Our business here is diabetic compression socks, but we want the people who wear them to lead happy, healthy lives.
Part of that is getting enough exercise. We all need to exercise, but when you have diabetes, the need for exercise takes on new importance.
It’s so important that the American Diabetes Association suggests people with diabetes never go more than two days without getting some aerobic exercise.
The National Institutes of Health says patients with diabetes should aim for two and half hours of exercise every week. If you’re living with diabetes, here are five exercises recommended by the Cleveland Clinic:
1. Walking
Slip into your diabetic compression socks, because it’s time for a walk. It’s an exercise almost anyone can do. Take a brisk 30 to 60-minute walk three times a week and you’ve increased your physical activity and gotten halfway or all the way to your weekly exercise goal.
2. Tai Chi
This Chinese exercise allows users to relax their minds and bodies through slow, smooth movements. Research has shown that it can help practitioners control their blood sugar, while also feeling added energy and mental wellness.
3. Yoga
Yoga’s movements are designed to build strength, balance and flexibility. It’s an exercise form that can help people with a variety of chronic conditions, including diabetes. It improves nerve function and reduces stress, and it may also improve blood glucose levels. If diabetes has limited your mobility, you can still seek out chair yoga workouts.
4. Dancing
Dancing is good for both the body and the mind (it takes work remembering the various steps in each dance). For people living with diabetes, dancing promotes weight loss, reduces stress, and lowers blood sugar. Like yoga, this is an exercise you can do from a seated position. With just 30 minutes of dancing, a 150-lb adult can burn away 150 calories.
5. Swimming
Going swimming relaxes your muscles without stretching your joints, which is good news for people with diabetes. It helps lower cholesterol, burns calories and reduces stress. To get the most out of your swim, the Cleveland Clinic recommends swimming at least three times a week for at least 10 minutes at a time. Once you’ve started, you can gradually increase the duration of the workout. It’s also a good idea to tell the lifeguard you have diabetes before you swim.
If you want to learn more about foot care and diabetes, contact Creative Care.
We’ve spent more than three decades helping people who live with diabetes find right footwear. We’ve designed our diabetic compression socks to last as long as regular socks, so they’ll withstand the rigors of your new workout routine.
