Being active makes your body more sensitive to insulin, helps control blood sugar levels and lowers your risk of heart disease and nerve damage.
![love activity diabetes Thumbnail](/sites/default/files/styles/full_width/public/images/2019-05/diabetes.jpg?itok=9VVwd9o1)
To avoid potential problems, you should check your blood sugar before, during and after exercise.
- Aim for 30 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous intensity aerobic exercise at least 5 days a week or a total of 150 minutes per week. Spread your activity out over at least 3 days during the week and try not to go more than 2 days in a row without exercising. Use My Activity planner to plan and keep track of your progress
If you’re starting out, begin with 5 or 10 minutes a day, and increase your sessions by a few minutes each week. Try taking a brisk 10 minute walk after each meal, for example
- Aerobic activities such as brisk walking, cycling, dancing, swimming, tennis and running are all good options, so why not try something new? You’ll knowyou're working at a moderate intensity if you can still talk, but can't sing the words to a song
- If you need to lose weight to help manage type 2 diabetes, then you may benefit from doing high-intensity interval training or HIIT. This combines low-to-moderate intensity intervals with high-intensity intervals, and can be applied to exercises such as running or cycling
- Making activity social can be a great way of sticking to it regularly. You could start a walking club, get gardening, play tennis or join a dance class
![hand weights dumbells Thumbnail](/sites/default/files/styles/content_aligned/public/media-image/2019-05/dumbells-unsplash_1200x803.jpg?itok=wcIQd1c-)
- For diabetes, greater health benefits are gained from doing a combination of aerobic and resistance training with weights, because resistance training makes your body more sensitive to insulin and can lower blood glucose
- Aim to do activity which improves muscle strength on at least two days per week. You could try signing up to a gym class that involves strength training, or start by lifting light weights like canned goods or water bottles at home
- You don’t just have to lift weights to build muscles; exercises such as sit-ups, lunges, planks and pull-ups will also be beneficial, and can even be done at home
If you’re still not sure where to start, a physiotherapist can assess you and work with you to create a weekly activity plan
You can download this page for future reference.
Being active with diabetes
Find Out More
Last reviewed: