Monitoring mnagement response is particularly important for thtough the timing and intensity of workouts. Linking to a non-federal website does Blood sugar management through physical activity constitute an endorsement by CDC or any of its employees of the sponsors or the information and products presented on the website. The time of day and proximity to meals can affect how exercise impacts blood glucose levels. Global estimates of the prevalence of diabetes for and

Blood sugar management through physical activity -

Eat fewer refined, highly processed carbs. These include white bread, white rice, sugary cereal, cakes, cookies, candy and chips. Get to know the plate method. This type of meal planning is simpler than counting carbs. The plate method helps you eat a healthy balance of foods and control portion sizes.

Use a 9-inch plate. Fill half of the plate with nonstarchy vegetables. Examples include lettuce, cucumbers, broccoli, tomatoes and green beans. Divide the other half of the plate into two smaller, equal sections.

You might hear these smaller sections called quarters. In one quarter of the plate, place a lean protein. Examples include fish, beans, eggs, and lean meat and poultry.

On the other quarter, place healthy carbohydrates such as fruits and whole grains. Be mindful of portion sizes. Learn what portion size is right for each type of food. Everyday objects can help you remember.

For example, one serving of meat or poultry is about the size of a deck of cards. A serving of cheese is about the size of six grapes. And a serving of cooked pasta or rice is about the size of a fist. You also can use measuring cups or a scale to help make sure you get the right portion sizes.

Balance your meals and medicines. If you take diabetes medicine, it's important to balance what you eat and drink with your medicine. Too little food in proportion to your diabetes medicine — especially insulin — can lead to dangerously low blood sugar.

This is called hypoglycemia. Too much food may cause your blood sugar level to climb too high. This is called hyperglycemia. Talk to your diabetes health care team about how to best coordinate meal and medicine schedules. Limit sugary drinks.

Sugar-sweetened drinks tend to be high in calories and low in nutrition. They also cause blood sugar to rise quickly.

So it's best to limit these types of drinks if you have diabetes. The exception is if you have a low blood sugar level.

Sugary drinks can be used to quickly raise blood sugar that is too low. These drinks include regular soda, juice and sports drinks. Exercise is another important part of managing diabetes. When you move and get active, your muscles use blood sugar for energy.

Regular physical activity also helps your body use insulin better. These factors work together to lower your blood sugar level. The more strenuous your workout, the longer the effect lasts.

But even light activities can improve your blood sugar level. Light activities include housework, gardening and walking. Talk to your healthcare professional about an exercise plan. Ask your healthcare professional what type of exercise is right for you.

In general, most adults should get at least minutes a week of moderate aerobic activity. That includes activities that get the heart pumping, such as walking, biking and swimming.

Aim for about 30 minutes of moderate aerobic activity a day on most days of the week. Most adults also should aim to do strength-building exercise 2 to 3 times a week. If you haven't been active for a long time, your healthcare professional may want to check your overall health first. Then the right balance of aerobic and muscle-strengthening exercise can be recommended.

Keep an exercise schedule. Ask your healthcare professional about the best time of day for you to exercise. That way, your workout routine is aligned with your meal and medicine schedules. Know your numbers.

Talk with your healthcare professional about what blood sugar levels are right for you before you start exercise. Check your blood sugar level. Also talk with your healthcare professional about your blood sugar testing needs. If you don't take insulin or other diabetes medicines, you likely won't need to check your blood sugar before or during exercise.

But if you take insulin or other diabetes medicines, testing is important. Check your blood sugar before, during and after exercise. Many diabetes medicines lower blood sugar.

So does exercise, and its effects can last up to a day later. The risk of low blood sugar is greater if the activity is new to you. The risk also is greater if you start to exercise at a more intense level.

Be aware of symptoms of low blood sugar. These include feeling shaky, weak, tired, hungry, lightheaded, irritable, anxious or confused.

See if you need a snack. Have a small snack before you exercise if you use insulin and your blood sugar level is low. The snack you have before exercise should contain about 15 to 30 grams of carbs.

Or you could take 10 to 20 grams of glucose products. This helps prevent a low blood sugar level. Stay hydrated. Drink plenty of water or other fluids while exercising. Dehydration can affect blood sugar levels. Be prepared. Always have a small snack, glucose tablets or glucose gel with you during exercise.

You'll need a quick way to boost your blood sugar if it drops too low. Carry medical identification too. In case of an emergency, medical identification can show others that you have diabetes. It also can show whether you take diabetes medicine such as insulin. Medical IDs come in forms such as cards, bracelets and necklaces.

Adjust your diabetes treatment plan as needed. If you take insulin, you may need to lower your insulin dose before you exercise.

You also may need to watch your blood sugar level closely for several hours after intense activity. That's because low blood sugar can happen later on. Your healthcare professional can advise you how to correctly make changes to your medicine.

You also may need to adjust your treatment if you've increased how often or how hard you exercise. Insulin and other diabetes medicines are designed to lower blood sugar levels when diet and exercise alone don't help enough. How well these medicines work depends on the timing and size of the dose.

Medicines you take for conditions other than diabetes also can affect your blood sugar levels. Store insulin properly. Insulin that is not stored properly or is past its expiration date may not work.

Keep insulin away from extreme heat or cold. Don't store it in the freezer or in direct sunlight. Tell your healthcare professional about any medicine problems.

If your diabetes medicines cause your blood sugar level to drop too low, the dosage or timing may need to be changed.

Your healthcare professional also might adjust your medicine if your blood sugar stays too high. Be cautious with new medicines. Talk with your healthcare team or pharmacist before you try new medicines. That includes medicines sold without a prescription and those prescribed for other medical conditions.

Ask how the new medicine might affect your blood sugar levels and any diabetes medicines you take. Sometimes a different medicine may be used to prevent dangerous side effects. Or a different medicine might be used to prevent your current medicine from mixing poorly with a new one.

With diabetes, it's important to be prepared for times of illness. When you're sick, your body makes stress-related hormones that help fight the illness.

But those hormones also can raise your blood sugar. Changes in your appetite and usual activity also may affect your blood sugar level. Plan ahead. Work with your healthcare team to make a plan for sick days. Include instructions on what medicines to take and how to adjust your medicines if needed.

Also note how often to measure your blood sugar. Ask your healthcare professional if you need to measure levels of acids in the urine called ketones.

Your plan also should include what foods and drinks to have, and what cold or flu medicines you can take. Know when to call your healthcare professional too. For example, it's important to call if you run a fever over degrees Fahrenheit Keep taking your diabetes medicine. But call your healthcare professional if you can't eat because of an upset stomach or vomiting.

In these situations, you may need to change your insulin dose. If you take rapid-acting or short-acting insulin or other diabetes medicine, you may need to lower the dose or stop taking it for a time.

These medicines need to be carefully balanced with food to prevent low blood sugar. But if you use long-acting insulin, do not stop taking it.

During times of illness, it's also important to check your blood sugar often. Stick to your diabetes meal plan if you can. Eating as usual helps you control your blood sugar.

Keep a supply of foods that are easy on your stomach. These include gelatin, crackers, soups, instant pudding and applesauce. Drink lots of water or other fluids that don't add calories, such as tea, to make sure you stay hydrated.

If you take insulin, you may need to sip sugary drinks such as juice or sports drinks. These drinks can help keep your blood sugar from dropping too low. It's risky for some people with diabetes to drink alcohol. Alcohol can lead to low blood sugar shortly after you drink it and for hours afterward.

The liver usually releases stored sugar to offset falling blood sugar levels. But if your liver is processing alcohol, it may not give your blood sugar the needed boost. Get your healthcare professional's OK to drink alcohol.

With diabetes, drinking too much alcohol sometimes can lead to health conditions such as nerve damage. But if your diabetes is under control and your healthcare professional agrees, an occasional alcoholic drink is fine.

Women should have no more than one drink a day. Men should have no more than two drinks a day. One drink equals a ounce beer, 5 ounces of wine or 1.

Don't drink alcohol on an empty stomach. If you take insulin or other diabetes medicines, eat before you drink alcohol. This helps prevent low blood sugar. Or drink alcohol with a meal. Choose your drinks carefully. Light beer and dry wines have fewer calories and carbohydrates than do other alcoholic drinks.

If you prefer mixed drinks, sugar-free mixers won't raise your blood sugar. Some examples of sugar-free mixers are diet soda, diet tonic, club soda and seltzer.

Add up calories from alcohol. If you count calories, include the calories from any alcohol you drink in your daily count. Ask your healthcare professional or a registered dietitian how to make calories and carbohydrates from alcoholic drinks part of your diet plan.

Check your blood sugar level before bed. Alcohol can lower blood sugar levels long after you've had your last drink. So check your blood sugar level before you go to sleep. The snack can counter a drop in your blood sugar. Changes in hormone levels the week before and during periods can lead to swings in blood sugar levels.

Look for patterns. Keep careful track of your blood sugar readings from month to month. You may be able to predict blood sugar changes related to your menstrual cycle. Your healthcare professional may recommend changes in your meal plan, activity level or diabetes medicines.

These changes can make up for blood sugar swings. Check blood sugar more often. If you're likely nearing menopause or if you're in menopause, talk with your healthcare professional.

Ask whether you need to check your blood sugar more often. Also, be aware that menopause and low blood sugar have some symptoms in common, such as sweating and mood changes. So whenever you can, check your blood sugar before you treat your symptoms.

That way you can confirm whether your blood sugar is low. Most types of birth control are safe to use when you have diabetes. But combination birth control pills may raise blood sugar levels in some people. It's very important to take charge of stress when you have diabetes.

The hormones your body makes in response to prolonged stress may cause your blood sugar to rise. Insulin is a hormone that helps the cells in our bodies absorb the glucose sugar in our blood, which we use for energy.

And exercise is a good way to accomplish that goal. In addition to moderate-to-high intensity cardiovascular exercise that elevates the heart rate significantly such as brisk walking, jogging, swimming, and cycling , resistance training such as body weight exercises, free weights, and gym machines is also crucial, she adds.

Duah says. Visit the Yale Medicine Diabetes Content Center for more diabetes-related articles and videos. Skip to Main Content. Updated: Oct.

This is how exercise can help lower blood glucose in the short term. Gestational diabetes healthcare when physlcal are active on a regular basis, it can Bpood lower your A1C. Throguh effect physical activity has on your blood glucose will vary depending on how long you are active and many other factors. Physical activity can lower your blood glucose up to 24 hours or more after your workout by making your body more sensitive to insulin. Become familiar with how your blood glucose responds to exercise.

Blood sugar management through physical activity -

Exercise just makes you feel better. So, however you want to do it—taking regular walks around the block, going for a run, or signing up for a marathon—getting started is the most important part.

Light walking is a great place to start—and a great habit to incorporate into your life. Walk with a loved one, with your dog, or just by yourself while listening to an audio book. Learn more about how to get started safely.

Even losing 10—15 pounds can have a significant impact on your health. For people who have diabetes—or almost any other disease, for that matter—the benefits of exercise can't be overstated. Exercise helps control weight, lower blood pressure, lower harmful LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, raise healthy HDL cholesterol, strengthen muscles and bones, reduce anxiety, and improve your general well-being.

There are added benefits for people with diabetes: exercise lowers blood glucose levels and boosts your body's sensitivity to insulin, countering insulin resistance. Many studies underscore these and other benefits from exercise.

Following are some highlights of those results:. In general, the best time to exercise is one to three hours after eating, when your blood sugar level is likely to be higher. If you use insulin, it's important to test your blood sugar before exercising.

Testing again 30 minutes later will show whether your blood sugar level is stable. It's also a good idea to check your blood sugar after any particularly grueling workout or activity. If you're taking insulin, your risk of developing hypoglycemia may be highest six to 12 hours after exercising.

Because of the dangers associated with diabetes, always wear a medical alert bracelet indicating that you have diabetes and whether you take insulin. Also keep hard candy or glucose tablets with you while exercising in case your blood sugar drops precipitously.

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This lowers your BGLs. For people taking insulin or diabetes tablets which make you produce more insulin there is a risk of your BGLs going too low. Check your BGLs before during and after exercise to see how the particular exercise you are doing affects your BGLs.

The type, length of time duration , your fitness level and intensity of exercise can all have an effect. Always take easy to carry hypoglycaemia treatments with you if you are at risk of hypos, such as jelly beans or glucose gel and wear a medic alert bracelet.

Exercising when your blood glucose is higher than normal can lower your levels. However, if you are unwell and your BGLs are very high it is best to avoid exercising until your BGLs have returned to the normal range. People with diabetes who have BGLs above the normal range are more at risk of dehydration so increase your fluids to stay hydrated when you exercise.

People with type 1 diabetes are at risk of developing a build-up of ketones ketoacidosis if they are unwell or have forgotten to take their insulin. If you have type 1 diabetes and you are unwell, avoid exercise until you feel better.

Extra insulin is needed to clear ketones. Ask your diabetes health professional for an individual management plan. People with type 2 diabetes are generally not at risk of developing dangerous levels of ketones unless taking a SGLT-2 inhibitor and therefore do not need to check for them.

If you have existing diabetes complications such as heart, eye or kidney problems, check with your diabetes specialist if it is safe to do certain types of activity.

They can advise you about which types of exercise to avoid in order to prevent worsening complications. This page has been produced in consultation with and approved by:. Hypertension, or high blood pressure, can increase your risk of heart attack, kidney failure and stroke.

Diabetes and the build-up of glucose sugar in the blood can cause serious complications if left untreated. Good foot care and regular check-ups can help people with diabetes avoid foot problems.

Gestational diabetes is diabetes that occurs during pregnancy and usually disappears when the pregnancy is over. Many parents worry when their child with diabetes starts or returns to school. Content on this website is provided for information purposes only. Information about a therapy, service, product or treatment does not in any way endorse or support such therapy, service, product or treatment and is not intended to replace advice from your doctor or other registered health professional.

The information and materials contained on this website are not intended to constitute a comprehensive guide concerning all aspects of the therapy, product or treatment described on the website. All users are urged to always seek advice from a registered health care professional for diagnosis and answers to their medical questions and to ascertain whether the particular therapy, service, product or treatment described on the website is suitable in their circumstances.

The State of Victoria and the Department of Health shall not bear any liability for reliance by any user on the materials contained on this website. Skip to main content. Home Diabetes.

If you have diabetes, getting physicla physical activity is key to helping manage your blood sugar. Read Blood sugar management through physical activity physocal tips to managemdnt you get moving and keep going. One of the most important things that you can do for your health is to get regular physical activity. There are so many benefits, from sleeping better to feeling happier. Regular physical activity can also help you:.