Why Exercise Is Important for Seniors With Diabetes
By incorporating exercise into a routine, seniors with diabetes can improve their quality of life and reduce the impact of their condition on daily activities. Seniors with diabetes greatly benefit from regular exercise, because it helps manage blood sugar levels, improves insulin sensitivity, and reduces the risk of complications associated with diabetes too. Working out can also enhance cardiovascular health, maintain a healthy weight, and boost overall energy levels, making it easier for seniors to stay active and independent. Not all seniors want to focus on working out and you need to assure them, that this doesn’t mean they need to lift super heavy weights or run a marathon, but rather focus on the movements their bodies can do. Elder care providers can help remind a senior to take the time to work out but they can also help incorporate it into a daily routine.
Working Out Helps Control Blood Sugar Levels
Exercise helps control blood sugar by increasing insulin sensitivity, which means the body’s cells can use available insulin more effectively to take up glucose from the bloodstream. During physical activity, muscles also absorb glucose independently of insulin, which further lowers blood sugar levels. It is the best way to control a senior’s blood sugar and helps them stay stable throughout the day. Keep in mind the best way to know a senior’s blood sugar level is by using a tool to draw blood and recording what the tool says. Elder care can help a senior by writing down what their blood sugar level is.
It Promotes More Energy
Working out improves energy by boosting circulation and oxygen delivery to cells, enhancing endurance, and reducing fatigue. It helps manage diabetes by increasing insulin sensitivity, which allows cells to use glucose more effectively, reducing blood sugar levels. All seniors want more energy because as they age they naturally feel like they have less. They may also not drink a ton of caffeine for health reasons which is another reason your loved one should try to move around as much as possible. Elder care will help your seniors move around and encourage them to take senior classes that promote movement.
Exercise Helps with Weight Management
The best way to control blood sugar is by losing weight or being a healthy weight. Excess weight in seniors can lead to insulin resistance, making it harder for the body to regulate blood sugar levels. Losing weight helps improve insulin sensitivity, helping with better blood sugar control. All seniors should ask their doctors what a healthy weight for them is going to be. Elder care can help with routines, walking, and even diet needs.
Working Out Naturally Boosts a Senior’s Mood
Diabetes can feel like a huge challenge for seniors and it can seriously impact how happy they are or how stable their moods are. The best way to boost natural happy chemicals in the body is through movement. The more seniors move, the more they are producing things like serotonin in their bodies which can lift their moods and make them feel happier every day. This is why it is so crucial for seniors to move around as much as possible.