5 Easy Exercises To Help You Keep Diabetes Under Control

Diabetes, if left untreated, can increase the risk of health complications such as cardiovascular, renal, neural and visual problems which are linked to the duration of the disease.

There are a vast majority of people who are getting affected by type 2 diabetes; a condition characterized by insulin resistance, which means that cells are unable to respond to insulin. There is a second type of diabetes known as the type 1 diabetes. In this type of diabetes, the pancreas fails to make enough insulin.

The only silver lining here is that type 2 diabetes is largely preventable. Several studies on type 2 diabetes reveal that the right amount of lifestyle modifications can reduce the risk of developing diabetes by a neat 58 percent, whereas you can reduce your risk by 31 percent with the anti-diabetes drug metformin.So, pick your choice, which one is it really going to be? Lifestyle modification or a drug-dependent lifestyle?

# Walking to your rescue

The best part of walking is that it is easy for people to do, it does not feel like exercise. All you require is a pair of shoes and somewhere where you can walk. As soon as you get diagnosed with diabetes, the first advice from your doctor is usually to go for a walk everyday. Walking is perhaps the most effective exercise but it is also one of the most underused exercises.

People cannot believe that something as simple as walking can help you drop the pounds and also treat diabetes. By walking we don’t mean taking a leisurely walk in the park rather the pace should be brisk, just short of a run, this will help elevate the heart rate. Research says you have to invest 150 minutes of your busy schedule to exercise. In fact, you should not go without exercise for more than two days. Check out the other benefits of walking

- It is easy to do and hence is sustainable.

- Getting a pedometer can help you keep a track of the number of steps you take everyday, and this helps you stay active throughout the day. Try to aim for at least 10,000 steps. Forty minutes of walking may not get you closer to your target of 10,000 steps, so you have to stay active throughout the day, even walking within the confines of your home counts.

- Take the stairs, walk your way to the supermarket, walk to other nearby area. These can help you stay active, cuts down your diabetes risk and also manages your blood sugar levels if you are already a diabetic.

# Yoga for relaxation and increasing the power of pancreas

Most people do not regard yoga as an exercise form which can improve your aerobic fitness. But the truth is yoga is a great workout to do right within the confines of your home. Why should you go for yoga exercises to reduce diabetes? The simple reason being yoga is simple to do, and it also helps you relax and bust the stress. Stress has long-term repercussions on your health and is the underlying cause of most of the lifestyle diseases plaguing us today.

Yoga asanas enable stomach contractions and relaxations which activatethe pancreas. The yoga asanas also help the blood move within the pancreas, and enhances the pancreas’ power toincrease the production of insulin. Besides these two reasons, some of the other reasons are the following,

- Yoga brings down the blood sugar levels in people with Type 2 Diabetes.

- Yoga works on your stress hormones, known as cortisol.

- Yoga relaxes the muscle tissues and supplies blood to every nerve and tissue. This enables glucose to be absorbed in the tissues rather than getting absorbedinto the blood.

- Yoga also helps control your weight, which in turn brings down your blood sugar levels too.

Specific Yoga asanas that work particularly well for diabetes are the following,

Pranayama
Sun Salutation
Vrikshasana
Halasana (Plough Pose)
Dhanurasana (Bow Pose)
Ardha Matsyendrasana (Half Twist Pose)

# Tai Chi – to combat diabetes and gain health

Tai chi is excellent for people already suffering from diabetes because it is an amalgamation of both fitness and stress reduction. Tai chi also helps in improving balance and can treat diabetic neuropathy or nerve damage, a common diabetic complication. Working on your balance helps you as you age,and when staying on your feet seemslike a whole lot of trouble.

Tai chi helps you maintain balance and helps you live well even when you are in the twilight years as it reduces your risk of falling. Incorporate tai chi into your daily life to reap the multitude of benefits. Check out the other benefits of this ancient practice.

- Tai chi helps reduce rigidity ranges

- It improves flexibility

- It boosts your cardio fitness

- It minimizes joint pains

- It boosts your immunity

# Weight Training

Weight training does not make you bulky, rather it helps in fat loss and increases muscle mass. In fact, resistance training is not just good for diabetics but for everyone. Schedule a weight training session at least three times a week. Do the exercises for alternate days, as you need your body to recover in thatrest period.

Try to include at least 5 to 10 different types of weight lifting exercises, these exercises need to target all the major muscle groupsof your body. Try to include at least three-four sets of each exercise with 10-15 repetitions of each. Check out the other benefits of resistance training or weight training.

- This is the ideal workout for diabetes as it helps build muscle mass and thus helps maintain your blood sugar.

- It helps get you toned quickly.

- It accelerates fat loss and controls your sugar levels to a great extent.

- It stalls bone loss.

- Researchers have claimed that just incorporating resistance training for three months can bring down the ranges of A1C (thehemoglobin, determining the blood sugar concentrations.)

# Dancing to destress and beat diabetes

People think that exercises are double the trouble and no fun. Well, it isn’t true, dancing your heart out can not only help you shed the excess flab, but also be fun as well. Who knew grooving to your favorite music could actually help combat diabetes?Besides, the fun part here are some cool reasons why you should make dancing a part of your life.In fact, it is one of the most potent forms of exercises for people with diabetes.