Written by Joel Bromley – Exercise Physiologist
Diabetes is a huge issue facing Australians with numbers unfortunately increasing. Medical care and adequate dietary advice has been the main stay of diabetes management but there is now conclusive evidence that physical activity is an effective treatment modality for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
To date we know that there is a definite dose related response for how much exercise you do and its effect on diabetes. This means that too little will not achieve changes in the disease process OR conversely too much will likely cause unwanted side effects. However that’s not to say that performing brief amounts of physical activity is of no benefit. Rather this is an essential component in managing your cardiovascular and mental health.
Physical activity has been shown to significantly reduce HbA1c (average blood glucose measurement) and blood pressure whilst improving fitness as well as upper and lower limb strength.
Whilst it is ideal for the exercise prescription for people with diabetes to be individualised, generally your exercise routine should comprise of a combination of;
- Cardiovascular exercise (including walking, swimming, riding)
- Resistance exercise for maintaining and improving lean muscle mass (such as body weight exercises, hand weights or resistance bands)
Start with alternating a day of cardiovascular exercise with a resistance training day and follow this with a well earned rest day!!
