Recently diagnosed with type 2, should I start exercising?

Hi Guest,

Exercise is very often beneficial as is losing weight.

Ask your doctor.  They know the specifics to YOUR case. 

Good luck.

There is no need to wait to exercise. You can begin to exercise immediately after being diagnosed with Type 2, as long as your doctor has cleared you to exercise. What I tell the patients I see is that they can have a light snack about an hour before exercising. It can be built just like your evening snack of one protein and two carbohydrates -- or if you prefer, just a glass of juice and afterwards a little protein. Start with an exercise that you have done before and liked, and something that you don't need a lot of new equipment for. In case you find that you don't like the exercise, you won't be out a lot of money. Start slowly, two or three times per week is a good start. If you've not exercised in a while, don't be surprised if you can only tolerate 20 or 30 minutes. Some people can only do 10 at the beginning, and that's still great! You want to want to exercise, not hate it, so it's better not to force yourself too much when you're just starting an exercise routine.

I started exercising and trying out different ones when I was diagnosed three years ago. I didn't stick with the old standbys of aerobics and walking a treadmill, although I do sometimes still walk a treadmill if it's not nice outside. I tried yoga, tai chi, kickboxing and tae kwon do. I figured it diabetes thought it was going to kick me in the butt that I'd do it to it first! If you're that worried about your blood sugar bottoming out, have a glass of juice first or wait until later in the day when your body has had a chance to level your sugar out a bit after breakfast, and to be extra certain you can always test your blood sugar right before exercise. There are no rules that say that you can't check your sugar more often if you feel it's necessary.