We all have good intentions when it comes to being active. We're also bombarded with exercise and diabetes advice from our friends, relatives, and doctors. It's all well-meaning and we appreciate the concern, even if it stings a little. But exercise seems so tedious and exhausting, right? Besides, where do you find the time?
Tip 1: Home Gymnastics
Air Squats Fancy yourself a skier? The side view of this exercise looks a bit like Austrian skiing legend Hermann Maier getting ready to take off. Plant your feet firmly on the ground, lean forward slightly keeping your back straight. Keep your knees above your toes, while your arms are bent at the elbow, pointing forward and held close to the body. Hold the position for 30 seconds, and then rest for 60 seconds. Repeat 3x.Tip 2: Yardwork and chores
Here are just a few examples: Shoveling snow, mowing the lawn, cleaning the cellar, organizing your garage, washing your car, changing tires, painting the garden fence, rearranging furniture, vacuuming, washing windows, ironing, trim the hedges, carry dirty laundry downstairs, bathing the dogs, carry clean laundry upstairs, etc, etc. – the imagination knows no boundaries! Most of us underestimate how many calories we can burn doing everyday tasks. And perhaps now that you know, you can crank it up a notch! Here's a very practical breakdown: An average 55 year-old man (5'9" / 220 lbs) burns, on average, in 30-minutes:mowing: 220 kcal painting a fence: 180 kcal car wash: 120 kcal vacuuming: 140 kcal watch a football game at the stadium: 60 kcal (hey, had to throw that in there, right?)
Tip 3: Stairs
Ah! The well-known, yet often-forgotten stairs! If you can find a few stairs to climb, you'll be doing yourself a huge favor. You'll build beautiful calves and impressive stamina, and your blood sugar will thank you! It's estimated that climbing 400 stairs has the same health-promoting effect as 15-minutes of jogging. In addition to the positive impact on our metabolism, daily stair use helps our heart/circulatory system, improves the "bad" LDL cholesterol levels and also helps lower blood pressure! But please, you can't just go down the stairs...You Can Do It!
See! There are a number of ways to sneak some activity into your day! Exercise is good for you and your diabetes. With these ideas you don't lose much time, nor do you have to overly exert yourself. If you can find some fun & enjoyment in exercise, that's even better. Some things, like housework and yard work, have to be done. But now that you know it can be good for you, maybe that adds a silver lining to your list of chores. Thank you, Markus! Great ideas to help get us going! Now, where's my hula hoop...The mySugr website does not provide medical or legal advice. mySugr blog articles are not scientific articles, but intended for informational purposes only.
Medical or nutritional information on the mySugr website is not intended to replace professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always consult a physician or health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.