When it comes down to fitness and exercise within diabetes there can be an array of questions that might be asked. These can include:
•How do I balance my glucose levels within my exercise regimes?
•Are there certain activities or exercises I can or can’t do with my diabetes?
•How do I adapt nutrition and carbohydrate intake into my new fitness regime?
There is no right or wrong answer to these questions, as each individual living with diabetes will adapt differently to exercise and an increase in activity levels. Working with an online fitness coach/ personal trainer can allow both you and your trainer to gain a greater insight into your fitness levels and nutrition and lifestyle, giving you the ability to make a decisive way in which you can increase your fitness levels through many different methods.
Whether you want to begin exercising, understand and adapt to a healthier diet, or live a more active lifestyle, a personal trainer/ fitness coach can help outline the correct route that you should be following to achieve the goals that you have set out.
I find that working as a fitness professional and diabetic care and management mentor allows me to listen to my clients needs and create a personalised plan in accordance to: their availability, fitness level, and nutrition in accordance to any allergy intolerances and goals they want met. This allows a plan to be drawn up with a regular review on a weekly basis, to ensure clients are adhering to the plan that has been set out and that they are not straying off the path to achieving their goals.
Communication is crucial for achieving success within your fitness when working with a coach. Skype, Zoom, or email are a great way to stay in touch in reviewing your plans with your trainer. It can help you look at where you might be struggling, and how your trainer can change and adapt your current plan to suit your needs and work towards your goals.
How Your Online Coach Can Help You to Stay Motivated with Exercise in Diabetes
Staying motivated with exercise when living with diabetes can be made easier with your coach/ trainer by your side. They are able to work with you as the client to decide on the exercises that best suit you, but most importantly choose exercises that you enjoy. This is vital in keeping that motivation when performing these activities as enjoyment is essential when it comes to exercising. Walking on a treadmill in the gym may not appeal to some clients compared to walking outdoors, so it is essential for your trainer to work with you to be able to outline the best possible route in achieving success.
As a trainer, they want to see you succeed and get the most out of your fitness and nutrition. They are there to help you stay on track and guide you to success. Being able to prepare a fitness plan in advance allows your trainer to prepare you for what is to come regarding your fitness regime. This will allow the client to look over each planned out exercise, look at their scheduled training and rest days, and get a grip on how they will tackle their fitness plan in the coming weeks.
Packing your fitness bag and laying out your workout gear the night before can give you that grab and go feeling and allow you to be one step ahead in your training.
Fail to prepare…Prepare to fail!
Checking your pre-and-post blood sugar levels can help you see how your body reacts to different intensities and exercises. This allows your trainer to look at how they can adapt the correct nutrition into your current fitness plan. Whether to increase your energy levels through an increase in Low GI/ complex carbohydrates, or to look at ways of adapting your fitness plan. Maybe this means reducing intensity to prevent an increase in glucose levels through exercises that doesn’t put too much stress on your body.
Always be sure to have a small snack or glucose tablets with you during exercise in the event that your blood sugar levels drop too low.
As a Diabetic Care and Management mentor, I take pride in being able to use my own background of living with Type 1 Diabetes to help my clients in managing their glucose levels through fitness and nutritional techniques. Being able to manage my diabetes through exercise allows me to help others in achieving the same results that I achieved through methods that clients can adhere to.
Whether you are a beginner to exercise or take part in regular exercise, an online trainer is a great way of being able to monitor performance within your fitness and lifestyle. Keeping on top of your fitness levels is essential in managing your diabetic health, which is why having that little extra push from a coach/ trainer can really benefit you and identify ways in which you can go above and beyond your current fitness levels.
For more information on ways in which I can help you increase your fitness levels and understanding of exercising with diabetes, check out my website.
Gino Fasolino
Level 3 Personal Trainer, Diabetic Care and Management Mentor using Fitness, Nutrition, Lifestyle and Weight Loss Techniques in managing glucose levels within Diabetes.
