Starting an exercise program

Before beginning an exercise program, get your doctor's clearance. A medical OK is absolutely imperative if you are 35 or older or have had diabetes for 10 years or more. Your blood glucose must be adequately controlled at the outset to produce the desired results.

Health Tips from Dr. Healy: Video: How to avoid diabetes burnout Choose another disease or condition... Allergic Rhinitis Allergies, Food Allergy & Asthma Center Alzheimer's Disease Anxiety Aortic Aneurysms Arrhythmia Arthritis, Osteo- (OA) Arthritis, Rheumatoid (RA) Asthma Atopic Dermatitis Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Back Pain Brain Tumor Bones, Joints & Muscles Center Breast Cancer Brain & Behavior Center Brain Tumor Cancer Center    Brain Tumor    Breast Cancer    Cancer Prevention    Clinical Trials    Colorectal Cancer    Endometrial Cancer    Living With and Beyond Cancer    Lung Cancer    Prostate Cancer    Skin Cancer Cardiomyopathy Cataracts Cholesterol Control Clinical Trials Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Colorectal Cancer Congenital Heart Disease Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) Crohn's Disease Depression Diabetes Center Diabetes, Type 1 Diabetes, Type 2 Digestive Disorders Center Eczema Endometrial Cancer Erectile Dysfunction (ED) Eye & Vision Center Fibromyalgia Food Allergies Gallstone Disease Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) GERD Glaucoma Hay Fever Headache Heart Center Hepatitis A Hepatitis B Hepatitis C High Blood Pressure Hypertension Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) Impotence Insomnia Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Living With and Beyond Cancer Losing Weight Lung Cancer Macular Degeneration Memory Loss Osteoarthritis (OA) Osteoporosis Parkinson's Disease Peptic Ulcer Prediabetes Prostate Cancer Respiratory Disorders Center Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) Sexual & Reproductive Health Center Sinusitis Skin Cancer Sleep Apnea Sleep Center Stroke Type 1 Diabetes Type 2 Diabetes Ulcerative Colitis (UC) Weight Control See more online resources for diabetes information More on Diabetes Types 1 Diabetes-Related Clinical Trials Information Email this page Print this section

An exercise program should be individually tailored and designed to complement your lifestyle. Many factors--such as the time of day you exercise or the type and duration of your exercise--will determine whether adjustments should be made in your insulin dose or your meal plan. Discuss your exercise program with your exercise physiologist to determine the type of adjustments you need to make.

Some tips on exercise:

• If you are over 35, you may need a stress test before beginning to exercise regularly.
• Test your blood glucose before and after exercise.
• Do not exercise if blood glucose is over 250 mg/dl and there are ketones in your urine. If no ketones are present, do not exercise if blood glucose is 300 mg/dl or more.
• Plan exercise to prevent low blood glucose reactions. That means you want to exercise one to 1½ hours after eating, check blood glucose before and after exercise, always carry a carbohydrate snack with you (glucose tablets, juice, etc.), and drink plenty of fluids.