News Releases
4/19/06
It's 7:15 a.m. at the University of Kansas Medical Center, and Kay Sweeney is preparing to participate in an exercise class designed for patients with diabetes. But first, a health-care professional overseeing the session monitors her vital signs: Sweeney's pulse, blood pressure, blood-sugar and blood-oxygen levels.
Sweeney, 61, has type 2 diabetes and monitoring these signs will help determine the intensity of exercise or whether she should be exerting herself at all, said Perri Cagle, a clinical assistant professor of physical therapy and rehabilitation sciences who led the session. When the session ends, the measures are taken again to document the effects of the exercise.
The new exercise program for patients with diabetes was funded by a $20,000 grant from the Diabetes Freedom Foundation to KU Endowment. An inauguration of the new program was held today at the Exercise & Fitness Laboratory at KU Medical Center.
"There is a great need for an organized affordable exercise group that is solely geared for persons with diabetes," said program director Lisa Stehno-Bittel, chair of physical therapy and rehabilitation sciences. She noted that diabetes has been associated with increased rates of obesity. "Exercise can help these individuals control their weight and lower their blood sugar level," she said.
It can be dangerous for people with diabetes to exercise when their blood-sugar level is too high or too low; this risk can deter some from getting the activity they need. Having a medical professional monitor these levels for participants provides a sense of security for those who would otherwise be reluctant to exercise, Stehno-Bittel said.
Sweeney acknowledged that it could be intimidating to go to a regular gym. A patient in the family medicine department at KU Med Center, she said her blood-sugar level has dropped since beginning the program in March. Seeing the positive effects of exercise on her blood-sugar levels and blood pressure during the course of each exercise session is a powerful incentive to return, she said.
"I enjoy life and I want to live longer," she says, explaining her motivation to exercise twice a week before her workday has begun.
Persons with diabetes who would like to participate in the exercise program should call (913) 588-6913 for more information. Classes last 45 minutes and run for 12-week sessions, which costs $30. In addition to the vital signs measures at the beginning and end of exercise, the class includes a warm-up, aerobic exercise, stretching, strengthening and a cool-down session.
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