Sky Lakes Medical Center | Live Smart | Summer 2019

6 LIVE smart | Summer 2019 Exercise safely with diabetes Regular exercise can help lower your blood sugar and prevent or delay diabetes problems. YOU CAN DO IT! Learn how to reduce the risk of diabetes at SkyLakes.org/ DiabetesServices . Moving more is important for everyone. But it’s especially beneficial if you have diabetes. When you’re active, your cells become more sensitive to insulin, and insulin can work more efficiently. Exercise also helps your cells remove glucose (blood sugar) from your blood— another plus. This means regular exercise can help lower your blood sugar and prevent or delay diabetes problems. But that’s only part of its benefits. Consistent exercise also helps protect you from heart disease and stroke, which diabetes makes you more likely to develop. Stay safe But as crucial as it is to put exercise on your to-do list, you also need to take certain precautions to exercise safely when you have diabetes. Chief among them: Plan ahead. Check in with your doctor before you start a new exercise routine, especially if you have other health problems. Among other things, your doctor can suggest a target range for your blood sugar when you work out. Head off low blood sugar. Being active can sometimes make your blood sugar level dip too low—a potentially dangerous condition called hypoglycemia. You’re most likely to develop it if you use insulin or take certain other diabetes medicines. If you use insulin, your doctor may suggest that you use less or eat a small snack with carbs before, during and after exercise. You may also need to check your blood sugar at these times. Take care when your blood sugar is high. If you have type 1 diabetes, avoid vigorous activity when you have ketones in your blood or urine. Your body makes these chemicals when your blood sugar is too high and your insulin level is too low. If you exercise when your body releases ketones, your blood sugar may go even higher. Ask your doctor what levels of ketones are dangerous for you and how to test for them. Sources: American Diabetes Association; National Institutes of Health