Your physical activity

The resources of the human body

Physical activity promotes the uptake of sugar by tissue, especially the muscle, improving insulin sensitivity. Consequently, this decreases the amount of sugar in the blood improving glycaemic control.

This can impact on the need for medication and drug doses may be reduced.

Thus, engaging in intense physical activity, such as swimming or jogging, will lower glycemia for up to 60 hours. In order to stabilize glycemic levels, exercise must be repeated two or three days later.

Engage in regular and moderate physical activity, every day, the same way: 30 minutes per day is enough to obtain a real health benefit.

What do you mean by moderate physical activity?

This is not playing sports, but moving your body.

We live in a world that promotes immobility: reading, writing, TV, computer, etc. Our day is dominated by inactivity, which largely explains the current increase in type 2 diabetes.

Walking 10 minutes to go pick up bread or the newspaper, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, gardening, bending over to tie your shoes, doing window shopping, and getting up to turn off the TV rather than using the remote control are moderate physical activities that you do every day.

This moderate and regular activity does not necessarily control your blood sugar level on a minute to minute basis: you will see the benefits in your glycated haemoglobin level (HbA1c).

Are there contraindicated sports?

Discuss any potential sports and training programme with your doctor.

If walking is particularly recommended, you must take certain precautions: choose good shoes for a walk and, afterwards, make sure that you always check the condition of your feet. A small painless sore could become infected.

After intense sports or physical activity carried out for a long duration, check your blood sugar level.