Exercise and Activity Flashcards
7 cards from real Diabetes practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Exercise and Activity flashcards as text
A person with Type 2 diabetes and obesity wants to start exercising but has joint pain. Which is the BEST starting recommendation?
Answer: Start with low-impact activities like water aerobics or cycling
Low-impact activities like water aerobics or cycling provide cardiovascular and metabolic benefits while minimizing stress on joints, making them ideal starting points for people with obesity and joint pain.
What is the purpose of wearing medical identification during exercise for a person with diabetes?
Answer: To alert bystanders and emergency responders to the person's diabetes if they become incapacitated
Medical identification ensures that emergency responders know the person has diabetes and may need glucose treatment if they become unconscious or confused during or after exercise.
Which lab value should be checked before a person with diabetes starts a vigorous exercise program, to screen for underlying cardiovascular disease?
Answer: Resting ECG or stress test depending on risk factors
People with diabetes have elevated cardiovascular risk, so a resting ECG or exercise stress test (based on age and risk factors) is recommended before initiating vigorous exercise programs.
A person with well-controlled Type 2 diabetes on a sulfonylurea (like glipizide) starts a new walking routine. Why is hypoglycemia a particular concern?
Answer: Sulfonylureas stimulate constant insulin secretion regardless of activity level
Sulfonylureas stimulate insulin secretion independent of blood glucose levels, so when exercise additionally lowers blood glucose, the constant insulin stimulus can cause hypoglycemia.
What is the role of glucagon in exercise for people with Type 1 diabetes who have exercised to the point of severe hypoglycemia and are unconscious?
Answer: Glucagon can be injected to trigger the liver to release stored glucose
Emergency glucagon injection (or nasal glucagon) signals the liver to release stored glycogen as glucose, raising blood sugar in a person too impaired to swallow oral carbohydrates.
How does regular physical activity affect insulin requirements in Type 1 diabetes over the long term?
Answer: Insulin requirements often decrease due to improved insulin sensitivity
Chronic exercise training improves insulin sensitivity in muscle and adipose tissue, often allowing people with Type 1 diabetes to reduce their total daily insulin dose over time.
Which strategy helps prevent hypoglycemia the night after a long afternoon endurance exercise session in a Type 1 diabetic?
Answer: Reduce the evening long-acting insulin dose and have a bedtime snack with protein and carbs
Reducing evening basal insulin and eating a protein-carbohydrate bedtime snack addresses both the depleted glycogen stores and the ongoing muscle glucose uptake that drives nocturnal hypoglycemia after endurance exercise.