The Role of Exercise in Managing Diabetes

Don’t let diabetes hold you back from being active! Whether it’s a brisk walk around the block or a yoga class, there are plenty of ways to stay active and healthy. Regular exercise can help you manage your diabetes and improve your overall well-being.

Exercise is a key component in managing diabetes. Regular physical activity can help lower blood sugar levels, improve insulin sensitivity, and reduce the risk of complications associated with diabetes. By increasing muscle mass and improving cardiovascular health, exercise can also help people with diabetes achieve and maintain a healthy weight, which is essential for managing the condition. Additionally, regular exercise can help reduce stress and improve overall mood, which can be beneficial for people living with diabetes. In summary, exercise is not only beneficial for managing diabetes, but it also helps to improve overall health and well-being.

How can Exercise Help with Diabetes?

Broadly speaking there are 2 main types of exercise, aerobic training and strength training.

Aerobic training is any form of exercise that increases your heart rate, the most common examples of aerobic training are walking, running, swimming and cycling. Strength training is a form of exercise that has the end goal of building muscle and increasing your strength. Both exercise types have a different effect on blood sugar and diabetes management, so we want to use both in order to get the most benefit.

Aerobic training can cause a short-term reduction in blood sugar, which can normalise the bodies response to eating. The benefits of aerobic exercise can last for 2 days, but more is generally better. Try going for a walk after a big meal and see what happens to your blood sugar!

Strength training takes longer to start working, but building muscle is the best way to manage your diabetes in the long term. Muscle is one of the main places that we store sugar to use as energy. If you have more muscle and of a higher quality then it is easier for the body to get sugar out of the blood! Strength training doesn’t just have to be spending hours in the gym, it can be done at home using body weight or light resistance.

How can an Exercise Physiologist help with Diabetes?

An Exercise Physiologist specialises in writing exercise programs to help manage chronic conditions such as diabetes. We can make sure that the exercises that you do will be safe and suited to your individual needs. Contact Solutions Allied Health to discuss how our team can help you to manage your diabetes and live a healthier and happier life.

Note: any advice provided in this article is general in nature and not specific to any individual. For individual advice please contact and exercise physiologist for an appointment.