Swimming is excellent exercise for people with diabetes.
If you have diabetes, you need to be active. Get exercise even though your condition poses unique risks and requires special monitoring. Because swimming reduces the demands that body weight places on joints and the cardiovascular system, it is an excellent exercise for diabetics, who are often overweight.
Benefits of Swimming for Diabetics
The National Institutes of Health recommends a minimum of 150 minutes of aerobic exercise per week for diabetics, specifically recommending swimming and water aerobics. Swimming improves cardiovascular fitness, which is important for diabetics, who have an increased tendency toward cardiovascular disease. Swimming is a more balanced exercise than walking, since it works out the lower and upper body. It burns a lot of calories, which helps diabetics control their weight. As major muscles get stronger, they are more effective at absorbing blood sugar.
Swimming Pool Exercises for Diabetics
Water aerobics classes provide a balanced workout for the upper and lower body. Group classes can be fun because of the camaraderie. Swimming laps and using a kickboard are also good pool exercises for the diabetic.
Cautions for Diabetics in a Swimming Pool
Type 1 diabetics should not exercise if they have ketones in their urine or blood as a result of high blood glucose. Type 2 diabetics should exercise if their blood glucose is high, as long as they have no ketones, because the exercise will likely lower their glucose levels.
Because exercise can cause hypoglycemia, diabetics should always wear medical ID bracelets when swimming, and should have food or glucose tablets close at hand to treat any episodes of low blood glucose.
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