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Immobility and exercise

Mscolin

Newbie
Messages
1
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
last week I was diagnosed with diabetes type 2. I also have MS and am immobile, spending the day just sitting. Everything I read tells me to exercise. Has anyone any ideas what I could do?
 
welcome,
i have illnesses that mean i cant get about much ,piled the weight on, so interested to see the answers u get:)
 
@Mscolin @totsy @NicolaB70 ......just a suggestion.....try googling "seated exercises".....there is a whole range of different exercises you can do whilst still being seated.....hopefully you can find something to suit :)
Some areas also hold classes for seated exercise so check out your local groups for details (I think the one in our area was run by local health trainers and remember seeing a demonstration at a local community event) or you can just do them yourself at home.
 
last week I was diagnosed with diabetes type 2. I also have MS and am immobile, spending the day just sitting. Everything I read tells me to exercise. Has anyone any ideas what I could do?

Hi there @Mscolin,
Check out the thread 'Step into Spring' - there's some pretty motivational stuff there to help get you moving. :)
 
last week I was diagnosed with diabetes type 2. I also have MS and am immobile, spending the day just sitting. Everything I read tells me to exercise. Has anyone any ideas what I could do?

Have a look at the thread 'step into spring'. The idea is not so much to have to exercise as to just move a bit more than usual.

That is difficult, believe me, I know. This time last year all I could manage was some arm lifts, and leg swinging from my chair. I have a spinal injury, and cannot walk very far, but have managed to increase the activities just by starting slowly and increasing the range of chair based exercises. It can be so depressing just sitting all the time, and any amount of movement will improve your blood glucose levels too.

@daisy1 will post info for new members soon, but welcome from me too.
 
Hello @Mscolin and welcome to the forum :)

To help you, this is the information we give to new members and I hope you will find it useful. Ask more questions when you need to and someone will be able to advise you.

BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEWLY DIAGNOSED DIABETICS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you’ll find over 130,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.
There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:

  • Reduce your carbohydrate intake
  • Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates

Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

Another option is to replace ‘white carbohydrates’ (such as white bread, white rice, white flour etc) with whole grain varieties. The idea behind having whole grain varieties is that the carbohydrates get broken down slower than the white varieties –and these are said to have a lower glycaemic index.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/food/diabetes-and-whole-grains.html

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)
  • Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:

  • structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
  • self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to bloodglucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
 
Hi and welcome.

Have a google for something called a 'bodyblade'.
It is light, easy to use, suitable for any level of ability, standing or sitting, and is designed by a physiotherapist.
 
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