Developing an Endurance Exercise Program for the Diabetic Patient

Introduction Exercise in the treatment of diabetes was used as early as 600 BC in India . However, in the era since the discovery of insulin its relationship with diet and insulin has been recognized as an important triad for the successful management of diabetes . Unfortunately , little attention has been paid to the writing of individualized exercise prescriptions at most centers which educate and treat the diabetic patient. Instead , the treatment regimen has been limited primarily to the prescript ion of an insulin dosage appropriate for a given dietary intake . Fortunately, interest in restoring exercise as an integral part of the treatment triad has been observed with the recent publication of several review articles regarding diabetes and exercise .!" Consequently , the purpose of this article is to present an easily adapted method for writingexercise prescriptions and to offer some suggestions for answering the most frequently asked questions about exercise by diabetic patients.