Are you ready to get your sweat on?
This is the first cardio workout for the Fit With Diabetes challenge. But don’t worry, even if you didn’t sign up for the challenge (talk to me, why didn’t you?), you are still very welcome to join this fun cardio session any time you like.
Make sure you have plenty of space and a good surface to exercise on (move away the loose area rug) but have a yoga mat (or that area rug) handy for floor exercises. Then lace up your workout shoes, get a bottle of water, and have your diabetes gear (BG meter, juice or sugar tablets, etc.) handy.
Now you are ready to join me for a little cardio fun.
In this video, I’ll take you through 12 different exercises. That sounds like a lot, but we only do each exercise for 30 seconds so it’s actually only 6 minutes for each round. I would like you to try for a minimum of 3 rounds (so 18 min. total workout) or even more if you have the energy.
Please remember to listen to your body. If you need to modify an exercise, that is perfectly OK. It’s fine to do low impact or take a break, as long as you challenge yourself and stay safe.
If you can’t do the exercises in this video (or just prefer other cardio activities), that’s perfectly fine as well. Go for a swim, a walk/hike or something else that will get your heart rate up. The important thing is to get moving!
Finally, remember to check your blood sugar before, during, and after the workout. By tracking your blood sugars and what you eat and keeping a detailed log, you should start to see patterns soon. This will allow you to better adjust your diabetes care to prevent high and/or lows associated with exercise
I have created a tracking sheet you can use to record your food, insulin, and exercise. You can download it in PDF or Excel. The first two lines are examples of how I use the sheet.
I don’t always bring this tracking sheet with me (I have a notebook with a happy dancing pig on the cover that I bring to the gym) but I always record the same information.
Now, let’s do this!!
(You can also click here to watch the video on Youtube if you prefer)
If you ever want to do this workout without having the video available, you can print or write down the list of exercises below. It’s a good idea to have watched the video first to see how I perform each exercise as they aren’t all self-explanatory.
Go through them all with no more than 5 sec. breaks between exercises. That should take you about 6 minutes. Then take a sip of water, test your blood sugar if you feel it’s needed, and repeat the circuit 2-3 times more (or how many times you are comfortable doing it). Listen to your body and don’t overstep your limits. The workout should be a challenge but don’t hurt yourself doing it!
30 sec. Skipping
30 sec. Standing knee to elbow
30 sec. Mountain Climbers
30 sec. Side shuffle with punch
30 sec. Lunges
30 sec. Booty kicks
30 sec. Squat with side crunch
30 sec. Bicycle crunches
30 sec. Hip Bridge with knee lift
30 sec. Jumping Jacks
30 sec. Squat with punches
30 sec. Squat with punches
You can use a free app such as Gymboss to time the exercises.
I’m delighted to be able to take part in this challenge. Going to do this workout today when I get home from work. It’s so refreshing to have someone who is also diabetic give such practical and manageable advice on diet and exercise.
Thank you, so glad this works for you
There doesn’t appear to be any video attached to this page. Where can I find it?
I don’t see it either.
That’s really strange. It’s right under the words “now let’s do this”, but apparently it doesn’t show up for a few people. We will try to figure out why.
I went to the gym and did two miles on the treadmill instead, but I’m totally keeping this for future reference. I love this and it would be a great way to get in a quick workout when I don’t have time to make it to the gym!
Quite a few people had the same problem but it should work now. Please give it a try again.
OMG! Now that was a workout. The challenge for me is the realization that, even though I’m a daily walker (1-2 miles) I am out of shape otherwise! Whew. My legs are shaking! Ha! Thanks for the virtual kick in the fanny!
After 3 rounds, girl I am sweating! This was a great start to the challenge. I’m looking forward to the workouts to come 🙂