The Effects of Exercise on Blood Sugar

How Exercise Affects Blood Sugar

Your blood sugar is directly impacted by the exercise that your body does. Cardiovascular exercise usually brings your blood glucose levels down, but it sometimes brings them up. Regardless, consistent workouts can make the body more readily respond to insulin. It’s a very effective tool in the fight to manage one’s blood glucose levels. If a diabetic is committed to having optimal health, it’s a necessity.

Because of its powerful effect on blood glucose levels, exercise can reduce the amount of medications some patients take to control diabetes. It’s even been shown to help some patients get off diabetic medications altogether by natural control of combined exercise and a very health diet.

If one’s blood sugar is too low prior to exercise, it’s unhealthy and may put the person at risk. Instead, he should first consume a carbohydrate-filled snack. Exercise should be briefly postponed until a check of blood sugar reveals a safe level for a good workout.

If one’s blood sugar is too high when he exercises, he’ll be at risk for ketoacidosis. If blood sugar is ever too low for a safe workout, exercise should be postponed, even if it means getting off one’s consistent workout schedule.

Short-Term and Long-term Effects

Positive changes occur within the body during a cardiovascular workout. The body works to transfer sugar from blood cells to the muscle cells. The muscle cells then transform it to fuel. As a result, there will be significantly less glucose in the bloodstream. Controlling blood sugar in this way can be very liberating, even giving the diabetic patient a sense of control over his own body, something many end up feeling lacking in their lives.

Over time, consistently done exercise will likely strengthen how the body handles and responds to insulin. Beause of the subsequent increase in how the body works, insulin is able to work better within the body.