Keeping your muscles active and healthy through regular resistance training will greatly improve your management of diabetes. Diabetes Canada recommends resistance exercise 2-3 times a week.
[00:00:11] Welcome to the resistance-training portion of the physical activity and exercise toolkit. What we'll be doing now is showing you some basic resistance training techniques to get you started. We'll be showing you how to do a resistance training program that you can do in the comfort of your own home, either by yourself, with another person, or with the help of an exercise professional such as myself or another certified exercise physiologist, Shane.
[00:00:38] Shane will be showing you how to do two whole body resistance-training programs. The first program uses only a resistance band. This program is great to begin with because it is easy to do and uses very little equipment. Just the band and a chair. You can adjust the intensity of your exercises by altering the length of the band. To make the exercise easier, grab a longer band. To make the exercise harder, grab a shorter band. The second program on this video uses similar but more challenging exercises and uses dumbbells. You can work your way up to this routine over time.
[00:01:22] It is important to do a short warm-up prior to beginning resistance exercise. A simple walk around the house or around the block can get your muscles ready to get going. You can do some simple stretches to limber up as well. Something for the upper body and something for the lower body can be enough to get you ready to do resistance exercise.
[00:01:46] Exercise number one. Hips and thighs. Sit to stand from a chair. Start by sitting on the front of the chair with your chest up, feet about hip width apart. Slowly lift out of the chair with your knees directly over your toes. Keep your back straight, your arms out, or you can have your arms and hands on your knees if you choose. Hold the top position with your knees slightly bent, slowly bend your knees to lower yourself to the chair. Do not drop to the chair. It is important to breathe with each repetition, keep your chest out and keep your back in a nice neutral position.
[00:02:30] Exercise number two. Chest. Chest press. Start by placing the band around your upper back under your arms. Grab the ends of the band with your elbows bent and your palms facing down or towards your body. Press the band out extending your elbows forward to shoulder level. Slowly returned to the starting position. With this exercise, it's really important to keep your shoulders relaxed, back and away from your ears with your chest up. Remember to breathe out as you push forward and inhale as you return.
[00:03:15] Exercise number three. Upper Back. Back Fly. Start by holding the band with both hands directly in front of your shoulders. Keeping your elbows slightly bent, pull the band outward until the band reaches across your middle chest. Concentrate on pulling your shoulder blades together when you do this. While keeping your shoulders relaxed and away from your ears. Hold the end position briefly and slowly return to the starting position. Remember to breathe comfortably with each repetition. And keep your shoulders down and back.
[00:03:58] Exercise number four. Middle back. Seated row. Begin by anchoring the band under your foot, holding both ends of the band outside of your knee. With one hand pull the band backwards with the hand outside of your knee. Make sure you pull to keep your arm beside your rib cage with your chest back and your shoulder relaxed. Pause and slowly return to the starting position. Complete the required number of repetitions with one arm and repeat the exercise with the other arm.
[00:04:39] Exercise number five. Shoulders. Overhead press. Begin by anchoring the band under your foot and holding the other end of the band on the inside of your leg. Likewise you can anchor the band directly under your foot. Start with your other hand beside your shoulder, grasping the band hand level with the chin and arm straight up from the floor. Extend your arm over your head until it is directly over the shoulder. Try not to lean to the side as you do this. Pause and slowly return to the starting position. Keep your shoulders relaxed, your chest up and out and breathe out as you go up. Always think one-one thousand two-one thousand three one-one thousand two-one thousand back. Complete the repetitions with one arm then complete another set with the other arm.
[00:05:35] Exercise number six. Shoulders. Side lateral raise. For this exercise start in the same position as the last shoulder exercise, in a position just outside the knee except with a slightly longer band. You can have your palm facing down or facing forward with your thumb up. Lift your arm to the side with your elbow slightly bent. Lift to shoulder height or slightly lower if you have shoulder problems. Pause and return to the starting position. In this exercise, it is important not to shrug your shoulder or lean to the side as you lift. Keep your body straight up and down with your shoulders relaxed. Do the required number of repetitions on one side and then switch and repeat with the other arm.
[00:06:28] Exercise number seven. Upper arm-front. Biceps curl. Keep the same anchor position as the previous exercise, except with a slightly shorter band length. Hold the band with the palm facing forwards. Curl your hand to your shoulder keeping your elbow at your side at your lower ribs. Pause and slowly lower to the starting position. Make sure you keep your chest up and your elbow at your side, extend your hand all the way down to make sure you get a full range of motion. Repeat this exercise with the other arm.
[00:07:10] Exercise number eight. Upper arm-back. Tricep extension. Start seated at the front edge of the chair with your chest up. Place one hand holding the band behind your back and the other hand beside your head with your elbow up holding the band. Likewise, you can also be seated on your band as Ray is demonstrating. Grab your band, bend your arm only at the elbow, until your arm is straight over your head. Extend your elbow up over your head keeping your elbow as high as you can throughout this exercise. Remember to extend breathing out. Relaxing your shoulders. And slowly lowering down. Repeat this exercise on the other arm. This exercise is an alternate exercise to that in the Resistance three handout.
[00:08:05] Exercise number nine. Legs-Front. Knee extension. Start by looping the band around your ankle. Step onto the band with your other foot to anchor it. Sit comfortably placing your hands under your exercising leg to support it. Extend the leg with the band wrapped around it. Keeping your knee in the same position, extend your leg as far as you can making sure to keep your posture upright. Keep your shoulders back and your chest up. Extend the knee 3 seconds up and 3 seconds down. Do the required number of repetitions on one leg. Switch legs and repeat on the other side.
[00:08:52] Exercise number 10. Legs-Back. Hamstring curls. Start by standing behind the chair. Looping the band around your leg, step on the band with your opposite foot. Holding the back of the chair for support and keeping your back stable with your knee in the same position, curl your ankle up. Try and keep your knee even with the other knee while you curl your leg up to 90 degrees. Slowly return to the starting position doing the required number of repetitions. 3 seconds up. 3 seconds down. Do the required number of repetitions on one leg and repeat on the other side.
[00:09:39] Exercise number 11. Lower back. Hip extensions. Starting in the same position as our last exercise, this time though instead of bending your knee you're going to keep your legs straight and extend your leg back. Make sure your leg stays in line with your body and does not go out to the side. Also, be sure not to arch your back. Keep your abdominals contracted and keep a nice, even motion slowly returning to the starting position. Do the required number of repetitions on one leg. Switch legs and repeat on the other side. Make sure to keep a neutral spine with your abdominals contracted.
[00:10:27] Exercise number twelve. Abdominals. Chair leg raise. Start by sitting comfortably at the front edge of the chair with your chest up and both knees bent with your feet on the ground in front of you. Lift one knee higher than the opposite knee, tightening your abdominals as you lift. Note that you should keep your knee bent as opposed to lifting with a straight leg as is being done in the video. It is easier to do with a bent knee. Make sure you keep your body relaxed trying not to lean backward or arching forward or leaning to the side. Keep your chest up and your shoulders relaxed, breathing with each repetition. Complete the required number of repetitions on one leg and repeat with the opposite leg.
[00:11:18] Remember to begin with the exercises that you feel comfortable with working up to the full exercise routine over time. Start with one set of each exercise and progress to three sets of eight to 12 repetitions done three times a week for optimal management of your diabetes.
Category Tags: Physical Activity, Management;