How does walking benefit people with diabetes. What are the key advantages of incorporating walking into your daily routine. How can you start a walking plan for better diabetes management. How many steps per day should you aim for to reduce diabetes risk. What are some easy ways to increase your daily step count.

The Remarkable Benefits of Walking for Diabetes Management

Walking, a simple yet powerful form of exercise, has emerged as a key player in diabetes management and prevention. Research consistently highlights the positive impact of regular walking on overall health, particularly for those at risk of or living with diabetes. But what makes this accessible activity so beneficial?

Blood Glucose Control and Insulin Sensitivity

One of the primary benefits of walking for individuals with diabetes is improved blood glucose control. Regular walking can help lower blood sugar levels and increase insulin sensitivity. This means your body becomes more efficient at using insulin to regulate blood sugar, potentially reducing the need for medication in some cases.

Weight Management and Metabolic Health

Walking is an excellent tool for weight management, which is crucial for diabetes prevention and control. By burning calories and boosting metabolism, consistent walking can help maintain a healthy weight or support weight loss efforts. This, in turn, can reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and improve overall metabolic health.

Cardiovascular Health Improvements

Regular walking can significantly enhance cardiovascular health, a critical factor for individuals with diabetes who are at higher risk of heart disease. Walking helps lower blood pressure, reduce bad cholesterol (LDL) levels, and increase good cholesterol (HDL) levels, all contributing to a healthier heart and circulatory system.

Setting Realistic Walking Goals for Diabetes Management

While the benefits of walking are clear, it’s essential to set realistic and achievable goals, especially when starting a new walking routine. But how many steps should you aim for, and how can you gradually increase your activity level?

The 10,000 Steps Goal: Is It Right for Everyone?

The often-cited goal of 10,000 steps per day is a great target for many, but it might not be suitable for everyone, especially those just starting out. The American Diabetes Association suggests aiming for at least 30 minutes of walking per day to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. This translates to approximately 3,000-4,000 steps, depending on your walking pace.

Gradual Progression: The Key to Sustainable Habits

If you’re new to regular walking, start with a goal that feels manageable, such as 5,000 steps per day or three 10-minute walks throughout the day. Gradually increase your step count or walking duration as your fitness improves. This approach helps prevent burnout and reduces the risk of injury, making it more likely that you’ll stick to your new habit long-term.

Implementing an Effective Walking Plan for Diabetes

Creating a structured walking plan can significantly enhance your diabetes management efforts. But how can you develop a plan that works for you and fits into your daily life?

Assessing Your Current Activity Level

Begin by determining your baseline activity level. Use a pedometer or smartphone app to track your steps for a week without making any changes to your routine. This will give you a clear picture of your current activity level and help you set realistic goals for improvement.

Setting SMART Goals for Your Walking Plan

When creating your walking plan, use the SMART criteria: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. For example, “I will walk for 15 minutes every day after lunch for the next month” is a SMART goal that provides clear direction and motivation.

Incorporating Variety and Progression

To keep your walking routine engaging and effective, incorporate variety and progression. This might include alternating between different routes, gradually increasing your walking speed, or adding intervals of brisk walking to your regular pace. As your fitness improves, consider incorporating inclines or stairs to further challenge yourself.

Maximizing the Benefits of Walking for Diabetes Control

While any amount of walking is beneficial, certain strategies can help you maximize the positive impact on your diabetes management. How can you optimize your walking routine for the best results?

Timing Your Walks for Optimal Blood Sugar Control

The timing of your walks can influence their effect on blood sugar levels. Many people find that a short walk after meals helps reduce post-meal blood sugar spikes. Experiment with different timings to see what works best for your body and schedule.

Monitoring Blood Glucose Before and After Walking

Regularly checking your blood glucose levels before and after walking can provide valuable insights into how exercise affects your body. This information can help you and your healthcare team make informed decisions about your diabetes management plan, including medication adjustments if necessary.

Combining Walking with Other Diabetes Management Strategies

While walking is a powerful tool for diabetes management, it’s most effective when combined with other strategies. This includes maintaining a balanced diet, staying hydrated, managing stress, and adhering to your medication regimen as prescribed by your healthcare provider.

Overcoming Common Barriers to Regular Walking

Despite the numerous benefits, many people struggle to maintain a consistent walking routine. What are some common obstacles, and how can they be overcome?

Time Constraints: Finding Opportunities in a Busy Schedule

For those with packed schedules, finding time for a dedicated walk can be challenging. Look for opportunities to incorporate walking into your daily routine, such as walking during phone calls, having walking meetings, or breaking your daily goal into shorter walks throughout the day.

Weather Challenges: Indoor Alternatives and Proper Gear

Inclement weather doesn’t have to derail your walking plans. Invest in appropriate gear for different weather conditions, or explore indoor alternatives like mall walking, using a treadmill, or following indoor walking videos when outdoor conditions are unfavorable.

Motivation Issues: Building a Support System

Staying motivated can be difficult, especially when starting a new habit. Consider finding a walking buddy, joining a walking group, or using a fitness app that offers challenges and rewards to keep you engaged and accountable.

Advanced Walking Techniques for Enhanced Diabetes Management

As you become more comfortable with regular walking, you may want to explore advanced techniques to further improve your diabetes management. What are some ways to take your walking routine to the next level?

Interval Walking: Boosting Intensity for Greater Benefits

Interval walking involves alternating between periods of brisk walking and more moderate-paced walking. This technique can help improve cardiovascular fitness, burn more calories, and potentially lead to better blood sugar control compared to steady-paced walking.

Nordic Walking: Engaging More Muscle Groups

Nordic walking, which involves using specially designed poles, engages more muscle groups than traditional walking. This full-body workout can lead to increased calorie burn and improved upper body strength, potentially enhancing the overall benefits for diabetes management.

Mindful Walking: Combining Physical and Mental Health Benefits

Incorporating mindfulness techniques into your walking routine can provide additional mental health benefits. Focus on your breath, the sensation of your feet hitting the ground, and the sights and sounds around you. This practice can help reduce stress and improve overall well-being, which is particularly beneficial for diabetes management.

The Role of Technology in Enhancing Your Walking Routine

In today’s digital age, various technological tools can support and enhance your walking routine. How can you leverage technology to improve your diabetes management through walking?

Fitness Trackers and Smartwatches: More Than Just Step Counting

Modern fitness trackers and smartwatches offer features beyond basic step counting. Many can monitor heart rate, estimate calorie burn, and even provide insights into sleep quality – all factors that can impact diabetes management. Some devices also offer reminders to move, helping you stay active throughout the day.

Smartphone Apps: Motivation and Education at Your Fingertips

Numerous smartphone apps are available to support your walking routine. These range from simple step-tracking apps to more comprehensive platforms that offer guided walks, educational content about diabetes management, and community support features. Explore different options to find an app that aligns with your needs and preferences.

Virtual Challenges and Online Communities: Staying Engaged and Connected

Participating in virtual walking challenges or joining online communities focused on walking for diabetes management can provide motivation, accountability, and a sense of connection. These digital platforms can help you stay engaged with your walking routine and learn from others who share similar health goals.

Long-Term Sustainability: Making Walking a Lifelong Habit

While starting a walking routine is an important step, the real challenge lies in maintaining it over the long term. How can you ensure that walking becomes a sustainable part of your diabetes management strategy?

Celebrating Milestones and Progress

Recognizing and celebrating your achievements, no matter how small, can help maintain motivation. Set milestones for yourself, such as reaching a certain number of consecutive days of walking or achieving a particular distance goal, and reward yourself when you reach them.

Adapting Your Routine to Life Changes

Life is dynamic, and your walking routine should be flexible enough to adapt to changes in your schedule, health status, or personal circumstances. Regularly reassess your goals and adjust your walking plan as needed to ensure it remains manageable and enjoyable.

Integrating Walking into Your Identity

As you continue your walking journey, aim to integrate it into your identity. Rather than viewing walking as something you “have to do” for diabetes management, try to shift your perspective to see yourself as someone who enjoys walking as part of a healthy lifestyle. This mindset shift can make maintaining your walking habit feel more natural and sustainable over time.

By understanding the numerous benefits of walking for diabetes management, setting realistic goals, and implementing strategies to overcome common barriers, you can harness the power of this simple yet effective form of exercise. Remember, every step counts in your journey towards better health and improved diabetes control. Start where you are, progress at your own pace, and celebrate the positive changes that come with making walking a regular part of your life.

Walking Plan | ADA

We all know regular exercise is an essential part of managing and preventing diabetes and staying healthy. Still, many people are scared off by the idea of exercise—often equating it with running, going to the gym every day, or breaking a heavy sweat. Some don’t know where to start. Older adults may worry about injury or overdoing it. 

But being and staying active may be easier than you think. A growing body of research suggests that the simple act of walking can lead to better health and may help prevent diabetes. 

Benefits of Walking  

Those who are active more often have a lower chance of developing diabetes and walking is a great way to be active. In fact, the more you walk—especially at a more intense, faster pace—the lower your diabetes risk. Try to work your way to 10,000 steps per day or at least 30 minutes a day to cut your risk of type 2 diabetes. If you have trouble walking 30 minutes at a time, try walking in smaller amounts throughout the day, such as 10 minutes in the morning, afternoon, and evenings.  

Higher daily step counts can make it more likely that you’ll reach your blood glucose (blood sugar) targets, which is a good reason to make walking a part of your daily routine.

Making Daily Walking a Priority 

The good news is, most people can walk to stay active. The risk of injury is low when you walk and you don’t need anything to walk besides a pair of comfortable and supportive shoes. Walking also gets you out of the house and gives you time away from your work , which is good for your mental health too.

While it helps your blood glucose (blood sugar) levels, walking can also improve your:

• Weight 
• Bone and muscle strength
• Balance
• Blood pressure
• Cholesterol
• Heart health 
• Concentration
• Mental outlook by lowering stress levels and anxiety

Make a plan to walk more. One of the first steps is to know how many steps you take. You can wear a pedometer or get a fitness tracker app, which are available on most smartphones to  count your steps. Once you know how many steps you take, you can work toward increasing that amount to a realistic goal.

Use this worksheet as a guide and to track your progress. You can track of how long you walk and/or how many steps you take. 

Always start slowly and increase to a brisk walk. Be sure to cool down with a slow walk at the end. If you are just starting out and have questions, or if you have a foot injury, open sore or ulcer, talk with your health care provider before beginning your walking plan. 

Adding More Steps to Your Day

Here are some easy ways to increase your step count each day. You might try to:

• Walk during your lunch break.
• Walk and talk. If you’re on the phone a lot, use that time to stand up and add some steps.
• Pick the farthest parking spot when you head to the office or store and return your shopping cart instead of leaving it near your car.
• Use the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator.
• Clean your living space. Household chores can get your body moving and boost your steps.
• If you have one, take your dog for an extra walk or take a longer route.
• Schedule walking dates with friends. 

Benefits of Walking | ADA

If you’ve never been physically active or have been sedentary for a while, it’s important to start getting active slowly. Walking is one of the easiest activities to start with, and most people with diabetes can do it. The risk of injury is low, and even people with diabetes complications can usually walk for exercise. (Check with your health care provider if you have a foot injury, open sore, or ulcer.)

You don’t need any special equipment, clothing, or even shoes to begin walking for your health, but it may help you stay motivated if you wear comfortable clothes and shoes. Pick a safe place to walk and invite a friend to join you! Or if you prefer some alone time, listen to music, audiobooks, podcasts (if you can do so safely), or catch up with friends and family by phone while you walk. The key to success is to make it an enjoyable part of your routine that you look forward to every day. This will help it become a healthy habit for life. 

How Walking Helps Your Health

Walking at a brisk pace or moderate intensity is an aerobic exercise. When you do aerobic activities regularly over time, you can see many health benefits:

• Blood glucose (blood sugar) levels go down
• Insulin sensitivity goes up
• Heart health improves
• Metabolism increases
• Weight loss or maintenance becomes easier
• Balance improves
• Blood pressure decreases
• HDL (“good”) cholesterol increases
• LDL (“bad”) cholesterol decreases
• Your mood is better
• You feel more focused and alert
• Memory and cognition improve

How to Get Started Safely

It’s important to check your blood glucose (blood sugar) level more often when you begin being active or increase the intensity of exercise. Check it both before and after you walk. This will help you see how your body reacts and help you avoid possible drops in blood glucose (hypoglycemia) that can be dangerous. Learn more about blood glucose and exercise.

It’s never too late to start! But if you’ve been very inactive for a while, start slowly and walk for just a few minutes the first time. The more you walk, the easier it will get, and you’ll be able to add intensity by increasing your time, pace, or distance.

And remember, it all adds up. If you can’t walk for 30 minutes each day, try two 15-minute or three 10-minute walks during the day. And try to build up to five 30-minute walks each week.  

Other Easy Ways to Walk More

• Walk instead of driving to nearby destinations
• If driving, park a bit farther away from your destination
• Get off the bus or train at a farther stop and walk the rest of the way
• If you have a dog, walk it daily, or offer to walk a neighbor or friend’s dog
• When traveling, take walking tours to see the sights
• Start or join a walking group in your neighborhood or at work

Start walking more today and reap the benefits!

Walking and diabetes

• Home
• Information
• News
• Walking and diabetes

Daily walking helps not only to reduce body weight, but is an excellent method for preventing and reducing the manifestations of symptoms of diabetes, and in the case of this disease, it is an obligatory part of treatment.

You can walk anywhere and anytime. You can walk in the park, square, along the city streets or just walk a couple of stops on foot. The main thing is that such a daily walk becomes an integral part of life. However, when walking, patients with type 2 diabetes should follow certain rules.

A study published in 2012 in the journal Nutrition & Diabetes analyzed 201 patients with type 2 diabetes and found that every additional 2,600 steps per day reduced hemoglobin A1c levels by 0.2 percent.

How to walk correctly:

1. Walk at a comfortable pace for 40 minutes a day (60 minutes under the age of 45). You don’t have to go through them all in one sitting. Can be broken into pieces. For example, set aside 20 minutes in the morning, 20 minutes in the afternoon, and 20 minutes in the evening. The best time for a diabetic is one to two hours after eating, it is better to walk in the morning than in the afternoon or evening. The pace of walking should be increased gradually. For example, start with 5 minutes of fast walking and 5 minutes of slow walking. Then the duration of the “active phase” of walking can be increased.
2. One must watch one’s breathing. The optimal breathing “mode” is to inhale after three steps, and then exhale after three.
3. Comfortable walking shoes are important for everyone, but patients with diabetes should pay special attention to them. Complications of this disease often lead to a decrease in the sensitivity of the limbs. Therefore, the heel in the shoe should be stable, the instep support should be solid, the sole should be flexible and thick enough. In addition, shoes are selected according to the shape of the foot, as well as taking into account the fact that it will soften the movement of the joints. It should be remembered that with diabetes, even a small wound can lead to big problems.
4. You also need to move correctly when walking. The heel of the foot should first hit the ground when you take a step, while the rest of the foot should only touch the ground when you roll forward with all your weight. When walking, you should keep your chin, shoulders and back straight.
5. You can use the pedometer to count the number of steps you take every day and gradually add more steps. This will give you a sense of satisfaction and will stimulate you to new victories.
6. There is a risk of hypoglycaemia after exercise, even if it is short-term ( sudden drop in glucose ). And this means that for people with diabetes, self-monitoring of glycemia before and after physical activity should become a good habit, which will allow them to make the right decisions depending on the blood sugar level.

If the sugar is high or low, any physical activity should be avoided. Overloads are contraindicated!

If you have diabetes, it is recommended to drink a glass of water about an hour before your walk. Also, drink a few sips of water every 20 minutes if you’re walking for a long time. When you’re done walking, take a break and drink another glass of water. Before you go for a walk, do not forget to take food with you, an apple or oatmeal cookies – an example of a good snack while walking. Snacks come in handy if your blood sugar drops while walking.

Regular exercise helps to reduce and maintain body weight, which in itself improves the course of the disease.

Walking is a good physical activity, which helps to strengthen the muscular “skeleton”, improve overall well-being. Regular walks add energy, vitality, improve mood, help improve metabolic parameters, which makes a significant contribution to the prevention of diabetes and its chronic complications.

Endocrinologist

Zelvenskaya CRH ME R.S.Slauta

Walking with Diabetes – Rules and Recommendations

Recently, experts have been repeating that type 2 diabetes is, first of all, a way of life. Its main components are rational nutrition, physical activity, giving up bad habits, taking medicines.

If a person’s age, health, daily routine or other reasons make it impossible to attend various fitness clubs or sections, there is a type of physical activity that is available to everyone and has practically no serious restrictions and contraindications. This is walking.

How to walk correctly? What should be taken into account? For advice, Healthy people turned to Alla Petrovna Shepelkevich, Professor of the Department of Endocrinology of the Belarusian State Medical University, Doctor of Medical Sciences .

Walking every day helps not only to reduce body weight, but is an excellent method for preventing and reducing the symptoms of diabetes, and in the case of this disease, it is an indispensable part of the treatment.

You can walk anywhere and anytime. You can walk in the park, square, along the city streets or just walk a couple of stops on foot. The main thing is that such a daily walk becomes an integral part of life. However, when walking, patients with type 2 diabetes should follow certain rules.

How to

correctly walk

1. Walk at a comfortable pace for 40 minutes a day (up to 45 years old – 60 minutes). You don’t have to go through them all in one sitting. Can be broken into pieces. For example, set aside 20 minutes in the morning, 20 minutes in the afternoon, and 20 minutes in the evening. The pace of walking should be increased gradually. For example, start with 5 minutes of fast walking and 5 minutes of slow walking. Then the duration of the “active phase” of walking can be increased.

2. You need to watch your breathing. The optimal breathing “mode” is to inhale after three steps, and then exhale after three.

3. Comfortable walking shoes are important for everyone, but patients with diabetes should pay special attention to them. Complications of this disease often lead to a decrease in the sensitivity of the limbs. Therefore, the heel in the shoe should be stable, the instep support should be solid, the sole should be flexible and thick enough. In addition, shoes are selected according to the shape of the foot, as well as taking into account the fact that it will soften the movement of the joints.