Diabetic Living Australia — July-August 2017

diabetic living JULY/AUGUST 2017 81

BEactive

ext time you’re tempted to skip

a gym visit or bypass a brisk walk,

remind yourself that keeping

your body strong is essential if you want

to maintain vitality for as long as you can.

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The Royal Association of General
Practitioners (RACGP) recommends
that people with diabetes do at
least 30 minutes of moderate
exercise five days a week (150
minutes). This could be a brisk
walk where you sweat but can still
talk. Getting your heart rate up is
crucial, but motivation is key.
To confine exercise to certain
times of the day and a few days
a week is great if that works for
you, but in some ways it misses
the point. A recent Harvard study
reports that for people with type 2
diabetes, exercise reduces BGLs as
well as body fat. In addition to its
positive effect on BGL control,
planned exercise allows you to
set goals and measure your
improvement by the weight you
can lift or the distance you can
run. All good stuff. But this
definition fails to capture the
satisfaction of being active.
Incidental exercise – the type
that involves cycling to the shops,
walking the dog or playing with
the kids in the park – ticks many
boxes and might be the answer
to finding joy in your workout.
Put simply, it’s about moving
more and sitting less.

The more you move, the more

chance you have of gaining the

benefits: lower BGLs, lowered

insulin resistance, increased muscle

strength and bone density, improved

flexibility and enhanced mood.

“Your body is designed to move,”

explains DL accredited exercise

physiologist Christine Armarego,

whose mantra is ‘motion is lotion’.

“Often I see people who have

worked in sedentary jobs that have

left their health in a poor state.”

The result? “They find being active

difficult, which impacts their BGLs.”

Build muscle mass

Armarego encourages people

with diabetes to lift weights.

“As we age, we lose muscle

unless we do something to

keep it,” she says. “Muscle

mass helps us store and

clear glucose.” Essential

for people with diabetes.

Her recommendation? Do

strength training (eight to 10

exercises using weights, your own

body weight or resistance bands)

two or three times a week. “Even

if you’re not the fittest person,

staying active can keep you mobile

and independent for longer.” ➤

Never

skip it

DISCOVER the exercise

that makes you feel good