According to a study of older adult women with type 2 diabetes, it may also help improve blood sugar control. Consider signing up for a Pilates class at your local gym or Pilates studio. Many instructional videos and books are also available. According to a review , yoga can help people with type 2 diabetes manage their blood sugar, cholesterol levels, and weight.

It might also help lower your blood pressure, improve the quality of your sleep, and boost your mood. A trained professional can help you learn how to move from one pose to another, using the proper posture and breathing technique. Always talk with your doctor before starting a new exercise regimen.

Be sure to carefully monitor your blood sugar levels as well to keep them within your target range. In general, regular exercise can reduce blood sugar over time.

Exercises, such as light walking, cycling, and other low impact movements, can be helpful. A study found that 61 percent of participants with early diabetes who underwent a highly regimented 1-year intensive lifestyle that included a low calorie diet and regular exercise no longer met the criteria for diabetes.

Regular physical activity is important, not only for managing type 2 diabetes but also for promoting your overall health. If you have any other health conditions in addition to type 2 diabetes, talk with your doctor before starting a new fitness routine.

They can help you learn how to stay safe and minimize your risk of injury, while meeting your fitness goals. For more tips on living with type 2 diabetes, download the free Bezzy T2D app, one of the chronic condition communities from Healthline.

You can ask questions, seek advice, and build relationships with others who get it. Download the app for iPhone or Android. Read this article in Spanish. Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available.

VIEW ALL HISTORY. Has taking insulin led to weight gain for you? Learn why this happens, plus how you can manage your weight once you've started insulin treatment. When it comes to managing diabetes, adding the right superfoods to your diet is key.

Try these simple, delicious recipes for breakfast, lunch, and…. A Quiz for Teens Are You a Workaholic? How Well Do You Sleep? Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Medically reviewed by Jared Meacham, Ph. Walking Cycling Swimming Team sports Aerobic dance Weightlifting Resistance band exercises Calisthenics Pilates Yoga Safety FAQs Takeaway If you live with type 2 diabetes, exercising regularly can help you manage your blood sugar levels and weight.

Team sports. Aerobic dance. Resistance band exercises. Exercise safety. Frequently asked questions. The takeaway. How we reviewed this article: Sources. Healthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical associations.

We avoid using tertiary references. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy. Apr 13, Written By Heather Grey, Molly Burford. Medically Reviewed By Jared Meacham, Ph. May 29, Written By Heather Grey. Share this article. Exercise just makes you feel better.

So, however you want to do it—taking regular walks around the block, going for a run, or signing up for a marathon—getting started is the most important part. Light walking is a great place to start—and a great habit to incorporate into your life.

Walk with a loved one, with your dog, or just by yourself while listening to an audio book. Learn more about how to get started safely. Even losing 10—15 pounds can have a significant impact on your health. The power to change is firmly in your hands—so get moving today.

Regardless of the type of diabetes you have, regular physical activity is important for your overall health and wellness. Breadcrumb Home You Can Manage and Thrive with Diabetes Fitness.

Walk with a loved one, with your dog, or just by yourself while listening to an audio book. Learn more about how to get started safely. Even losing 10—15 pounds can have a significant impact on your health. The power to change is firmly in your hands—so get moving today. Regardless of the type of diabetes you have, regular physical activity is important for your overall health and wellness.

Breadcrumb Home You Can Manage and Thrive with Diabetes Fitness. Are you a novice exerciser or total pro? It makes a big difference in the type of exercise routine that will work best for you. From there, add 10 minutes of exercise a week until you reach the minute mark.

A successful exercise routine works into the demands of your day. Your medication regimen may also affect your workout timing.

Certain diabetes drugs, such as insulin and sulfonylureas, can increase your risk for low blood glucose hypoglycemia. Add in the blood glucose—lowering effect of exercise, and your evening workout may up your risk of overnight lows. In that case, you might be more likely to stick with a morning or afternoon workout regimen instead of working out in the evening.

Sometimes, increasing your amount of exercise will affect your medications. If you aim to exercise two to three hours after eating, for instance, you may need to reduce your premeal bolus of rapid-acting insulin to prevent lows.

Choosing an activity you enjoy, creating a log to monitor your progress and preparing for snags—all of these can help keep you motivated. Logging your workouts can help you track just how many of those minutes of exercise you have left to meet this week.

Make sure your exercise goals are right in front of you every day to act as a visual reminder. That could mean a calendar on your wall, a day planner on your desk or an app on your phone or computer. Instead of cycling outside, you could walk laps at the local mall, use the elliptical machine at the gym or do 10 minutes of stair-climbing at home.

Examples include weight training with barbells, weight machines, and elastic bands. Calisthenics such as sit-ups, pull-ups and push-ups use your own body weight as the resistance force. Try to do three sets of repetitions. Target all the major muscle groups.

Gradually work up to sessions that are minutes in length. The goal frequency is every other day. Warm ups and Cool Downs. Exercise sessions should ideally start with a warming up period to get the muscles, joints and ligaments ready for your workout.

Warming up can just be a lower intensity of your planned workout. For example, start walking slowly for 5 minutes to warm up for your quicker paced walk or run. Cool down at the end of your exercise session by slowing the pace of your activity until your heart rate and breathing are back to baseline.

Stretching is especially important for people with diabetes. When stretching, focus on each major muscle group and hold the stretch for seconds without bouncing. You can stretch before and after your workouts. When starting a new behavior change like exercise, you may first need to anticipate obstacles that may make it hard to maintain the change.

These obstacles may be different for different people. Next, developing an exercise plan and setting rewards for achieving your plan can help keep you motivated and on track. Consider the following tips for getting motivated for movement:.

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Every step is one more than you did before—and a step in the right direction. Find something you like. Partner up. Make it a habit. Schedule physical activity into your daily routine. Walk every day during lunch or walk with your family after dinner. The more regular you are, the quicker it will become a habit.

Measure your progress. Then you can celebrate your successes! Our bodies are made to move, and we feel better when they do. Just make sure to check with your doctor before starting any new or more difficult activity.

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You Can Start Slowly! Learn More. Video: Being Active Get Active! Last Reviewed: November 3, Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Syndicate. home Diabetes Home. To receive updates about diabetes topics, enter your email address: Email Address.

What's this. This is because high blood sugar levels can damage nerves and blood vessels throughout the body. Diabetes is often accompanied by high cholesterol or other lipid problems, such as high triglycerides , as well as high blood pressure, which together can greatly increase the risk of heart disease and stroke.

He adds that good control of your blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure can reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease by 50 percent or more.

In addition to taking any prescribed medications for diabetes , cholesterol, blood pressure, or other conditions; following a healthy diet ; and not smoking, getting physical activity is crucial to lowering your risk of diabetes complications.

And different forms of exercise can help you in different ways. Cardiovascular exercise , also known as aerobic exercise , is what helps the heart most. Aerobic exercise is any exercise that uses large groups of muscles, such as those in your legs, for a sustained period of time.

Examples include:. The American Diabetes Association ADA recommends that you get 30 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise at least five days a week, or a total of minutes each week.

To lower blood pressure and cholesterol, the American Heart Association recommends 40 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity three or four times a week. This is because strengthening muscles can help lower blood sugar and make your body more sensitive to insulin.

Doing strength-training exercises does not mean you need to become a bodybuilder. Anything that creates muscle resistance will work. This can include:. Bassin emphasizes the importance of learning how to do resistance exercises properly before getting started.

This can be a personal trainer, an exercise physiologist, or another exercise professional. The ADA recommends that you do some type of strength training at least twice a week, in addition to aerobic exercise.

One last form of exercise to incorporate in your regular routine are flexibility exercises. Stretching exercises can help keep your joints limber, allow your muscles to use the full range of motion, and reduce your chance of getting injured doing other activities.

While the ADA does not have a set recommendation for how often to stretch, stretching can easily be added to the beginning or end of your aerobic exercise routine, such as 5 minutes of stretching before you start walking.

And some forms of flexibility exercises, like yoga, can double as both strength training and stretching. No matter how you incorporate these exercises, Bassin suggests that you have a trained professional, such as a certified personal trainer, show you the proper way to stretch to help prevent injury.

Bassin recommends using a pedometer to track how much you walk each day, and then to gradually add to the amount you walk.