| 6.1 Why is exercise so important? | |
| 6.2 When and what should I eat if I want to exercise? | |
| 6.3 What types of exercise are good to keep in shape? |
In many ways exercise is as or more important than the proper food. Exercise tones up muscles, improves digestion and improves your circulation. Well-toned muscles and a decrease in body fat will help decrease the symptoms of hypoglycemia. You can live without food for many days but you can only live a few minutes without oxygen. The higher the level of oxygen your body receives the better you feel and function. When you exercise, brisk walking for example, you breath deeper and take in more oxygen, your heart beats faster and pumps the oxygen carrying blood through your body to all your cells so then cells and organs can function at their optimum level. Since your oxygen intake increases when exercising it is important not to exercise where there is unhealthy air, such as along a highway where cars are spewing out high levels of carbon monoxide and other harmful substances. Both aerobic and anaerobic exercise helps your muscles metabolize sugar more effectively, resulting in a long-term improvement in your hypoglycemic symptoms.
The body converts fats and carbohydrates into glucose to give fuel to your muscles which gives you energy. Eating some type of fat and carbohydrate, such as peanut butter and a whole grain cracker somewhere between 15 and 60 minutes before you exercise (find out what works for you) will help maintain normal blood sugar levels. Fluids are also needed to help prevent fatigue when exercising, so try and drink 8-16 ounces (0.25-0.5 l) of water before and after exercising.
If you experience excessive exhaustion after exercise, perhaps the level of complex carbohydrates in your diet is too low, and your body is producing too little glycogen. Another alternative is that you are simply not used to the exercise.
Exercise certainly is the best way to help you body regulate
your blood sugar. However, you need not become an exercise fanatic;
most people with hypoglycemia cannot tolerate extended exercise
sessions. Brisk walking, low key biking, skiing and swimming may
be the best exercises for everyone's circulation and to keep in
shape rather than jogging, running, long distance biking, and
long periods of strenuous weight lifting. Some weight lifting
or weight bearing exercise is good to help to keep your bones
strong and help prevent osteoporosis. 30-40 minutes exercise a
few times a week keeps your body up and running (or whatever sport
you like).
The most up-to-date copy of this FAQs can always
be obtained from:
Hypoglycemia Homepage Holland: http://huizen.dds.nl/~hypo/faq