In my senior year at college, I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes after I was hit by a car. Needless to say, I was not pleased when I went to the hospital to get neck and back x-rays and found out that I was also diabetic. Many people in my family have type 2 diabetes, but not type 1. I had no symptoms of diabetes. It was a scary diagnosis because I knew just how much that diabetes changes how you have to live your life.
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| Image Credit : http://www.cdc.gov/ |
After seeing a proper doctor, not an emergency room doctor, I began insulin therapy and checking my blood sugar. I had to check
my blood sugar at least 6 times per day and every single one of those times involved a finger prick. I had to give myself insulin at least 4 times per day, sometimes more if I couldn’t get it under control. I do not have an aversion to needles, but it’s just not pleasant to have to inject yourself.
I understood just how
serious diabetes was. Even type 2 diabetes causes many complications. I did everything I needed to with regards to dietary changes to make sure I wasn’t hurting myself. I diligently counted carbs and injected as I needed to.
I did quite a bit of reading to find out what else I could do to mitigate the long term damage caused by diabetes. Having sustained high blood sugar can cause the formation of things known as “advanced glycation endproducts” which my doctor told me were implicated in cardiovascular damage and were one of the primary causes of reduced lifespan and illness in diabetics as they age.
I’m no slouch and I was studying chemistry in college. I had taken biochemistry and understood some of the hormonal pathways involved in blood sugar regulation. I’d taken physiology and had
learned how exercise can modulate these pathways. I eased into an exercise program which I knew would help me manage my blood sugar and eventually live a longer life.
I signed up for capoeira class for three hours per week. For those of you that don’t know, capoeira is a Brazilian martial art that’s often characterized as dance fighting. I had not been particularly physically active in a regular manner for a long time before this.
Immediately, I saw the pronounced effects on my blood sugar. It stabilized it so much ! Sure, it would lower my blood sugar while I did it, but I could stop that by making sure I had enough to eat beforehand and had something sugary to eat in the event it got low. It was amazing though. The next day, my sugar was lower than it would have been. It didn’t peak as much in response to carbohydrates. Even on the next day, the exercise still had an effect.
Since then, I have made a point of going to the gym at least three days a week. The lasting effects of exercise on my blood sugar reduce my need to give myself injections. As an upside, I am in better physical shape and just plain look healthier. After taking my insulin and eating right, the next most important thing I can do to
manage my diabetes is
exercise regularly without a doubt.
