4 best forms of exercise for people with type 2 diabetes

1. Aerobic exercise is good for people with type 2 diabetes.

When doing aerobic exercise, whether it's moderate activity like walking or more vigorous activity like running or cycling, muscles use glucose, blood sugar, to provide energy for the workout. This lowers blood sugar levels and helps the body use insulin more effectively.

AssociationDiabetesThe U.S. Agency for Disease Control and Prevention (ADA) recommends that all adults with type 2 diabetes engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity, such as walking, running, swimming, or cycling, each week.

For beginners, it's best to start slowly, with just 5 to 10 minutes of moderate activity each day until you can gradually increase it to 30 minutes/day, on most days of the week.

For those who already have a regular exercise routine, some interval training can be implemented, meaning performing bursts of high-intensity effort interspersed with periods of recovery.

A March 2017 study in the Scandinavian Journal of Sports Medicine & Science showed that interval training can offer significant benefits for people with diabetes. In the study, people with type 2 diabetes who performed 4 to 6 30-second sprints followed by 4 minutes of recovery had better muscle glucose metabolism compared to those who cycled at a moderate intensity for 40 to 60 minutes.

If a diabetic patient has arthritis or neuropathy in their feet, they should switch their resistance training to other activities such as swimming, stationary cycling, or walking.

Walking helps stabilize blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes.

2. Strength training

Dr. Sheri Colberg, an American diabetes expert, explains that the body stores carbohydrates in muscles and the liver. If you don't have much muscle mass, those carbs will either "spill" into the bloodstream, raising blood sugar levels, or be stored as fat.

Typically, fat tends to accumulate in the abdominal area, leading to increased insulin resistance. However, if the body has sufficient muscle mass, these carbs can be absorbed into the muscles and then used up through aerobic or resistance training.

People with diabetes are at risk of muscle weakness, so resistance training helps build muscle mass, which in turn improves insulin sensitivity.

The ADA recommends 2-3 strength training sessions per week. When starting out, it's best to use only your body weight as resistance, with exercises such as planks, lunges, and push-ups.

But if you can do 8 to 12 repetitions without your muscles feeling fatigued, you can add resistance bands, dumbbells (such as barbells), weight machines at the gym, or even simple household items like full water bottles to increase resistance.

The heavier you are, the more glycogen you use, which helps build and strengthen muscles and improves insulin sensitivity.

Lunge exercises with resistance bands strengthen muscles and are beneficial for people with diabetes.

3. Stretching exercises

In people with diabetes, excess glucose in the blood can bind like sugar to the surface of joints, altering the joint structure over time. This leads to joints and muscles becoming brittle and less flexible, making you more susceptible to injury from overuse.

Therefore, regular stretching is key to increasing muscle and joint flexibility. Stretching immediately after exercise is usually the easiest and more memorable to do.

Stretching exercises

4. Mindfulness

Mindfulness-based exercises such as yoga and tai chi have been shown to benefit people with type 2 diabetes. This is because these forms of exercise promote physical activity, helping to reduce stress, which has been shown to worsen type 2 diabetes.

A September 2018 review of Endocrinology and Metabolism in the US concluded that yoga can be an effective tool for controlling blood sugar levels and may also help treat other related conditions such as high blood pressure.

Although there are no official guidelines on mindfulness-based activities, the ADA recommends practicing flexibility and balance exercises—including yoga and tai chi—two to three times a week.

Yoga is a suitable sport for people with diabetes.

5. Advice on safe exercise for people with diabetes

Monitor your blood sugar levels before, during, and after exercise. Take proper care of your feet, such as wearing sweat-wicking socks to keep them dry, wearing well-fitting shoes, and checking for any wounds, sores, or injuries on your feet. Pay adequate attention to your hands, such as wearing gloves to prevent calluses and chafing. Don't ignore any other health conditions besides diabetes, such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease, arthritis, etc., and adjust your exercise routine accordingly. Consult your doctor before starting any exercise program to assess your health and fitness level and adjust your treatment plan accordingly.

If you are someone who is not used to exercising and have complications related to diabetes such as high blood pressure, neuropathy, or retinopathy, you should talk to your doctor before starting any exercise program.