your main goal is to become more active. Even a little bit helps. Choose an activity that you like. Walking is one great form of exercise that everyone can do. Talk to your doctor about any limits you may have before starting with an exercise program. Then aim for 30 minutes of activity most days of the week.
Getting Activity into Your Day
Being more active doesn’t have to be hard work. Try these to get more activity into your day:
Taking the stairs instead of the elevator
Gardening, housework, and yard work
Choosing a parking space farther from the store
Walking to talk to a colleague instead of calling
Taking a 10-minute walk around the block at lunch
Walking to a bus stop a little farther from your home or office
Walking the dog after dinner