Physical Activity. Exercise. Strength-training. Cardiovascular fitness.

Jogging.  Walking. Biking. Hiking. Rollerblading. Skiing. Skating. Rock climbing. Dancing.

All activities that can help our body get and stay healthy. We know that…

But, for someone with diabetes, it can be extremely helpful for two very big reasons… 1) Exercise can reduce your blood glucose levels for many hours after you work out, as it makes your body’s cells more sensitive to insulin, allowing them to take the glucose from your bloodstream and use it for energy and other cell functions and 2) Exercise strengthens your heart (your heart is a muscle, after all!) which improves its ability to pump blood throughout the entire body.

With this month’s focus on Heart Health, and recognizing that a person with diabetes has a greater risk for cardiovascular disease, it is important to be aware of the benefits of exercise.  According to John Hopkins Medicine, exercise has many positive effects on heart health. A regular exercise routine can help:

• Lower blood pressure and reduce stress hormones like cortisol that can put an extra burden on the heart
• Maintain healthy body weight
• Improves the muscles’ ability to pull oxygen out of the blood, reducing the need for the heart to pump more blood to the muscles
• Works like a beta blocker to slow the heart rate and lower blood pressure
• Increases high-density lipoprotein (HDL – the “GOOD” cholesterol) and helps control triglycerides

So, does that mean you need to go run a marathon? No!  Increase your exercise based on your own personal fitness level, and you will gain these benefits.   If you are used to a sedentary lifestyle, sitting on the couch and watching TV every night, taking even a 10 minute walk every day is going to provide health benefits to you, both for managing your diabetes and for your cardiovascular health.  And once you start a regular exercise routine, you will find that you are able to do even more! That 10 minutes might turn into 15 or 20 minutes… which might turn into an interest in riding a bike on a flat rail trail with the kids or grandkids… to maybe dancing the night away with your significant other.

All of these things will help with managing your blood glucose levels AND will improve your cardiovascular health.  One thing to note, however, is that since exercise can impact your sensitivity to insulin and impact your blood glucose levels, you also want to notify your healthcare provider of your interest in starting these changes so together you can monitor the impact your new healthy routine has on your blood glucose levels, as well as the improvements in your wellbeing.

Happy Healthy Heart Changes to you!