Exercise and diabetes

Why should I exercise?

Exercise helps improve both your general health and your diabetes health. It can make you feel good, help you to control your weight, improve your circulation and lower your blood sugar.You can get all these benefits from gentle, moderate or strenuous exercise.

How much exercise should I do?

The Health Education Authority recommends 30 minutes of moderate physical activity on five or more days of the week. Research shows that this level of activity improves health. If you are new to exercise then think of this as a target level and build up to it gradually. Moderate means enough to raise your heartbeat and make you feel warm and slightly - not uncomfortably - out of breath. Physical activity can include gardening, brisk walking, cycling, swimming and dancing as well as playing sports.

Improving health may help you

manage the stresses and strains of life
control your blood pressure
reduce your risk of heart disease
prevent brittle bones (osteoporosis) in later life
reduce the risk of some cancers, eg cancer of the colon
keep you mobile and independent in later life.

How do I get started?

Questions to ask yourself

Can I include more activity regularly in my everyday life?
Can I use stairs rather than lifts, walk a couple of bus stops, park a bit further away from work or the shops?
How can I vary my daily activity so that I don't get bored?
When during the day will I exercise? Try to pick a time when your energy levels are highest.
How long will my activity last and how energetic will I be?

You may need to be advised by your doctor before taking up strenuous exercise.

Will exercise affect my diabetes?

Depending on the type of exercise you do, you may need to lower your insulin dose and increase the food you eat to avoid low blood sugars (hypos).

Gentle activity: this may not affect your blood sugar levels.
Short strenuous exercise (eg squash): you may need more food beforehand and extra food afterwards at your next snack or main meal.
Prolonged exercise (eg a long cycle ride, football or rugby match): you may need to take extra food before, during and after your activity.
After exercise: your muscles will take at least 1-2 hours to refuel. During this time your blood sugar may still drop so it is important to check your blood sugar levels some hours after exercise to prevent delayed hypos which may occur in the night.

Remember that everyone is different and there will be some trial and error involved in working out how to balance your diabetes with your exercise. Your diabetes nurse can help you work out a system that suits you. Don't stop your insulin.

If you insulin dependent diabetes

You must do regular blood sugar tests to check the balance between your activity, insulin and snacks
Ask your diabetes nurse for advice about reducing your insulin dose before planned exercise
Eat extra food before and after exercise as well as, or instead of, reducing your insulin dose
Exercise can affect the absorption rate of your insulin. Some people prefer to inject into their stomach (before exercise)
Make sure that you have some sugar, glucose tablets, chocolate or a sugary drink handy while you exercise (perhaps in your pocket)
The national controlling bodies of some sports (eg solo sailing, hang gliding, some forms of motor sport) do not allow people taking insulin to participate. These restrictions do vary so ask the British Diabetic Association for up to date advice.