3021 The importance of physical activity when you have Diabetes

Hello. It is well known that being psychically active is good for us, but this is especially true if you have diabetes. This video will explain the benefits of exercise, and what you can do to keep active. Psychical activity is known to improve your diabetes control in a number of simple ways. When you are psychically active, the cells in your body use lots of sugar for energy. This lowers your blood sugar level, reducing your risk of suffering from long term complications of your diabetes. Insulin is used more efficiently when you are active, which improves your blood sugar control, this means if you are taking medication or insulin to control your diabetes you may be able to reduce how much you take. Psychical activity uses energy which helps you to lose weight. This is especially important in type 2 diabetes where we know that weight loss can improve your diabetes and in some cases actually reverse the progression of diabetes. Being active helps to strengths your bones and reduces your blood pressure. Psychical activity increases your energy levels, improves your mood and confidence and reduces the likelihood of depression and anxiety. The amount of time you need to be active for depends on how hard you work. Moderate levels of activity makes you warm, slightly sweaty and a little bit breathless, but still able to talk. You will notice your heart beating in your chest. You should aim to do two and a half hours of moderate activity a week. Vigorous levels of activity will make you very hot and sweaty, very breathless and unable to say more than a few words. Your heart will be beating very hard in your chest. If you choose to exercise at this level of intensity, you need to do one and a quarter hours a week. We recommend that you spread your exercise throughout the week to make it more manageable. For example, you could do moderate activity for thirty minutes, five times a week. The first step is to make being psychically active a priority. Once you recognise that psychical activity will improve your quality of life and your diabetes control, it will be much easier to motivate yourself. Walking is the easiest way to increase the amount of activity you do. Here are some simple ways to combine walking into your daily routine: Take the stairs instead of the lift. Cancel milk and paper deliveries so that you have to walk to the shops. Get off the bus a stop earlier. Try to walk instead of taking the car. Park the car further away from your office, or the shops. Having a dog is a great way to get out walking every day. If you want to start something new, find an activity that you enjoy, and perhaps ask a friend or relative to join you. Some people like to join running clubs, or go to classes at their gym. Others like to go to dance classes, or take up cycling, but it is more important to find something that you want to do so that you keep it up. Keeping active, as well as eating a healthy diet and taking your diabetes medications correctly will all help you to control your diabetes, and reduce the risk of long term complications.