Definition: Exercise is any physical activity and includes anything that gets you moving.
Types of Exercise
Aerobic Exercise
- Increases your heart rate, works your muscles, and raises your breathing rate.
- For most people, it's best to aim for a total of about 30 minutes a day, at least 5 days a week. If you haven't been very active recently, you can start out with 5 or 10 minutes a day and work up to more time each week.
- Examples of aerobic exercise: A brisk walk, dancing, low-impact aerobics class, swimming, ice-skating or roller-skating, tennis, etc.
Strength Training
- Helps build strong bones and muscles
- More muscle means you burn more calories
- Examples of strength training: Exercising with weights, elastic bands, or plastic tubes, and strength classes, etc.
Flexibility Exercises
- Help keep your joints flexible and reduce your chances of injury during other activities. Stretching for 5 to 10 minutes helps your body warm up.
Easy Ways to Stay Active Throughout The Day
- The more you move around, the more energy you'll have.
- Try these to increase your activity level:
- Walk instead of drive whenever possible.
- Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
- Work in the garden, rake leaves, or do some housecleaning every day.
- Park at the far end of the shopping center lot and walk to the store.
Exercise Tips
- Talk to your health care team about which activities will be safe for you.
- Your health care provider’s advice will depend on the condition of your heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys, feet, and nervous system.
- Start slowly. Your activity should be somewhat challenging but not overly difficult.
- Write down exactly what you’ll do, where and when you’ll do it, how often, and for how long.
- Allow yourself to get into a routine.
- Learn your blood glucose response to exercise.
- Drink plenty of water before, during, and after activity.
- If you are at risk for low blood glucose, always carry a source of carbohydrate so you’ll be ready to treat low blood glucose.
For more details on the University Hospitals Geauga Medical Center, please call 440-285-7757.