Exercise can help lower blood sugar levels in people with diabetes. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommends 30 minutes of activity most days of the week if you’re at a healthy weight, and 150-300 minutes per week if you are overweight or obese.
Exercise may improve blood sugar levels in people with diabetes.
Exercise is a great way to lower your blood sugar. It can also help you lose weight and reduce your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
Exercise helps people with diabetes by:
- Increasing insulin sensitivity (the ability of the body’s cells to use insulin). This allows for more efficient metabolism of glucose into energy, which reduces the amount that remains in circulation as excess fat storage or fat deposits on organs such as the liver or pancreas.
- Reducing stress levels by increasing endorphins in the brain, which are natural painkillers that promote feelings of well-being while decreasing anxiety.Reducing cortisol production (a hormone produced during stress); lowering adrenaline levels (another hormone released during physical exertion).
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommends 30 minutes of activity most days of the week.
The ADA recommends 30 minutes of activity most days of the week, but you can break up that time into intervals if you prefer. For example, you could do 10 minutes in the morning and another 10 at night, or 20 minutes on Monday and 20 on Wednesday. You can even split your workout into two sessions by going for a 20-minute walk at lunchtime or before work, then heading back out again after work for another 20 minutes (or however much time works for your schedule).
If you’re new to exercise or haven’t worked out in awhile, start slow–and make sure to warm up! A 5-minute warmup is all it takes before starting any type of activity (running/walking/swimming). Warming up helps prepare muscles so they don’t get injured while working out; it also gets blood flowing through them which improves circulation and reduces soreness later in life when exercising regularly
Do aerobic exercise like walking, biking, or jogging for at least 10 minutes at a time, which should be broken up into intervals.
Exercise is a great way to lower blood sugar. The more you do it, the better it works. In fact, even just 30 minutes of exercise a day can lower your risk for diabetes by as much as 35%.
If you want to start exercising now:
- Do aerobic exercise like walking or swimming for at least 10 minutes at a time, which should be broken up into intervals (for example, five minutes of walking/swimming followed by one minute of rest). Then increase this time gradually over several weeks until you’re able to do 30 minutes continuously without stopping.
- Try doing some strength training exercises on alternate days with your aerobic exercise routine; These include weight lifting with free weights or machines at the gym and bodyweight exercises such as pushups and squats in addition to other types such as Pilates or yoga classes offered through community centers near where people live.
Work up to doing 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity per week.
- Work up to doing 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity per week.
- Moderate intensity is a level where you can still talk, but not sing. Examples include:
- walking briskly (3 miles per hour)
- jogging (5 miles per hour)
- gardening or raking leaves
Exercise can help lower blood sugar levels but you have to make sure you’re not overdoing it and that you’re working out at the right intensity level
You should also make sure you’re not overdoing it. Exercise can be a great way to keep your blood sugar levels down, but if you exercise too much or at the wrong intensity level, then it may have the opposite effect!
So how do we know what’s right for us? There are lots of ways to figure this out:
- If you feel like passing out or feeling dizzy when exercising (or even after), then stop immediately and rest until those symptoms go away.
- Make sure that whatever type of exercise program you choose is right for your fitness level–you don’t want to push yourself too far beyond what’s comfortable for you!
Conclusion
Exercise can help lower blood sugar levels but you have to make sure you’re not overdoing it and that you’re working out at the right intensity level. If you’re not sure how much exercise is right for you, talk with your doctor or diabetes educator about what types of activity are best suited for people with diabetes.
