Diabetes? Pick the right sport
Sports, and any form of aerobic exercise in particular, are an integral part of the treatment for diabetes mellitus. People with diabetes can even be Olympians: rowing legend Steve Redgrave, for example, has type 1 diabetes and has earned five gold medals. Therefore, don’t give up on training just because you are diabetic. Instead, educate yourself about which types of sports you should avoid and which ones are perfectly “diabetes friendly”.
Watch out for short and intense sprints
Both medicine and common sense recommend extra caution with any sport that requires short but intense efforts, such as body building or athletics specialties like 100 and 200-meter sprinting. This does not mean that you have to completely avoid racing: just beware that “sprinting” activities can induce hypoglycaemia, so you can prepare accordingly.
Red light to punches and motorsports
If you are on insulin therapy, you should avoid sports that involve constant jumping, jerking or blows to the head, like boxing and motorsports. However, if you have a passion for roaring engines, a specialized commission from the specific sports federation you are interested in can assess whether the activity is suitable for people with diabetes or not. Other sports on the black list are climbing, mountaineering, air sports and skydiving.
Green light to 3 aerobic workouts a week
We recommend progressive sports that do not require jerks or full-speed sprints. All aerobic activities, such as endurance running or cycling, allow enough time for your metabolism to adjust during competitions or training, even if you have diabetes. This category includes swimming, skiing, tennis, football and basketball, just to name the most popular. As a rule, doctors suggest up to 3 workouts per week with sessions of approximately 60-75 minutes each.
Keep sweet snacks and a glucometer always with you
To prevent hypoglycaemic events while cycling with friends, always keep a snack with you and monitor your blood glucose level every 45-60 minutes of training. Set a reminder in case you are in for a prolonged exercise session. If your values fall below 100mg/dl, eat a sandwich, drink a sugary drink or take 3 packets of sugar, which are equivalent to about 15 grams of glucose.
Scuba diving is not off limits anymore
Diabetics have traditionally been strongly discouraged from scuba diving. However, today there are specialized associations such as “Diabete Sommerso”, which is experimenting in Italy with a new method that reconciles underwater practice and insulin therapy, offering courses at all levels for diabetic people. Ready to dive in?
