People with diabetes suffer from the failure of their Insulin to energize the body. Insulin is a hormone that is responsible for taking glucose from the food that we eat into cells for energy use. Insulin also regulates glucose from getting too high or too low. Diabetes happens when the glucose or sugar level is too high.
When the sugar level is too high, body organs or parts might be damaged. There are different types of diabetes. Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes are caused by the failure of Insulin. To lower blood sugar and help your body stay fit, you may exercise. Exercising can boost your body towards insulin sensitivity.
People with diabetes may suffer from various issues such as high blood pressure, obesity, heart attack, and stroke. These conditions can be mitigated when your body is active and fit. Yoga exercises can help people with diabetes to stay fit to lower other disease risks. Some yoga exercises are not suitable for people with diabetes.
Below are the yoga exercises that might be useful to people with diabetes. These exercises are safe, but you must consult your doctor before doing them to advise you accordingly.
- Seated forward bend
Seated forward bend helps relieve headache and stress. It might also lower your blood pressure and make you lose some kilos as you put pressure on your back and stomach. This pose targets spinal, back, pelvic muscles, and more.
- Upward facing dog
The upward-facing dog is an exercise that strengthens the body. The pose is effective in lowering blood pressure and promoting healthy blood circulation. You may shed off some few kilos by doing this exercise. The exercise targets spinal, hamstrings, quadriceps, and more. You can follow these steps to do the upward facing dog.
- Childs pose
The child’s pose makes your body relax, promoting the production of insulin beta cells. The exercise is useful in relieving stress and body pains. It works on spinal, rotator muscles, hamstrings, and more.
- Reclining bound angle pose
Reclining bound angle pose is helpful to people with diabetes by reducing their stress. A stress-free body can maintain blood sugar levels and blood pressure at favorable levels. The exercise calms the body and can stimulate abdominal organs. Reclining bound angle pose works on the back, pelvic and groin muscles
- Legs up the wall pose
The pose makes the body relax. Relaxation of the body relieves the body of various stresses. Your body might be energized with blood pressure and blood glucose in a favorable state. The pose increases healthy blood circulation, which might boost your energy levels. The exercise work on back muscles, hamstrings, pelvic muscles and torso
- Supported shoulder stand
The supported shoulder pose can be beneficial to people with diabetes by calming their minds, which can help relieve stress. The pose improves blood circulation and the stimulation of the thyroid gland. The exercise strengthens back muscle, shoulders, chest, biceps, and more.
- Bow pose
The bow pose stimulates the body’s abdominal organs. For people who have diabetes, the pose can lower blood sugar levels. Respiratory problems can be mitigated by this pose. If you are constipated, the bow pose can make you feel better. The bow pose can work in improving your body posture, spinal flexibility, quadriceps, and more.
- Supine spinal twist
The supine spinal twist lower body pain and relieves the spine, back, and hips of stiffness. People with diabetes can do this exercise to lower their blood sugar levels and to promote healthy circulation. The pose can also stimulate abdominal organs—supine spinal twist majors on the hips, back, and shoulders.
- Corpse pose
This exercise is useful in relaxing the body calming the mind. It can be done at the end of your yoga exercises. The pose can help lower blood pressure, relieving headaches, and insomnia. The corpse pose makes the body breathe naturally without force. It frees your body of various pains and by relaxing body muscles.
- Plow pose
The plow pose is useful in increasing circulation and reducing stress, which may spike sugar levels in people who have diabetes. The pose may be useful in fighting headaches and backache. It stimulates the thyroid gland. The plow pose targets hamstring, shoulders, neck, back, and calves.
- Half lord of the fishes pose
This pose works in energizing your body. People with diabetes have to be energized to avoid being weak. The pose can stimulate abdominal organs that may result in lowering blood sugar.
Read: How To Help People With Diabetes?
How does yoga help people with diabetes?
Yoga poses help people with diabetes in various ways. People with diabetes must stay healthy to avoid contracting other diseases that may put their lives at risk. Keeping your body active can boost the immune system and lower the chances of being affected by other diseases. Below are the benefits of yoga poses in detail.
- Gives strength and balance
Doing yoga exercises can be beneficial in strengthening the body muscles and helping the body to stay fit and balanced. Exercises can target various body parts and build strong muscles that can help your body counterfeit other diseases. Improving body strength can be useful in reducing glucose levels, and liver fat may also be reduced.
- Emotional well being
Yoga involves relaxing your body by using breathing techniques. Breathing can be useful in releasing tension that stresses the body and the mind. Your mind can be freed and work in a better way. If your body manages stress, it can be easy to lower other diabetes symptoms such as high blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases.
- Restore normal function of the pancreas
The pancreas creates Insulin to release and assist in managing glucose in the bloodstream. The body becomes affected by diabetes due to a lack of regulation of glucose in the body. Yoga exercises can restore and boost the functioning of the pancreas. By doing this, diabetes can be cured, or symptoms can be lowered.
- Weight loss
Obese or overweight BMI individuals are prone to diabetes due to their body weight. Overweight affects the production of Insulin. Insulin becomes resistant to fat. Yoga poses can burn fat and reduce body weight. Losing weight can be helping in fighting diabetes. You might also block other life-threatening diseases such as heart diseases and strokes.
Other ways
Exercising alone may not keep you safe from diabetes. You must consider other ways, such as eating healthy and taking medication. Below are other options that you might consider to control diabetes.
Eat healthily – avoid food that will make you gain weight. Have a balanced diet but lower portions and never skip any meal. Avoid salty, sugary snacks that might spike sugar levels. Drink water and stay and avoid taking alcohol and sweet juices. Eat whole-grain foods and avoid starch and high carb foods. Less processed foods are better, and they rarely spike sugar levels.
Take medication – you may take medication according to your condition or type of diabetes that you have. You must take medication according to the doctor’s advice.
Avoid overdosing medicine or skipping doses. You can also test your blood pressure and sugar levels before sleeping, eating, or taking exercises. Measuring your blood sugar and blood pressure makes you stay alert about your status. You may take action faster if you know that your blood pressure is high or sugar levels have dropped and control other health issues, adjusting your meals or activities accordingly.
Exercise regularly – yoga poses are a form of exercise. You may do other exercises besides yoga poses to make your body more active and healthy. Exercises help people with diabetes to lose weight naturally. You should measure your blood sugar levels and blood pressure before and after exercising so that you know which type of exercises you should do to keep your glucose levels balanced and safe. You may consider using the Diabetes Freedom program to manage sugar levels.
Conclusion
Yoga exercises help people with diabetes in various ways to keep the body fit and active. An active body can fight various lifestyle diseases, such as strokes and cardiovascular conditions.
Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes are primarily caused by the failure of Insulin. Some yoga exercises can be useful in restoring the function of the pancreas. Exercising can make people with diabetes lose weight. Weight loss is good for the performance of your pancreas and Insulin. Weight loss also lowers the chances of being affected by other diseases like stroke and heart attack.
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