Diabetes refers to the condition when there is an excess of glucose in your body. Though glucose is beneficial for the proper functioning of the body, an excess can lead to serious consequences. Over the years, diabetes has over the years emerged as one of the fatal diseases, one that once developed has no known cure. This condition is preceded by various perceptible symptoms, some of them are-

1. Insatiable thirst

The onset of diabetes is almost always accompanied by a nagging thirst, one that refuses to be quenched despite drinking plenty of water.

2. Frequent tendencies of urination

A frequent tendency of urination is one of the primary precursors of diabetes.

3. Acute hunger

Having bouts of acute hunger is one of the most predominant premonitions of diabetes.

4. Exhaustion and fatigue

In case you are suffering from diabetes, you will inevitably feel tired and exhausted all the time.

5. Blurring of vision

Diabetes is one of those rare conditions that threaten to affect and damage the eyesight. The blurring of vision comes hand in hand with the onset of diabetes.

6. Sores which take a long time to heal

One of the most fatal symptoms of diabetes is when the sore that you have suffered from takes a longer time than necessary to heal.

Some of the complications which diabetes invite are-

1. Cardiovascular problems

Diabetes considerably increases the risk of a host of cardiovascular problems and ailments like heart attacks, chest pain, and stroke.

2. Damage to the kidneys

The pair of kidneys that human beings are endowed with has the responsibility to remove the toxins from the body. An excess of diabetes in the body unsettles the purging ability of the kidneys.

3. Damage to the eyes

The onset of diabetes, among other things, puts your eyes at great risks. The condition tends to damage the blood vessels of the retina and can even cause blindness in some.

4. Skin disorder

Diabetes puts your skin at great risks. You may suffer from various bacterial and fungal infections among other ailments, due to an excess of glucose in your body.

Symptoms and Complications of Diabetes

Exercise has a considerable number of benefits to offer people who have diabetes. As a result of doing exercise on a regular basis, the blood sugar level stays in check. Managing diabetes without indulging in any physical activity is near to no good as exercise is the backbone of diabetes treatment. Here are the ten exercises that prove to be great for people with diabetes.

Walking: Walking is considered to be one of the best exercises for treating diabetes and the most prescribed physical activity for people with Type 2 diabetes. A daily brisk walking of at least 30 minutes can be the easiest way of increasing one s physical activity level.
Running/jogging: By jogging or running daily, people can control their blood pressure and ensure good heart condition. It proves to be extremely beneficial for diabetes people who often develop risks of heart attacks or high blood pressure.
Weight training: As regular weight training helps in building the muscle mass, opting for this becomes necessary for people with Type 2 diabetes. Because losing muscle mass means difficulty in maintaining the blood sugar levels.
Tai Chi: Tai Chi helps in relaxing the body and mind as well as ensures trouble-free body movements. Tai Chi plays a crucial role in reducing stress and nerve damage, which is a common complication in diabetes.
Swimming: Swimming helps in relaxing and stretching the muscles, without exerting any pressure on the joints, which is why it is a great exercise for diabetic people. Often diabetic people lose sensation in their feet, which makes swimming the best option for them.
Yoga: Helping in lowering the body fat, improving the nerve function, and fighting the insulin resistance, yoga can benefit people suffering from diabetes in a lot of ways. By controlling the stress, it indirectly helps in lowering the blood sugar levels.
Stationary bicycling: A form of aerobic exercise, stationary bicycling ensures a strong heart and well-functioning lungs. Burning lots of calories, it improves the blood flow to the legs, which is important for diabetic people.
Water aerobics: Water aerobics, too, has a lot of benefits to offer to the diabetic people in terms of regaining the right body balance and strengthening the muscles.
Playing: For those who enjoy playing tennis or basketball, treating diabetes with exercise can be an easy job. All one has to do is play rigorously on a daily basis, and the body will stay fit and the blood sugar levels well controlled.
Dancing: Dancing can be a great way of doing exercise for the diabetic people as it helps in improving the flexibility of the body, reducing stress and lowering the blood sugar levels.
By including exercise as a regular part of their daily life, people with diabetes can not only experience positive effects on their diabetic condition but can also achieve an overall good health with desired fitness.

10 Exercises That Will Surely Help Diabetic Patients!

Can Exercise Help Control Blood Sugar Levels?

It is an established fact that regular physical exercise has wonderful effects on the overall health of a person. People of all ages can reap the benefits of exercise that take manifestation in all the various systems of the human body.

One such healthy effect of exercise is that it can help control blood sugar levels. For those who have been diagnosed with diabetes, exercise works like any other drug in keeping blood glucose at an optimal level. It also helps in preventing further health complications that may be caused by this condition, such as heart disease or strokes.

How does exercise control blood sugar?

Exercise affects the body's blood glucose levels in the following ways:

- Exercising increases insulin sensitivity, which makes the body more capable of using insulin to take up available excess glucose in the bloodstream.

- Muscle contractions during exercise stimulate the cells to use up glucose to produce energy.

- Heightened cardiovascular activity while exercising burns through blood glucose a lot faster.

It is necessary to keep checking blood sugar levels at regular intervals, especially if you suffer from diabetes. Working out has different effects on different individuals, depending on the duration and intensity of exercise and the overall health and medical history of the person.

What are the best ways to use exercise to reduce blood sugar levels?

It is important to chalk out a suitable exercise routine that is tailored specifically to your individual needs. Consult a health care specialist or physical therapist for formulating the best possible workout regime for your specific requirements.

Most experts recommend engaging in moderately intense exercise for a minimum of 150 minutes in a week.

A few examples of activities that fall under this category are as follows:

-Brisk walking
-Cycling
-Swimming
-Squats and lunges
-Stretching exercises
-Yoga

One thing that diabetes patients should always keep in mind is that over-exercising must be avoided. Excessively strenuous workouts can lead to hypoglycemia (deficiency of blood glucose) which is a highly unsavory condition.



Can Exercise Help Control Blood Sugar Levels?

Sugar is the generic name that represents sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. 

What Happens When Concentrated Sugar Enters the Body?
Sugar is a poison when concentrated because it causes swelling of joints, liver, and brain. Sugar will hamper the healing of your body if you have an injury or chronic illness. Sugar acts as a source of energy for cancer cells and all infectious diseases. Sugar blocks the absorption of the nutrients you are eating, especially all of your minerals.

Harmful Effects of Sugar on the Body

It is a true silent killer: A study in 2008 linked excess fructose consumption to an increase in leptin resistance. Leptin is a hormone that tells you when you have had enough food. For some people, leptin simply does not work, leaving the person with no signal whatsoever that the body had enough food leading to over-consumption of food and consequently, obesity. As all this happens without symptoms or warning bells and you can t quite figure out why you ve gained weight in the past year  sugar  is labeled as SILENT KILLER.
It can damage your heart: In 2013, the Journal of the American Heart Association displayed strong evidence that sugar can actually affect the pumping mechanism of your heart and could increase the risk for heart failure. A molecule from a sugar called glucose metabolite glucose 6-phosphate (G6P) is responsible for the changes in the muscle protein of the heart leading to heart failure.
It promotes belly fat: Excess fructose intake (but not glucose intake) actually causes visceral fat cells to mature leading to a big belly and higher risk for heart disease and diabetes.
It has toxic liver effects on the body: Fructose and glucose in excess can have a toxic effect on the liver as the metabolism of ethanol, the alcohol contained in alcoholic beverages, has similarities to the metabolic pathways like fructose.
It saps brain power: Study shows that excess sugar consumption was linked to deficiencies in memory and overall cognitive health.
Quick Facts!

Your brain lights up with sugar just like it does with heroin or cocaine. Sugar is eight times more addictive than cocaine.
Sugar has empty calories meaning you can consume a lot of it and feel full, but receive no nutritional value.
It is certainly one of the leading causes of early death and chronic illnesses, including diabetes, obesity, and heart disease.
Food companies try to hide sugars in their food by using other forms of sugar. This leads to addiction of their products (e.g. high-fructose corn syrup).
Sugar in itself offers absolutely no nutritional value what so ever to the body. It is often coined with the term empty calories.

Sugar: A Silent Killer!

Ayurveda is an age old system of medicine that is holistic in nature. Treatment in Ayurveda focuses on getting rid of the cause of the disease. The medicines in Ayurveda are natural and thus, do not have any side effects. There are various remedies in Ayurveda to balance your blood sugar level. Blood sugar occurs either due to decreased insulin sensitivity or inefficient absorption of glucose by the cells in the body. 


The various remedies to balance blood sugar in Ayurveda are
Diet: You should pay close attention to your diet, as diet plays a primary role in maintaining healthy blood sugar levels. Eating foods that can cause your blood sugar levels to hit the roof should be strictly avoided. Simple sugars are the main culprit, and any food that contains simple sugars like refined foods and most fruits need to be avoided.
Exercise: Exercise is a must if you want your blood sugar under control. Include cardiovascular exercises like running and swimming that helps in burning calories and regulate blood sugar. It also helps you lose fat and reduce weight. Exercises also uses the sugar in your blood thus, causing a drop in the blood sugar levels.
Avoid stress: If you are feeling stressed lately then you may employ relaxation techniques such as meditation. You can start off with simple meditation techniques such as focusing on your breath. Count to 4 while you inhale and then hold your breath for seven seconds, then exhale while you count to 8. Repeat this procedure for 10-15 minutes on a daily basis.
Herbs: You can include fenugreek in your diet, you may consume them by soaking them overnight in a glass of water and then drinking the water after straining it. It has been known to reduce blood sugar levels. Holy basil or tulsi is another herb that has a beneficial effect on the blood sugar level in the body. It also corrects hormonal imbalances and improves your overall wellbeing. You can also add cinnamon powder while cooking to maintain insulin sensitivity. 


Ayurvedic treatments to balance blood sugar

Diabetes is a condition where the blood sugar level rises in your body either due to less insulin level in the body or reduced sensitivity of the body to insulin. The foods you eat have a major role in controlling your blood sugar levels. You need to pick your foods wisely to prevent your blood sugar levels from spiking.


The various foods that you should be eating if you have diabetes are:

1. Dark chocolate: chocolate contains good amounts of flavonoids that help in improving insulin sensitivity and limits food cravings. It also reduces your chances of heart attack.

2. Blueberries: blueberries are rich in fiber that helps you in managing your blood sugar levels. They also contain anthocyanins that assist in regulating your blood sugar levels.

3. Fish: fish is rich in omega 3 fatty acids that reduce inflammation in the body, thus reducing your chances of heart problems. Fish is also a good source of protein that helps you in feeling fuller.

4. Olive oil: olive oil is rich in antioxidants that help in reducing your chances of heart diseases and diabetes.

5. Oranges: make sure you eat plenty of oranges as they are rich in vitamin c and they reduce the risk of diabetes. You may also opt for broccoli or strawberries.

The various foods you should avoid are:

1. White rice: white rice is a refined grain which, when consumed, tends to spike your blood sugar levels. You can instead opt for brown rice.

2. Bananas: banana may contain vitamins and minerals, but are also rich in carbohydrates. Instead, opt for fruits like berries that are not only rich in fiber and antioxidants, but also have a low glycemic index.

3. Sugary foods: the term sugary foods is used to describe foods such as pastries, cakes, and cookies. These foods are carbohydrate rich and do not contribute much in making the body healthy. Instead, replace them with natural foods such as chickpeas and peanuts.

4. Dried fruit: various dried fruits contain a high concentration of sugar, which happens due to the dehydration process by which they are formed. So replace them with fresh fruits such as guava and peaches to control your blood sugar levels.

Amongst all other dry fruits, almonds and walnuts can be had in moderation as they contain essential fatty acids and do not affect blood sugars.

Foods to Eat and Avoid When You Have Diabetes

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