Top 10 Benefits of Being Active
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1. Improve blood glucose management. Activity makes your body more sensitive to the insulin you make. Activity also burns glucose (calories). Both actions lower blood glucose.
2. Lower blood pressure. Activity helps your heart pump stronger and slower.
3. Improve blood fats. Exercise can raise good cholesterol (HDL) and lower bad cholesterol (LDL) and triglycerides. These changes are heart healthy.
4. Take less insulin or diabetes pills. Activity can lower blood glucose and weight. Both of these may lower how much insulin or diabetes pills you need to take.
5. Lose weight and keep it off. Activity burns calories. If you burn enough calories, you’ll trim a few pounds. Stay active and you’ll keep the weight off.
6. Lower risk for other health problems. Reduce your risk of a heart attack or stroke, some cancers, and bone loss.
7. Gain more energy and sleep better. You’ll get better sleep in less time and have more energy, too.
8. Relieve stress. Work out or walk off daily stress.
9. Build stronger bones and muscles. Weight-bearing activities, such as walking, make bones stronger. Strength-training activities, such as lifting light weights (or even cans of beans), make muscles strong.
10. Be more flexible. Move easier when you are active.
These tips aren’t just for Diabetics, though, if Diabetics needed motivation, show them this list, or take them to heart yourself.
As always, ask your health care provider what level of exercise you can do, safely. Walking is a great way to start. When I got back into walking after gaining significant weight, I could only walk a few yards, at most. Now I can walk for hours! Good Luck.
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