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Permalink Reply by peter lemer on February 21, 2009 at 21:53

I bought a stationary bike and in combination with a pulse meter I cycle to over 120 bpm for 35 minutes which, if you include getting up to that rate and slowing down after, can mean 45-60 minutes in total, of which 25 minutes are aerobic ( I'm 66 yrs old)

The advantage is that I have it set up in front of my lovely Mac and I launch my browser to play chess on Gameknot.com; my email client to read my emails; my 'Off Line Reader' (OLR) to read new postings on my conferencing system ( cix Conferencing)

Recently, and after 2 years good service, the bike broke down, so I've been trying the 'short burst' variety of exercise that recent research suggests is especially good for T2D patients.
I do this either by jumping up and down for a minute or so on the floor or on our exercise mini-trampoline, or have big tickle fights with my 14-year-old son - who also needs the exercise as he has EDS3. He isn't so good on his feet, but his floor work is brilliant and we're both sweating after 5 minutes - the game being who can either tickle the other to screaming point or can flick the other's ears or nose with their fingers :-)

The short exercise protocol seems to be having a good effect on my readings - or at least, my readings haven't got worse since the exercise bike broke down.

peter

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Permalink Reply by Ronda on February 22, 2009 at 15:53

Take the stairs when you can.

Find an exercise "buddy" to keep you motivated!

Make an effort to walk for shorter trips rather than driving the car.

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Permalink Reply by Ronda on February 22, 2009 at 15:57

One more thing...I attended a seminar last year where the physician, who is a type 1 diabetic stated, "if you don't make time for the exercise, you have to make time for the disease". I thought it was a brilliant statement because we willingly spend time and money to manage our illnesses. What if we applied the same resources to our wellness?

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Permalink Reply by Ronda on February 22, 2009 at 16:09

Here's an interesting article about achieving balance between corporate success and wellness.

Attachments:

• Making_ofa_Corporate_Athlete1.pdf, 416 KB

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Permalink Reply by Alan Wood on February 24, 2009 at 10:54

I have type 2 diabetes which is kept under control by diet & exercise. I can (& do) eat almost anything & everything, but in moderation, so it must be my trips to the gym that are doing the trick!
I've been a regular at my gym for much longer than I've been aware of my diabetes but I now make every effort to go at least 3 times a week, Tues & Thurs mornings @ 7am & Sat @ 8am. The early mornings mean that the exercise time hardly affects the rest of my activities during the day & I'm at work by 9am.
The exercise program doesn't have to be stressful or too energetic. The instructors will set up programs to suit all abilities. The hard part is getting there & sometimes my motivation is that if I keep up this regime I can keep my diabetes at bay.
Other gym members are also there for a reason, some are getting back to fitness after an operation, joint replacements, as an aid to lose weight or just a wish to get into better shape. There are the body builders as well but if you go at a regular time you'll find others that are in similar situations so, as an added bonus, you'll start to make new friends as well.
Exercise can be fun, don't make it into a competition & only do what you can. It really does work!

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Permalink Reply by Ivan J Goldberg on February 25, 2009 at 12:54

If you don't want to go to the gym then the best (and cheapest) is to go for a brisk walk which should elevate your heart rate by about 30bpm and result in slight perspiration. The best result is to achieve at least 10,000 paces a day so a pedomter does help but beware, 10,000 paces seems a lot when you are just starting! Good exercise does not need to be exhausting. In fact, moderate exercise does as much if not more good than going for the "burn" which is not considered to be of much value these days.

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Permalink Reply by Amy on February 25, 2009 at 23:14

Stairs instead of lifts!

Gardening is great exercise if you enjoy it in the warmer months.

Take the hilly route rather than the flat one (if you have hills where you live!)

I have started to jog up a short hill on the nursery run every day. I feel less silly if I have a child with me!!!

Get off the bus one stop early and walk a bit further.

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Permalink Reply by Tj on February 28, 2009 at 22:31

2) Take it one step at a time. Walk around your house today. Twice tomorrow. Keep adding another lap each day. Soon you'll feel empowered enough to take that first walk down the street and back.

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