Diabetics and Exercise: Take a Few Precautions
Heart rate
Hello Susannah,
In today’s letter, diabetics and exercise, I want to touch upon a few things you need to keep in mind before you start a serious exercise program as you have diabetes type 2. In fact, anyone over age forty should take the following precautions.
Take a Stress Test
Although moderate exercise is one of the best and safest therapies for diabetics, or any one else for that matter, first thing I would like you to do is to tell your doctor you want to have a stress test done.
This is a very simple procedure; your doctor will ask you to step on a treadmill or a stationary bicycle while an electrocardiograph (EKG) machine monitors the activity in your heart. Your doctor, or the person conducting the test, will ask you to increase the level of your work little by little and as the heart rate increases, the EKG devise detects any abnormalities that may be present when the heart is working too hard.
This test can detect if your arteries are blocked or if the heart has a tendency toward arrhythmia or skipped beats. Your doctor then can use the test results to advice you on how much and what type of exercise is appropriate for you and what your heart rate should be during your workouts.
Your Exercise Heart Rate
Health authorities have determined that we can achieve the most benefits from exercise when the heart reaches a certain rate. Below that, the heart is not working hard enough to get the benefits of exercise and above it, we may be putting ourselves at risk.
What heart rate should you aimed at during exercise?
If your doctor does not indicate to you your maximum heart rate (the safe upper limit) during exercise, you can figure it out by yourself. It is very easy: subtract your age from 220. Example: since you are 45, your maximum heart rate at exercise is 220 minus 45, which equals 175. Another example: if a person is 55, his/her maximum heart rate is 165 (220 minus 55).
Determine a training heart rate
Depending on your level of fitness, the suggested training rate is between 65 and 85% of your maximum heart rate. As a precaution, don’t let your exercising pulse go above this rate. Beginners, such as in your case, should stay in the 
lower range; more fit individuals can go to the higher end.
Check your pulse rate
Since, in order to send more blood to your muscles, your heart has to beat faster when you exercise, your pulse rate also increases. While in the process of exercising, check your pulse rate at intervals to make sure your level of work is appropriate.
First, find your pulse by placing your middle and index fingers inside your wrist, below your thumb (An alternative pulse point is on the large artery on either side of your neck). Once you feel the pulse, count the number of beats during ten seconds and then multiply the number obtained by six. This tells you how many times your heart is beating per minute.
Try to make an appointment with your doctor at your earliest convenience. In the meantime, you can walk at a moderate pace. Brisk walking is quite safe.
A word of warning for patients with diabetes type 1
Exercise, in and of itself, lowers blood glucose. Because of this, the pancreas stops or slows down the production of insulin and if the diabetic person takes oral drugs or uses insulin, the level of blood glucose can go down too much, creating a dangerous situation. If you have diabetes type 1, by all means, have a guideline from your doctor on what type of exercise you can do before starting a vigorous exercise program.
I’ll get back to you soon with some adequate exercise guidelines that will help you controlling your blood sugar.
To your health!
Emilia Klapp, RD, BS.
Your Diabetes Coach
www.TheDiabetesClub.com
www.MediterraneanDietForTheHeart.com
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