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Learn about the importance of physical activity and emotional wellbeing and their impact on your sugar
levels and diabetes management.
As most of us know, exercise is good for our health, benefiting our hearts, bodies and minds. It has been shown to help prevent conditions such as cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes and reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, enhance brain health, and improve overall wellbeing.1
Physical activity helps to lower glucose levels because our muscles need to use more of it as we work out.2
If you're living with diabetes then physical activity is all the more valuable. As well as lowering your glucose levels, it can also help with:
The World Health Organization recommends that adults should do at least the following every week:
However, every little helps. You don’t have to run a marathon – anything that gets you moving is worthwhile, and the more you enjoy it, the more likely you are to keep it up.
If you can talk but would struggle to find the breath to sing, it's moderate intensity.
If you can't keep up a conversation while exercising, it's vigorous intensity.
Physical activity is any form of movement that causes your body to burn calories, like cleaning, gardening and using the stairs.
Take the stairs instead of the lift or park your car a little further away from your destination.
A brisk 20-minute walk each day could be enough to reduce your risk of early death.7
Yoga can be used to tackle stress and anxiety.8 You can either find a local class or stream one into your home at a time to suit you.
Try doing some seated chair exercises. Chest stretches, upper-body twists, ankle flexes, arm raises, and more, are all perfectly possible from a seated position – and all thoroughly worthwhile!
Swimming provides a great full-body, low-impact work out – ideal for people with stiff joints, aches or pains.
As we know, living with diabetes can be challenging. Looking after your emotional wellbeing is just as important as physical health.
There will be good days and difficult days; times when you feel you’ve got this, and times when everything feels a little overwhelming. That’s not just perfectly understandable, it’s also very common, but by learning some simple strategies you can help insulate yourself from potentially damaging thought patterns.
People who are living with diabetes are more prone to depression. Even if you’re not clinically depressed, negative thinking can stop you from managing your health properly.
E.g. I'm a failure, I haven't been running for three days.
Why haven't you been running - are there mitigating circumstances? Did you run other days this week? Have you done any other physical activity?
I've had a lot on at work but still managed to go running four days this week and I walked home with the groceries instead of catching the bus.
Read and watch stories from FreeStyle Libre users with type 2 Diabetes and learn how it has helped them with their physical activity.
“The difference to my control was amazing. I wasn’t loading up on food just in case my glucose dropped anymore because I could see at a glance what I needed.”
"Having these kinds of insights has helped me feel a lot better in myself and more steady on my feet too. As a keen fisherman, it means I can still get out fishing!"
"I can set alarms to warn if levels are getting too low; when I’m riding for 3 or 4 hours without a break, this can be lifesaving."
“I can set alarms to warn if levels are getting too low; when I’m riding for 3 or 4 hours without a break, this can be lifesaving.”
“Whenever possible, you should try to fit in some moderate intensity activities into your daily routine”
References & Disclaimers
Images are for illustrative purposes only. Not real patient or data.
1. WHO. Physical Activity. 2020. Available at https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/physical-activity. Accessed November 2024.
2. British Heart Foundation. Diabetes. 2021. Available at https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/risk-factors/diabetes. Accessed November 2024.
3. Medical News Today. How can you lower your A1C levels? 2020. Available at https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/317216. Accessed November 2024.
4. A. Sampath Kumar, et al. Exercise and insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes mellitus. Ann Phys Rehabil Med, 62 (2) (2019 Mar 1), pp. 98-103.
5. Diabetes UK. Weight Loss and Diabetes. Available at https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/enjoy-food/eating-with-diabetes/whats-your-healthy-weight/lose-weight. Accessed November 2024.
6. WHO. Global Recommendations on Physical Activity for Health. Available at https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241599979. Accessed November 2024.
7. University of Cambridge, January 14, 2015, Lack of exercise responsible for twice as many deaths as obesity. Available at https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/lack-of-exercise-responsible-for-twice-as-many-deaths-as-obesity. Accessed November 2024.
8. Medical News Today. What are the health benefits of yoga? Available at https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/326414#stress. Accessed November 2024.
9. Haak, T. Diabetes Therapy (2017): https://doi.org/10.1007/s13300-016-0223-6.
10. Fokkert, M. BMJ Open Diab Res Care (2019): https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjdrc-2019-000809.
◊ The FreeStyle LibreLink app works with FreeStyle Libre 2 sensor and FreeStyle Libre 2 Plus sensor and is only compatible with certain mobile devices and operating systems. Please check the website for more information about device compatibility before using the app. Use of FreeStyle LibreLink may require registration with LibreView.
ǁ Glucose readings are automatically displayed in the FreeStyle LibreLink app only when your smartphone and sensor are connected and in range.
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