The health benefits of regular exercise and physical activity are hard to ignore. Not only does it make you feel better, and more energetic, but regular exercise can also help you in your fight against diabetes (and other diseases) regardless of your age and gender.

Exercise controls weight​

Exercise can help prevent excess weight gain or help maintain weight loss. When you engage in physical activity, you burn calories. The more intense the activity, the more calories you burn. If you can't do an actual workout, opt for simpler ways.¹

Exercise helps avoid complications​

Exercising every day can help prevent heart attack and stroke in people with diabetes. A daily 30-minute walk can help manage diabetes and lower your chances of developing problems associated with the disease.2

Exercise helps control blood sugar​

Exercise can reduce the glucose in your blood. Muscles can use glucose without insulin when you’re exercising. In other words, it doesn’t matter if you’re insulin resistant or if you don’t have enough insulin: when you exercise, your muscles get the glucose they need and, in turn, your blood glucose level goes down.³

Exercise boosts energy​

Regular physical exercise helps improve muscle strength and ups endurance levels. A combination of regular exercise and moderate physical activity delivers the much-needed oxygen and nutrients to your body tissues which, in turn, make your cardiovascular system work more efficiently.¹​

Exercise helps manage stress levels​

Increased stress levels are known to be one of the main causes of a host of ailments including increased blood pressure, heart problems, migraines and diabetes among others.³

References

¹ Available from: http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/exercise/art-20048389. Accessed on 10th Nov’22​

² Available from: https://medlineplus.gov/magazine/issues/fall12/articles/fall12pg12.html Accessed on 10th Nov’22​

³ Asif M. The prevention and control the type2 diabetes by changing lifestyle and dietary pattern. J Educ Health Promot. 2014; 3: 1.