How Does Exercising Help Diabetes—And What Exercises Should You Do?
Takeaways
Exercise could help you keep your blood sugar levels under control by promoting muscle growth and fat loss. It also improves general health and wellbeing.
There are 3 main types of exercise: aerobic (cardio), strength training, and flexibility work. Aim to do a good mix of all.
Try to get at least 30 minutes of cardio exercise most days of the week. Examples of aerobic exercises include tennis, walking, biking, and swimming.
Aim for 20 to 30 minutes of strength training, 2 to 3 times a week, for better blood glucose level control. If you don’t have access to the gym, you could also use your body weight, resistance bands, or even home equipment to train.
Stretching before and after your exercise reduces muscle soreness and may even help reduce your blood glucose levels. Use slow and controlled movements.
Recommended exercise targets
Most adults with diabetes should engage in 150 min or more of moderate-to-vigorous intensity activity weekly, spread over at least 3 days/week, with no more than 2 consecutive days without activity. Shorter durations (minimum 75 min/week) of vigorous-intensity or interval training may be sufficient for younger and more physically fit individuals.
Exercise can improve general health and wellbeing. It has also been proven to induce positive changes in your cholesterol profile, reduce blood pressure and improve other cardiovascular risk factors.
If you have diabetes, exercise can help you build muscle and shed excess fat, all of which go a long way to keeping your blood sugar levels under control.
Ways to get started
Ease into it. If you're not active now, start with 10 minutes of exercise at a time. Gradually work up to 30 minutes a day.
Strength train at least twice a week. This can help to improve blood sugar control. You can lift weights or work with resistance bands. Or you can do moves like push-ups, lunges, and squats, which use your own body weight.
Make it a habit. Exercise, eat, and take your medicines at the same time each day to build up a routine that you will stick to. Your long-term health depends on it, so as tough as it may be to find time or motivate yourself to exercise, keep at it. It will help you to lose weight (if you need to do so), and make your body more efficient at using its glucose.
What Kinds of Exercise Should You Do?
There are three main kinds of exercise—aerobic, strength training, and flexibility work. You should aim to have a good mix of all three.
Aerobic Exercises
Aim to get at least 30 minutes of cardio (aerobic) exercise most days of the week. If the thought of finding 30 minutes too difficult, you can break up the exercise into shorter periods of about 10 minutes each time, aiming for a minimum of 30 minutes at the end of the day.
Aerobic exercises include:
Tennis
Dancing and Zumba
Jogging/Running
Walking
Basketball
Swimming
Biking
Try to build up to 30 minutes gradually by adding a few minutes to each walk or exercise every other week until you can manage 20-30 minutes at a time. But don't stop there—try to keep adding a few minutes over time to reach 60, even 90 minutes, a day to keep building your duration and fitness.
You can also stretch your creativity when it comes to fitting in physical activity throughout your day. Take a short walk after lunch, choose to take the stairs over the escalator/lift if possible, or park your car a little further away than your closest car park. A little goes a long way, and they certainly do add up over time!
You need to find a way to exercise that you actually enjoy—because if it’s not fun, you won’t do it. It’ll be harder to stay motivated, even if you know all the benefits of exercise. If you do like to have some companionship, consider taking group classes at the gym, or find a friend to walk or run with. Having someone else exercising with you does make it more fun and motivating.
Strength Training
Apart from including aerobic activity into your exercise routine, you should also aim to incorporate some strength/ resistance training.
Strength/ resistance training helps you to increase lean muscle mass which will raise your metabolism and burn more calories. These resistance-type exercises, added on top of your aerobic activity, also support strong, healthy bones. Building more muscle in place of fat is particularly beneficial when you have type 2 diabetes because muscles use glucose, so the more you use your muscles, the more effective you can be at controlling your blood glucose level.
Weight training is one of the most common strength building techniques, although you can also use other your own body weight, resistance bands or even home equipment to build up strength.
Aim for 20-30 minutes of strength training two or three times a week to get the benefits of strength training.
Flexibility Training
With flexibility training, you’ll improve how well your muscles and joints work. Stretching before and after exercise (especially after exercise) reduces muscle soreness and actually relaxes your muscles.
Some studies show that stretching can help to reduce one’s average blood glucose levels. The researchers believe that static stretching opens up small blood vessels which allows glucose to be absorbed in the cells more efficiently.
When you’re stretching, you should feel a “pulling” sensation in the muscles you are stretching. If you start to feel a sharp or extreme pain, you’re stretching farther than you should. You should never stay in a stretch that is causing you extreme discomfort or pain. When you stretch, avoid quick and jerky movements. Don’t “bounce” or use excessive force. While stretching, use slow and controlled movements and remember to have a consistent breathing pattern.
The takeaway
Although everyone will benefit from being physically active, specific recommendations and precautions will vary depending on your age, fitness level, interests and health condition. Exercise plans should be tailored to meet the specific needs of each individual. Consult with an expert to get advice personalized to you - especially if you have a preexisting health condition.
A sample beginner training program would look like this:
Day 1: Strength Training
Day 2: Rest Day
Day 3: Aerobic Training
Day 4: Rest Day
Day 5: Strength Training
Day 6: Aerobic Training
Day 7: Rest Day
A sample beginner bodyweight strength workout would look like this:
20-30 seconds of marching on the spot, rest for 30 seconds
20-30 seconds of wall sit, rest for 30 seconds
20-30 seconds of knee push ups/ incline push ups, rest for 30 seconds
20-30 seconds of incline plank, rest for 30 seconds
20-30 seconds of bird dog, rest for 30 seconds
After completing the whole set of exercises, rest for 2-3 mins and repeat the entire sequence for another 2-3 rounds.
For more information about the management of diabetes, check out our diabetes resource hub, and our health library for articles related to diabetes!
