32

Diabetes:

Your Complete Exercise Guide

Supine Fly (chest muscles). Lie face up on the floor. Place your
arms perpendicular to your body. Raise both dumbbells up above your
chest to meet in the center. Lower the dumbbells and repeat.

Figure 3.12

up on the floor. Begin with the

dumbbells held together directly above the center of your chest, with
your elbows slightly bent. Lower the dumbbells to the floor behind
Pullover (chest and back).

Lie face

your head, keeping your elbows bent. Raise the dumbbells back to
starting position

Figure 3.13

and repeat.

33

Getting Started on a Regular Exercise Program

Ups (abdominal muscles). From a horizontal position with your

knees bent at a 90-degree angle and the palms of your hands resting
on your thighs, lift your shoulders off the ground and slide your fingers
up toward your knees. Return to starting position and repeat.
Sit

Figure 3.14

Calf Raises (calf muscles).

sides,

dumbbells

in

the balls of both feet.

not bend your knees.

Figure 3.15

Start with your

hand, and feet only

Lower your

arms hanging

slightly apart.

at

your

Raise up onto

heels to the ground and repeat.

Do

34

Diabetes:

Your Complete Exercise Guide

(thigh muscles and buttocks). Start with your arms hanging

your sides, dumbbells in hands, and feet apart. Take one step
forward with one foot and bend your front knee slightly. Step back
to starting position and repeat with the opposite leg.

Lunges

at

Figure 3.16

your doctor clears you for a more strenuous muscle-strengthening

program, find a health professional who is familiar with your case
If

and adequately trained to

training equipment.

instruct

you

well-equipped

in the correct

use of resistance-

gym might be
names

outfitted with

Cybex Strength
Systems, Hydrafitness, Nautilus, and Universal. These are excellent
machines, but someone should carefully instruct you how to use them

weight-training devices carrying such brand

as

and supervise your exercise.

The American College of Sports Medicine recommends that the
average adult perform a minimum of 8 to 10 exercises using the
major muscle groups at least twice weekly. 3 The college further encourages adults to perform at least one set, consisting of 8 to 12 repetitions,
of each exercise in a muscle-strengthening workout. These recommendations are appropriate for people with diabetes. But if you have both
diabetes and heart disease, suggest you consult The Cooper Clinic
Cardiac Rehabilitation Program for more extensive guidelines. 4
I

Aerobic Exercise
Ken Cooper coined the term aerobics in 1968 when his first book,
Aerobics, was published. 5 If you'd looked up the word aerobic in the