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april 98

We all know that exercise is an essential part of every diabetic's daily life as part of the 3-pronged approach for treating diabetes (diet, medication, and exercise). Whether the exercise is accomplished by walking, jogging, land or water aerobics, weight training, etc., is a matter of preference, climate, availability, and personal liability (see Word of Caution at the end of this article). This month we're going to explore a popular piece of at-home and spa exercise equipment that gives an excellent workout at affordable prices: the stationary bicycle. Some suggestions before purchasing a stationary bicycle: Check with your physicians first to determine if this equipment fits into your overall health. Develop a plan based on how many minutes per day (or every other day), your physician recommends. Try out the machine. You can shop first on the Net (there are several brands with websites), then look under fitness equipment in your local yellow pages for a dealer. Don't buy without actually getting on the machine and using it for several minutes. Note the measurements and make sure it fits and will look right in your space. Look in the "Consumer's Guide," other consumer journals, fitness magazines, or ask around to check out the company's reputation. Ask about maintenance and the availability of service and/or replacement parts. Stationary bicycles with arm action add an upper-body workout. As with all exercise regimes, start out slowly, building up to a higher, sustained cadence in the lower gears(about 70-80 revolutions per minute), making sure you can easily pedal the bike (if you're too breathless to talk, ease up). Follow your maximum spinning time with a slow-down, cool-off period. At moderate intensity, 220 calories will be expended in 30 minutes. On the downside, riding a stationary bike can be a dreadfully boring experience. At cycling classes, the workout instructors use speed drills and visualization -- You're almost to the top!" "Look at the sun shining on that meadow" to keep participants motivated. We found that cycling to music or while watching a favorite video helps. Since you have diabetes, it's important that you test your blood before and after exercising; make provisions for a carbo snack should you experience low blood sugars during or after exercising. WORD OF CAUTION: If the stationary exercise bicycle is accessible to children, The U.S. Consumer Product safety Commission warns parents always to always keep children away from the bike. Never use a bike without a chain guard, and when not using the bike, store it where children can't get to it. The Commission estimated that between 1985-1989, the latest period for which data are available, there were 1,200 amputations of children's fingers because of contact with exercise bikes. Most children were under the age of five. Many of the injuries occurred when the child's fingers touched the moving bike wheel or the chain and sprocket assembly.