People with diabetes can exercise and play sports, just like everyone else. Whether
you want to go for the gold or just go hiking in your hometown, diabetes shouldn't
hold you back.
How Exercise Helps People With Diabetes
Exercise offers many benefits. It:
- strengthens bones and muscles
- reduces your risk of heart disease and some types of cancer
- improves coordination, balance, strength, and endurance
- can increase your energy level
- helps insulin work better in the body, which helps blood sugar levels stay in
a healthy range
- burns calories, which helps you reach and stay at a healthy weight
- teaches you about teamwork, competition, and courage
- helps boost self-esteem and confidence
- relieves tension and stress, relaxes you, and boosts your mood, too
- can even help you clear your mind and focus your attention better
All exercise is great — whether it's walking the dog or playing team sports.
Just be sure to do it every day. Changing exercise habits can be hard for everyone
at first. But most people say that once they start feeling the benefits, they're hooked.
After that, it's a lot easier to keep going. But there are some facts you need to
know about exercise and diabetes.
What Happens During Exercise?
The muscles need more energy during exercise, so the body releases extra sugar,
or glucose.
For people with diabetes, this can have some side effects. For example, if the body
doesn't have enough insulin to use the glucose that's released during exercise, then
the glucose stays in the blood, which leads to high blood sugar levels. This is called
hyperglycemia
(pronounced: hy-pur-gly-SEE-mee-uh).
Not having enough insulin to use the sugar in the blood can also cause the body
to burn fat for fuel. When the body starts to burn fat for fuel, substances called
ketones
are produced. People with diabetes shouldn't exercise if they have high levels of
ketones in their blood because this can make them really sick. If you have type 1
diabetes, your doctor will tell you how to check for ketones (you may need to take
a urine test before exercising) and treat yourself to get back on track.
The body's need for extra glucose during exercise can also cause low blood sugar
levels (called hypoglycemia,
pronounced: hy-po-gly-SEE-mee-uh). Low blood sugar can happen when the body uses up
all the sugar that it's stored so there's no more to be released as glucose when the
muscles demand it. This is especially true if insulin levels in the blood are still
high after taking an injection.
You may need to check blood sugar levels and have an extra snack to prevent low
blood sugar levels. If you're starting a rigorous exercise schedule, like training
for a sport, your doctor may recommend that you adjust your insulin dosage to prevent
low blood sugar levels.
Getting Ready to Exercise
All teens — not just those with diabetes — need to get a physical before
they play a sport. Your doctor will let you know about any changes you should make
to your testing schedule or medication while exercising or playing sports.
The doctor is likely to give the green light to any activities you want to start
— after all, exercise is an important part of diabetes management. However,
doctors may recommend that you steer clear of certain adventure sports like rock climbing,
hang gliding, or scuba diving. That's because a person could be seriously hurt if
he or she has low blood sugar levels while doing these sports.
