02/01/2020
Happy New Years Everyone!!
If you are diabetic and have set a new years resolution to become more physically active this year that's great! If you can stick to this resolution, you will see a huge improvement in your blood sugar regulation and overall health!
There are a few things you need to be aware of before starting on your new exercise journey and one of them is the importance of measuring your blood sugar levels before, after and for some people even during exercise.
So here is some handy GUIDELINES for you all...
If you are about to exercise and your blood sugar reading is HIGH (16.65 mmol/L), it might be a good idea to look at your medication intake first and see if you can't lower it with that before commencing unsupervised exercise.
If you are about to exercise and your blood sugar is very LOW (5.5 mmol/L or below), It is recommended that you eat some carbohydrates before starting. A general GUIDELINE for low intensity low duration (light walk for 30 minutes or less) is to eat about 5-10g of carbohydrates first. For moderate to high intensity exercise for long duration (30-60 mins) 25-45g of carbs may be needed.
There are a number of other factors that need to be considered to exercise safely with diabetes and always you should consult a doctor or a accredited exercise physiology for guidance if you are unsure.
However rest assured, exercise is a extremely useful medicine to help control your diabetes and should be seriously considered. Good luck on your fitness journey, you wont regret it!
