Diabetes & Exercise Planning Guide
Why is workout important in diabetes?
Two main factors are behind the need to maintain regular physical exercise:
- Exercise helps with weight loss
- Exercise is good for heart health, helping to prevent diabetes complications.
Physical activity also raises the use of glucose by muscles and so can lower blood glucose levels. Regular activity can also help reduce the amount of insulin needed to control blood sugar levels by improving the body’s insulin efficiency.
Download Workout Log
What exercise is best with diabetes?
Aerobic Activities
Below are some examples of aerobic activities:
- Brisk walking
- Bicycling/Stationary cycling indoors
- Dancing
- Low-impact aerobics
- Swimming or water aerobics
- Playing tennis
- Stair climbing
- Jogging/Running
- Hiking
- Rowing
- Ice-skating or roller-skating
- Cross-country skiing
- Moderate-to-heavy gardening
Strength Training
Below are examples of strength training activities:
Weight machines or free weights at the gym
Using resistance bands
Lifting light weights
Calisthenics
Body Weight Workout (examples are push-ups, sit ups, squats, lunges, wall-sits and planks)