Healthy life, healthy blood sugar—home rehabilitation for diabetic patients

How much do you know about diabetes?

Diabetes: Blood sugar is an important source of energy to maintain the normal functioning of human tissues and organs. Diabetes is a metabolic disease. Affected by genetic, environmental and other factors, the body's ability to regulate blood sugar may be impaired, leading to high blood sugar. This type of disease, characterized by chronic high blood sugar and seriously endangering the health of the body, is called diabetes. The most common type in clinical practice is type 2 diabetes, which is characterized by a relative lack of insulin in the body.

Symptoms of diabetes 1. Any blood sugar ≥ 11.1mmol/L or fasting blood sugar (FPG) ≥ 7.0mmol/L

2. Drinking more, eating more, urinating more, and losing weight (Three mores and one less)

3. Fatigue, obesity

4. Long-term high blood sugar may cause blood vessel damage and endanger the heart, brain, kidneys, peripheral nerves, eyes, feet, etc.

※In addition to taking medication on time, exercise therapy is an important part of diabetes treatment, which can effectively control blood sugar and improve disease prognosis. Developing a healthy lifestyle is crucial for diabetic patients.

Home fitness exercises for diabetics

Part.01 Upper limb exercise

Hold a kettlebell or other heavy object with both hands and place them naturally on both sides of the body, and slowly do shoulder abduction movements until your hands are raised above your head.

Part.02 Lower limb resistance exercise

Supine position, lower limbs straight, elastic band at calf,

Keep one leg still and the other leg straight at the knee.

Slowly perform hip flexion movements against the resistance of the elastic band.

Part.03 Core muscle training

Lie on your back with your hands behind your waist, straighten one leg and bend the other leg at the hip and knee. Move your trunk forward and try to get your head close to your knees.

Part.04 Ankle Pump Training

Lie on your back with your lower limbs straight, the elastic band on the sole of your foot, and the ankle joint in a neutral position.

Tighten the elastic band, let your foot resist the resistance, and slowly do ankle plantar flexion (press down on the instep).

Ankle pump training can promote peripheral circulation and prevent the occurrence of diabetic foot.

Exercise prescription for patients with diabetes

1. Exercise: Moderate-intensity aerobic exercise, such as walking, jogging, swimming, Ba Duan Jin, Tai Chi, etc., can be selected according to your own situation. If there are no special contraindications, combined resistance exercise is recommended.

2. Exercise intensity: Calculate the maximum heart rate (220-age) based on the patient's age and general condition, and 70% of the maximum heart rate is the target heart rate during exercise. The appropriate amount of exercise is to feel a little breathless during exercise but not affecting conversation, feel relaxed and happy after exercise, have a good appetite and sleep, and the fatigue disappears after a short rest.

3. Exercise frequency and duration: 5 times/week, 40 minutes each time, including 5 minutes of warm-up and relaxation activities. Try to exercise 1-2 hours after a meal. Patients should not exercise when insulin or hypoglycemic drugs are most effective, which can easily lead to hypoglycemia.

Precautions during exercise

1. Choose the right form of exercise: Diabetic patients are generally older and have underlying diseases. They are not suitable for strong confrontational sports. It is appropriate to choose gentler activities such as running, Tai Chi, and water sports.

2. Choose the right time to exercise: Diabetic patients should avoid exercising in the early morning, as this can easily lead to hypoglycemia or even blood sugar coma. They should choose to exercise 1-2 hours after eating in the evening.

3. Be alert to the occurrence of hypoglycemia: carry candies or biscuits when exercising outdoors, and be sure to replenish sugar in time when you feel dizzy, palpitating, sweating profusely, or extremely hungry.

4. Choose suitable sports shoes: Some diabetic patients have peripheral neuropathy, so they should choose sports shoes of appropriate size and softness. After exercise, they should carefully check whether their feet are injured or damaged.

"Five Horse Carriages to Treat Diabetes"

1. Diabetes education

Carry out health education, guide patients to treat diabetes correctly, and prepare for a long-term battle.

2. Exercise therapy

Exercise intervention plays a vital role in the treatment of diabetes. Patients should develop exercise habits, choose appropriate exercise methods, and do it within their ability.

3. Diet therapy

Diet therapy is the basis of diabetes treatment. Diet therapy has the following principles: eat small meals frequently, control the total amount, fix calories, rich variety, and reasonable combination.

4. Blood glucose monitoring

Patients taking oral hypoglycemic drugs need to monitor their fasting blood sugar and blood sugar 2 hours after meals 3-4 times a month. Patients taking insulin therapy need to monitor their fasting blood sugar, 2 hours after meals, and 1 hour before bedtime every day.

5. Medication

Patients with type 1 diabetes need to use insulin for life, and patients with type 2 diabetes can also use insulin according to doctor's advice when exercise intervention and oral hypoglycemic drugs are ineffective. There are many types of hypoglycemic drugs, and as long as they persist in treatment, most patients' blood sugar can be controlled within a reasonable range.