9. You shouldn’t exercise with diabetes because it increases your chances of experiencing low blood sugar
Just because you have diabetes doesn’t mean you should stop pumping iron! In fact, countless long-term studies have found that exercise is one of the best treatments for diabetes, and it “can actually help the body use blood sugar more efficiently for up to 24 hours after you’ve completed the activity,” explains Snyder. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that among prediabetics, those who were prescribed a goal of 7 percent reduction in body weight and at least 150 minutes of exercise a week reduced their incidence of diabetes by 58 percent while a drug only reduced it by 31 percent.
Some people, as correctly mentioned in the myth, have to watch out for low blood sugar or hypoglycemia. Because your body uses up energy (via carbs) during exercise, working out can easily plummet your blood glucose levels. Combined with taking insulin or an insulin-increasing medicine, this could spell out severely decreased levels. Low blood sugar symptoms include feeling sweaty, dizzy, or having a fast heartbeat. If you experience any of these symptoms on a regular basis, Snyder recommends you work with your doctor or diabetes educator to determine if your medicine can be reduced in anticipation of your activity.
