If you have diabetes, regular physical activity — along with diet and medications — is an important part of managing your blood sugar. But that doesn’t mean you have to buy a gym membership and find time to exercise at a gym. Start by talking to your doctor before you begin exercising. But if your healthcare team says ok, it doesn’t matter what your fitness level is, you can start slow and start enjoying the benefits of exercise. The best part is that there are many exercises you can do at home.
Benefits of Exercise for People with Diabetes
Beyond helping you manage your blood sugar levels, exercising offers many other health benefits to people with diabetes. Those benefits include:
- Lowering your A1c. Studies show that all forms of exercise worked well for lowering A1c values[i]
- Reduces blood pressure[ii]
- Improved overall cardiovascular fitness[iii]
- Better flexibility and range of motion[iv]
- Reduced risk of falls, even in the presence of neuropathy[v]
- Improved sleep[vi]
- Lower levels of bad cholesterol and higher levels of good cholesterol
- Maintaining a healthy weight
Great Exercises to Do at Home
To reap the benefits of exercise, the goal is to get 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity each week. Getting 20-25 minutes a day of activity is enough to meet that goal. You can always break up your exercise into small segments, too.
Many people miss out on the benefits of exercise because they think they have to go to a gym to work out. You don’t need a gym membership or gym equipment to exercise. Here are some excellent exercises you can do at home.
1 – Walking
All you need is a safe place to walk and comfortable, supportive shoes to get active. Take a brisk walk five days a week and you’ll meet that 150-minute goal. Studies show that walking can lower the risk of heart disease, and it’s excellent for weight loss or maintenance.[vii]
2 – Resistance Band Exercises
No weights at home? No worries! Resistance bands offer an affordable way to get resistance training at home. Watching some online resistance band workout videos can help you learn how to use them correctly. Not only do they help increase strength, but exercising with resistance bands may help with blood sugar control, too.[viii]
3 – Bodyweight Exercises
Also called calisthenics, bodyweight exercises use your own body weight to build strength. Common bodyweight exercises include squats, abdominal crunches, pushups, lunges, and pullups.
4 – Yoga
Studies show that yoga may help individuals with type 2 diabetes manage blood sugar, weight, and cholesterol levels.[ix] All you need is a mat and you can get started at home. It’s a good idea to watch guided videos by a professional to get started so you learn how to move from one yoga pose to another using proper breathing techniques and posture.
More Easy Ways to Boost Physical Activity
While there are plenty of exercises you can do at home, there are plenty of other ways to boost physical activity beyond formal exercise. The key is to do things that get you off the couch and more active. And even small things can have positive effects on your blood sugar.
Other non-exercise ways to boost your daily physical activity include:
- Gardening
- Dancing around the house
- Playing with a pet
- Running up and down stairs
- Air boxing
- Cleaning, such as vacuuming, emptying the dishwasher, organizing closets, and mopping
- Tossing a ball
- Playing with kids or grandkids
- Jogging in place for a couple minutes
- Doing squats or other easy moves during commercials while watching TV
- Yard work
[i] https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/the-importance-of-exercise-when-you-have-diabetes
[ii] https://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/29/11/2518?ijkey=81ae54c208800369a218093cb78fe3d2c9c1a0f9&keytype2=tf_ipsecsha
[iii] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22189486/
[iv] https://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/27/12/2988?ijkey=b311ae8d1fb04c9d66b64f349d98c433cf990270&keytype2=tf_ipsecsha
[v] https://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/33/4/748?ijkey=309d933ae1e4c4952a036d563685df27e9fa9e22&keytype2=tf_ipsecsha
[vi] https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/managing/active.html
[vii] https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/the-importance-of-exercise-when-you-have-diabetes
[viii] https://www.canadianjournalofdiabetes.com/article/S1499-2671(18)30504-5/fulltext
[ix] https://www.hindawi.com/journals/jdr/2016/6979370/
https://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/39/11/2065
https://www.healthline.com/health/type-2-diabetes/top-exercises#pilates
https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/library/features/get-moving-to-manage-diabetes.html
https://www.diabetes.org/healthy-living/fitness/break-sitting-streak
https://www.diabetes.org/healthy-living/fitness
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Medical or nutritional information on the mySugr website is not intended to replace professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always consult a physician or health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
