Diabetic neuropathy is a disease that affects the nerves, which makes it difficult for people who have this condition to want to exercise. If you have nerve pain, and you feel like you are in pain all the time, exercising is the last thing you are going to want to do. However, people with this disease should know that exercising, even for a short amount of time, has proven to reduce the pain, and slowed down the rate that the nerve damage worsens. Although people will have to continue to exercise over a long period to gain the benefits of exercise, it can be one of the greatest treatments for the pain that diabetic neuropathy can cause. Exercising can keep your weight down, which can also keep your blood sugar levels down. If this happens, diabetic neuropathy will be less of a problem.
The first step you will want to take when beginning any new exercise program if you have diabetes and diabetic neuropathy is to check your blood sugar often. Check your blood sugar before and after you exercise to ensure that your blood sugar levels are not going too low or too high. Always check with a doctor before starting any new exercise program, and keep them in the loop about how the exercise is affecting your blood sugar levels.
When exercising, remember that you do not have to work up a sweat, or even do exercises for a long period of time. Even if you just work out for 30 minutes a day, you are headed in the right direction. Doing a little is better than doing nothing. You will be doing exercises that increase your heart rate, and ones that make you lose weight, but they will not make you sweat. You are doing these exercises to be healthy, and with diabetic neuropathy, it can be difficult. Make sure that you look forward to doing these exercises, because it will increase your motivation if you want to go workout, rather than making it a chore.
Try exercises that will not put a lot of pressure on your nerves. You will want to make sure that when you are working out, you are relieving the pain, not making it worse. You will want to go for low-impact workouts. A fan favorite is swimming. Water will support the muscles, bones, and joints, which helps people who have diabetic neuropathy, since it mostly affects the feet. Swimming will let you get your heart pumping without the pressure on your knees and feet, like running and jogging does. Another exercise that you can try is cycling. This type of exercise is helpful because it does not put any pressure on the nerves that are in pain, it gets your heart pumping, and it is a great way to stay in shape.
For people who have diabetic neuropathy, it can be difficult to find the motivation to go an exercise, because of the fear that it will be painful. Make sure you make exercising fun. Try and get a group of friends together to workout, and try new exercises to mix things up. If you are ever feeling like you do not want to workout, remember how you feel after your favorite workout, and use that as a staple for motivation. The benefits of exercise for people with diabetic neuropathy are too great to ignore, and people with this condition should try it and see how it benefits them.