A Turn for the Better
By: Gabrielle deGroot Redford Source: AARP The Magazine Date Posted:
By Gabrielle deGroot Redford, November & December 2007
In 1972, just after the birth of her third child, Paula Harper developed type 1 diabetes. A registered nurse, Paula knew just how devastating the disease could be. She also knew that exercise could help her avoid some of the long-term complications that diabetics face, including heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, and eye and foot problems. “I knew I couldn’t get rid of my diabetes, but I figured if I exercised more, I’d be able to reduce my dependence on insulin,” says the 64-year-old Nashville woman and founder of the Diabetes Exercise and Sports Association. “So that’s what I did.”
Paula was way ahead of the curve—when she was diagnosed, physicians knew little about the effect of exercise on diabetes. In fact, most medical professionals advised diabetics to avoid strenuous exercise altogether. Today doctors recommend that all diabetics get regular exercise. Some, like Paula, even run marathons, hike long distances, and complete 100-mile bike rides.
Diabetics fall into two categories—those with type 1 diabetes, such as Paula, whose bodies do not make insulin, the hormone needed to help the body convert glucose (sugar) from the food they eat into energy; and those with type 2 diabetes, whose bodies are unable to properly use the insulin they do make. Type 2 diabetes is far more common than type 1—90 percent of diabetics are type 2—but both types benefit from exercise, says Larry Deeb, M.D., an endocrinologist in Tallahassee, Florida, and a spokesperson for the American Diabetes Association.
For those with type 1 diabetes, regular exercise can decrease the amount of insulin they require to keep blood sugar in check. (Too much sugar in the blood can damage the eyes, kidneys, nerves, blood vessels, and more.) For those with type 2 diabetes, regular exercise can improve the body’s ability to use the insulin they have, making them less dependent on medication. And for those at risk—the obese and those with family members who are diabetic—exercising 150 minutes a week and making modest dietary changes can reduce the likelihood of developing diabetes by 58 percent, according to a study in The New England Journal of Medicine. If more people exercised, many of the 20.8 million Americans currently afflicted with the disease could cease taking diabetes medication altogether.
Some exercise guidelines:
Check in See your doctor before you start. Some diabetics may need to avoid weight-bearing exercise, such as jogging, but may still be able to swim or ride a bike.
Measure up New to exercise? Before going out for a one-hour walk, check your glucose level. If it is above 300, indicating there is too much sugar in the blood, wait awhile. If the reading is below 100, have a small snack before you go. After you start out, check your glucose level again at the half-hour mark. Check it once more when you return from your walk.
Stock up Bring a fast-acting carbohydrate snack—juice, dried fruit, sugar water, glucose tablets—in case your glucose level dips below 80 mid-exercise.
Write it up Keep a record of your exercise and how much it reduces your body’s dependence on insulin or other diabetes medication.
Drink up Dehydration can adversely affect your blood glucose level, so be sure to drink plenty of water before, during, and after exercise.
Look down Check your feet regularly. Breaks in the skin, if left untreated, could lead to infection. To prevent blisters, wear cotton socks and shoes that fit well.
Take heart Having diabetes doesn’t have to slow you down, says Deeb. “Whatever the spirit moves you to do, just do it.”
Additional Related Links
Find More "Smart Fitness" Articles on Our Health Channel
Love in a Time of Diabetes (May & June 2007)
Diabetes Denial (November & December 2005)
Walking Shoes for Diabetics (AARP.org)
The Sweet Life...Without the Sweet Stuff (AARP Segunda Juventud)
Take a Diabetes Quiz (AARP Segunda Juventud)
Diabetes Resources
AARP Bulletin Online has compiled an extensive list of helpful resources from across AARP publications and elsewhere.
Coming soon from AARP Books: Living with Diabetes: Everything You Need to Know to Safeguard Your Health and Take Control of Your Life
preview