Use physical activity to win against the stress of diabetes.

Life with diabetes can feel like an endless series of things to worry about, whether it’s physical activity, navigating brunch with friends, or monitoring your glucose levels³³⁸ For many people with diabetes, this can be a source of stress—or even diabetes distress.³³⁹

Have you ever felt tired of keeping up with your physical activity? Or felt badly about your self-care? You’re not alone. 33% to 50% of people with diabetes have diabetes distress.³⁴⁰

Person jogging in a park wearing a glucose monitor, illustrating exercise to help manage stress and diabetes.

Watch out for stress—it can affect your glucose levels.

When you’re stressed, hormones can be released that make your glucose levels rise or fall. That same stress can impact your mood and how well you manage your diabetes. Not everyone is affected the same way.³⁴⁰ We’re here to offer you some stress relief tips that you could try.

A great way to stress less is by getting active.

Physical activity can do wonders for your stress,³⁵¹ in addition to being good for your diabetes self-care.³⁵² You might call it a win-win.

Make moves and stress less.

Studies show that regular aerobic activity reduces stress.

According to the Anxiety & Depression Association of America, you may start feeling anti-anxiety effects in as little as 5 minutes with aerobic exercise³⁵¹
According to a 2023 research review, exercise can reduce stress while leading to a better mood and improved quality of life³⁵⁵

Boost energy and thinking.

Physical activity can also boost your overall energy, focus and cognition.³⁵¹

Physical activity can also be good for your body.

According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), physical activity can lower your glucose levels both during the workout and for up to 24 hours after. The more you move, the better your body becomes at processing glucose, and your insulin sensitivity increases. For these reasons, the ADA recommends getting 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week.³⁵²

3 ways to move and stress less.

1) Walk for 20 minutes after a meal.

A woman walks her dog in the local park, a popular way to enjoy exercise.

Studies show that walking for 20 to 30 minutes immediately after a meal can tame the post-meal glucose surge.^356,357

Even short bursts of walking to break up stretches of prolonged sitting can do you good according to other studies.³⁵⁸

2) Pick your favorite way to move.

A woman stretches her hamstring on a park bench before exercising, an essential step for preventing injuries and muscle tears.

Any physical activity, whether it’s aerobic or resistance, will help according to a 2023 update of “The Role of Exercise in Diabetes” in the National Library of Medicine.

In one study, people with type 2 diabetes who got active in different ways had an estimated 0.67% decrease in their A1c. So try what motivates you most, whether it's climbing stairs, biking, or dancing.³⁵⁹

3) Play with others: team sports.

Look into local team sports opportunities, like soccer, tennis, or softball. A routine social activity may encourage you to move more. A research review found that team sports offer a social way to motivate people to improve their fitness and health.

A study of a women’s handball team showed high social and motivational scores compared to a sedentary control group, as well as improved endurance and bone mineral density.³⁶⁰

Manage diabetes in small steps.

Getting more active doesn’t have to happen overnight. You can work your way towards your goals, step by step. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends setting only one or two diabetes care goals for yourself at a time.³⁴⁰ For example, like taking the stairs instead of the elevator or checking out your glucose levels.

See the effect of your steps with a continuous glucose monitor (CGM).

If you’re using a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) like the Libre 2 Plus system, you can check your real-time reading⁸ at any time to see the impact of your actions. And as you get to know how your glucose levels respond to your actions, you can make more informed decisions.

In a study, 37% of people with diabetes who used Libre reported engaging in physical activity more frequently. Plus, 92% of users found it easier to manage meal-time glucose.⁷