The American Diabetes Association recommends at least 150 min/week of moderate intensity aerobic activity (activity which increase heart rate to 50 to 70% of maximum heart rate)

Preparándose para el ejercicio
Preparing the individual with diabetes for a safe and enjoyable exercise program is as important as exercise itself. The young individual in good metabolic control can safely participate in most activities. The middle-aged and older individual with diabetes should be encouraged to be physically active. The aging process leads to a degeneration of muscles, ligaments, bones, and joints, and disuse and diabetes may exacerbate the problem. Before beginning any exercise program, the individual with diabetes should be screened thoroughly for any underlying complications.

A standard recommendation for diabetic patients, as for nondiabetic individuals, is that exercise includes a proper warm-up and cool-down period. A warm-up should consist of 5-10 min of aerobic activity (walking, cycling, etc.) at a low-intensity level. The warm-up session is to prepare the skeletal muscles, heart, and lungs for a progressive increase in exercise intensity. After a short warm-up, muscles should be gently stretched for another 5-10 min. Primarily, the muscles used during the active exercise session should be stretched, but warming up all muscle groups is optimal. The active warm-up can either take place before or after stretching. Following the activity session, a cool-down should be structured similarly to the warm-up. The cool-down should last about 5-10 min and gradually bring the heart rate down to its pre-exercise level.

Exercise Benefits
• Strengthens heart & circulatory system. Increases stamina.
• Improves blood glucose control and insulin sensitivity

• Potential reduction in dosage or need for insulin or oral antidiabetic drugs
• Lowers blood pressure

• Lowers weight
• Sense of well-being

1. Exercise - Precautions
• Initiate & build up exercise program gently
• Use loose, comfortable clothing & correct foot wear
• Do not exercise if blood glucose >250 mg/dL. Check for ketones. Discuss with your doctor before starting the exercise.
• To avoid hypoglycemia during & after exercise
Carry glucose & medical I-card
Check blood glucose before & after exercise
Don't inject insulin into thigh or upper arm before exercise
• Intensity of exercise should be same

Do not exercise if you have ….
• Chest pains during exercise
• Insensitive feet
• Any complication of diabetes.

Discuss with your doctor. You need medical evaluation by your doctor before starting exercise.

Education is an essential part of diabetes management. Its purpose is to make each person with diabetes as knowledgeable and self-sufficient as possible. The short-term goal is to maximize diabetes control, and the long-term goal is to minimize the impact of chronic complications of diabetes.

Although the physician assumes direct control of the patient's diabetes. The day-to-day management of diabetes is carried out by the patient, not by the physician. The quality of this management is directly related to the patient's knowledge of the disease.

Basically, diabetes education includes education on diabetes and its treatment as well as instruction on the prevention of some of the complications of diabetes, such as hypoglycemia and foot problems.

Diabetes education also improves compliance to treatment. This can only be achieved when a sufficient level of knowledge, skills and correct attitudes have been reached.

Education will also help people with diabetes to cope with the disease and its various demands such as diet adjustment, injections, monitoring and social adjustment