Exercise gives you energy, gets your heart pumping and makes you feel great. Most doctors recommend people with diabetes to get some type of physical activity. Yet, studies show that as few as 39% of people with type 2 diabetes get regular exercise.
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Physical activity has an effect on blood glucose, but it really varies from person to person. You should become familiar with how your blood glucose responds to exercise. Check your blood glucose level frequently before and after exercise to see the benefits of the activity you’re doing and to see which type of exercise best fits your needs. Understanding how your body reacts to exercise can help prevent your blood glucose from going up or getting too low. 
According to the American Diabetes Association, there are a couple of ways that exercise lowers your blood glucose:
- Insulin sensitivity is increased, so your cells are better able to use any available insulin to take up glucose during and after activity.
- When your muscles contract during activity, it stimulates another mechanism that is completely separate of insulin. This mechanism allows your cells to take up glucose and use it for energy whether insulin is available or not.
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What are the best exercises?
- Walking
- Tai Chi
- Weight training
- Yoga
- Swimming
- Bicycle
Getting at least 30 minutes of exercise is beneficial to your health, but food is extremely important. As you may already know, people with diabetes should always be prepared to treat hypoglycemia. You don’t want to start getting the shakes, start sweating, get lightheaded or dizzy due to low blood glucose. People with type 1 diabetes are at a higher risk than those with type 2.
If you have any symptoms of hypoglycemia during or after your exercise routine, you should eat a fast-acting carbohydrate like a sports drink, regular soda, or glucose tablets. After you feel better, make sure you eat regular meals and snacks and check your blood glucose.
Start exercising, but definitely keep track of how exercise makes you feel. If you don’t know where to start, talk to your doctor and he or she will recommend an exercise for you, since they know more about your health history.