Did you know that exercise after meal can help maintain the balance of blood sugar, and decrease the risk of heart disease? For those who have diabetes—especially diabetes type 2—have to maintain the blood sugar level of 160 mg/dl in two hours after meal. Researchers said that exercise can help reduce glucose concentration, that’s why you should exercise for 30 minutes after meal.
When you do exercise, the calories burnt in your body are expected to be the same as the calories consumption. This will decrease the probability of excess fat which can increase the blood sugar level in our body. One of the suggested exercises is running, as it can burn a large amount of calories and help those who have diabetes to control the amount of sugar in their blood. They can also increase the body sensitivity to insulin when they do running.
In the Eat What You Love book written by Michelle May MD, when we do exercise, we can lower the blood sugar level one point in each minute. So, if we run for 30-45 minutes, we can lower our blood sugar level for 30-45 points in average. If you have blood sugar level of 200 mg/dl and you do running (or jogging) for 45 minutes, your blood sugar will decrease to 155 mg/dl.
What other benefits of running for diabetics? Our body contains of water, fat tissues, muscles, bones, and so on. Muscle is known as tissues that have active metabolism, and need more calories compared to other cells. Running will help burn the fat and increase the muscle mass. It can also help reduce the insulin resistance and improve the blood regulation in diabetics’ body.
However, there are some things that must be considered. Before running, diabetics should consult their personal doctors. Please ask them about the duration and frequency of the running. You can also ask the doctor to create an exercise planning. Don’t forget to do warming up and cooling down, before and after exercise. Make sure you drink enough water so you can always be hydrated, and also medicines, food or snacks based on your doctor’s recommendation. Also ask your friends or family to help you monitor the exercise planning and watch for your safety when you do the exercise. And let’s not forget to have fun!
