Diabetes and Fitness: Tailoring Exercise to Your Blood Sugar Levels

Exercise is essential for managing diabetes, as it helps with several different components of long-term health. However, it's important to approach fitness carefully, as individuals with diabetes have special circumstances to consider. Here, we'll provide a brief overview of diabetes and fitness, including how to tailor exercises to your blood sugar levels.

Why Physical Activity is Important When Living With Diabetes

The benefits of exercise are undeniable for both people with and without diabetes. However, when prioritizing diabetes care, exercise becomes even more important. Some of the most notable benefits include:

• It helps improve blood sugar control by allowing muscles to use glucose more effectively, which lowers blood sugar levels.
• It increases insulin sensitivity, making the body’s cells more responsive to insulin and reducing the need for high insulin levels.
• It helps maintain a healthy weight.
• It reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke.
• It helps lower blood pressure.
• It can improve cholesterol levels by raising good cholesterol (HDL) and lowering bad cholesterol (LDL).
• It reduces the risk of diabetes-related complications.
• It can help improve mental health and reduce stress levels.
• It helps improve sleep quality, which is important for managing blood sugar levels.

Luckily, you don't have to upend your life and become a bodybuilder to experience these benefits. Several studies show that a 30-minute brisk walk within 30 minutes after eating can help lower blood sugar. When done consistently, these benefits can compound over time, significantly decreasing the risk of future complications. If you don't have 30 minutes after every meal, that's okay. You can still benefit from a five or even ten-minute walk, as any movement is better than none. For those who want to integrate movement after a meal, but maybe not every meal, choose your highest-carbohydrate meal of the day to schedule your walk.

Key Considerations About Diabetes and Fitness

Exercise is critical to managing diabetes, but that doesn't mean you should just jump into it. It's important for you to find activities that help you feel better while incorporating management strategies into your exercise program. Some important considerations regarding diabetes and fitness include the following:

Check Your Blood Sugar Regularly

Always check your blood sugar before starting any physical activity. In this article, you can find more guidelines on what to do depending on your blood sugar levels. If you're engaging in prolonged or intense exercise (more than 30-45 minutes), check your blood sugar halfway through, especially if you're at a higher risk of low blood sugar. For lengthier or more intense exercises, checking every 30 minutes is recommended. Then, check your blood sugar levels immediately after exercise to ensure they remain within your normal range.

Be Mindful of Your Feet

Individuals with diabetes need to be especially cautious about their feet during exercise due to the increased risk of complications such as poor circulation and neuropathy (nerve damage). Always check your feet before and after, and ensure you wear the proper footwear. If you have any wounds or ulcers, talk to your doctor about engaging with physical or occupational therapy to continue training while healing. Exercise can increase blood flow to your extremities, improving healing and shortening recovery time. If weight baring exercises are painful, you can try chair or bed-based activities, hand bikes, resistance bands, or reclined yoga.

Consider Diabetes Complications

Although everyone should take certain precautions before starting a new exercise regimen, people with diabetes must be cautious. Always speak to your doctor beforehand, and if you have any diabetes-related complications, familiarize yourself with some precautions to maximize safety. For example, according to the American Diabetes Association (ADA):

• Individuals who have heart disease or high blood pressure should be cautious of (or avoid) very strenuous activity, heavy lifting, and exercising in extreme temperatures.
• Individuals with nephropathy should also exercise caution during strenuous activity, especially with prolonged weight-bearing activities, exercising in heat or cold, and exercising with a foot injury or open sore.
• Individuals with autonomic neuropathy should be mindful of dehydration, as some activities that require rapid changes in movement may result in fainting.
• Individuals with retinopathy should be mindful of performing exercises that cause jarring, head-down movements, strenuous activities, and activities that require heavy strain.
• Individuals with peripheral vascular disease, osteoporosis, or arthritis should be careful when participating in high-impact activities.

You should stop exercising immediately and seek medical attention if you experience any of the following symptoms, as they could indicate a serious health issue:

• Chest pain or tightness
• Dizziness or lightheadedness
• Severe shortness of breath
• Nausea or vomiting
• Sudden weakness
• Loss of coordination
• Sharp or sudden pain
• Irregular or rapid heartbeat
• Excessive sweating, chills, or cold clammy skin
• Swelling in the legs, feet, or hands
• Blurred vision
• Confusion

Always have the appropriate diabetes medications and supplies with you during exercise to address any changes in blood sugar levels.

How to Tailor Exercise to Help Manage Your Blood Sugar Levels

While regular exercise can help lower your blood sugar levels, the duration and intensity may need to be adjusted daily. Before you head to the local gym and pick up some weights or go for a long-distance run, there are a few things to consider, especially regarding blood sugar levels. Here are some recommendations for ideas based on your blood sugar levels. Remember that these are merely recommendations based on general guidelines, and you should always consult with a doctor before starting an exercise regimen.

Blood Sugar Below 90 mg/dL (Low Blood Sugar - Hypoglycemia)

Exercising with low blood sugar can be dangerous, as it increases the risk of dizziness, confusion, weakness, or even fainting. If your blood sugar is below 90 mg/dL, avoid physical activity until it reaches at least 90 mg/dL. To raise your levels, consume 15-20 grams of fast-acting carbohydrates, such as glucose tablets, fruit juice, or a small piece of candy. Wait 15 minutes and recheck your blood sugar; if it remains low, repeat the process. Once your levels are stable, stick to light-intensity activities like walking or gentle stretching to prevent further drops.

Blood Sugar is 90–124 mg/dL (On the Lower Side)

While this range is not critically low, it may still be too low for intense physical activity. Before exercising, eat a small snack containing 10-15 grams of carbohydrates, such as 70-80g of grapes, 160-175g of cantaloupe or honeydew, or two small kiwis. This helps maintain stable blood sugar levels during your workout. Moderate-intensity activities, like brisk walking, cycling, or light resistance training, are great exercises, but monitoring how your body responds is essential. If you start feeling weak or lightheaded, take a break and check your glucose levels.

Blood Sugar is 126–180 mg/dL (Optimal Range for Exercise)

This is the ideal blood sugar range for physical activity, meaning you can engage in moderate to vigorous exercise without needing an additional snack beforehand. Activities like jogging, cycling, swimming, or strength training can help regulate glucose levels and improve insulin sensitivity. Staying hydrated is key, as dehydration can impact blood sugar control. Monitoring your blood sugar before and after exercise is also a good idea to understand how different workouts affect your levels.

Blood Sugar is over 270 mg/dL (High Blood Sugar - Hyperglycemia)

When blood sugar is in this range, it’s important to check for ketones, especially for individuals with type 1 diabetes. The presence of ketones in urine or blood can indicate that the body is breaking down fat for energy instead of using glucose, which can lead to a dangerous condition called diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). If ketones are present, avoid exercise and take insulin as directed by your healthcare provider. If there are no ketones, light activities like walking may help lower blood sugar, but intense exercise should be avoided as it can sometimes cause glucose levels to rise further. Staying hydrated and maintaining electrolytes is also crucial to help your body process excess sugar.

The above exercises and ranges are merely recommendations based on generic data. Diabetes and exercise can be very beneficial, but you should always talk to your doctor before you begin getting active or change your workout routine. Your diabetes care team will be able to recommend the correct type of exercise based on your blood glucose levels and any underlying conditions. To help you manage your diabetes both during exercise and rest, browse the diverse diabetes products available at Byram Healthcare today.