walking seems to be the best form of exercise for me. once i start i cant stop. i walk everywhere, to school, to the store, just around town. sometimes it adds up to about 10 miles. this is excellent for my blood sugar while weight training seems to raise me a little bit, or drop me very low. walking is steady and great for maintaining good sugars and keeping down my post meal numbers. is this enough exercise though? i do not want to be skipping anything important. is it a mistake not try and formulate a good weight training routine? advice.
I walk everywhere too and find it good. I did read somewhere, but forget so can’t give you a link, that walking is all you really need to do to control your diabetes. However, the diabetic part of us is small, there are other health issues that may cause you to do you a bit more exercise. Weight training is said to be good for our bones.
good point. thanks for the reply
I walk a lot also. Strenuous cardio exercise sends me soaring & then low hours later. Weight bearing exercise is good for bones. Walking is definitely weight bearing.
Anything that increases muscle mass increases insulin sensitivity, so good to walk uphill to challenge muscles. I use weights, but not excessively. I’m no body builder:)
Dr Bernstein recommends walking for women, because the weight bearing exercize of walkign helps strengthen leg and core bones (spine) which will help prevent broken bones (especially hip fractures) later in life. Walking outside is also fabulous because being outside helps with vitamin D levels which seem to tend to be low in diabetics.
My doc says walking is the best for getting blood to circulate all over which somehow eases the load on your organs, so when you are recovering from anything, docs tend to recommend you walk at least a half hour a day. I walk every day and do some upper body work 3 days a week with 3 to 5 lb weights, as well as pushups.
I actually think walking is like an ideal exercise. Being a low rate aerobic exercise it actually burns fat better than running or other higher rate exercises. It is also functional, you can do it purposefully as part of your life. Unfortunately, I can’t walk back and forth to work, that would be like 36 miles.
Echo all the above replies (and chuckle at bsc’s). I walk three miles to or from work (sometimes both) at a really good clip and with as much as 15 pounds of stuff in my pack. I did weights In my younger days – and may take it up again for upper body work – but not sure where I’ll fit it in my day…
“Enough” exercise is any amount that leaves you feeling good and accomplished! (Some say one must break a sweat although I’m not sure why that’s important.)
Walking is wonderful. The price is right too. Nevertheless I try to do all types of exercise… Tai Chi, Yoga, Zumba, Weight Training etc. I figure that it’s all good. I agree with Murgaki, who cares if you “break a sweat” ? …and that “no pain no gain” thing… I definitely avoid that. Happy Trails…Joanne