How to Exercise With Gestational Diabetes
If you've been diagnosed with gestational diabetes, it's important to begin or maintain a moderate level of exercise, both for your own health and the health of the baby. This will help control blood glucose levels and combat insulin resistance. Here's how to take those steps to good health.
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Instructions
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Check with your doctor. This is recommended before beginning any exercise program, but is vitally important when beginning to exercise with gestational diabetes.
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Eat before exercising. Your doctor or dietician will help you determine appropriate foods and amounts to eat before exercise. You can maintain blood sugar levels for about 30 minutes while exercising with one serving of fruit eaten immediately before the workout.
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Choose your exercise. Vigorous walking is the ideal, but light jogging, cycling, swimming and cross country skiing on gentle terrain are also good choices for variety. It's good to get outside; but gym equipment will do the trick, too.
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Start slowly. Especially if you were not active prior to pregnancy, your body needs time to adjust.
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Warm up. Take a 5 to 10 minute warmup period at the start of each exercise session. This can be the same exercise but at slower speeds or easier settings. Allow your heart rate to be brought up to exercising levels gradually.
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Watch your exertion level. You should measure your heart rate during exercise. A heart rate monitor makes this easy to do. Heart rate should be 25 to 30% lower when exercising during pregnancy than would be recommended when not pregnant. Heart rate should not exceed 140 beats per minute.
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Cool down. Allow your breathing and heart rate to slowly return to normal levels. Stopping abruptly may cause dizziness.
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Exercise frequently. At least four to five days a week of moderate exercise is recommended for optimal benefit.
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Tips & Warnings
For exercise lasting an hour or more, eat one serving of fruit plus one serving of starch just before exercising to help maintain blood glucose levels.
If you must inject insulin before exercise, avoid injecting into an area that will be worked during the exercise.
