Insulin & Exercise

Regular physical activity is important for your overall health and wellness. Planning ahead and knowing how your bod typically responds to exercise can help you keep your blood glucose from going too low or too high.

QWhich of the following can happen after exercise, for people with diabetes on insulin?
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Physical activity helps clear glucose from blood, which is a benefit for people with diabetes. Exercise also makes your body more sensitive to insulin, so less insulin is needed to move glucose out of blood and into your cells. People with diabetes who use insulin may need to use less insulin or eat more on the days they work out.

Wrong

Physical activity helps clear glucose from blood, which is a benefit for people with diabetes. Exercise also makes your body more sensitive to insulin, so less insulin is needed to move glucose out of blood and into your cells. People with diabetes who use insulin may need to use less insulin or eat more on the days they work out.

Physical Activity and Insulin

The body absorbs insulin differently from one day to the next. Physical activity can affect how your body uses insulin. . Physical activity increases how fast the insulin you inject goes to work by increasing blood flow through your body.

For example, injecting insulin into an arm or leg that is used during exercise (like push-ups or running) can speed up insulin absorption. So it is important to check your blood glucose levels whenever you exercise.

Things to consider when on insulin

If you are on insulin, there are a few things to keep in mind when exercising:

  • If you have a fixed regimen of insulin taken at specific times of day, try to schedule exercise at about the same time every day, too.

  • If you have a more flexible plan, discuss with your health care provider how to adjust insulin based on your physical activity.

  • Do not exercise when your insulin is peaking, which is usually within 1-2 hours of your last injection of rapid-acting or regular insulin.

  • Consider where you inject in your body. Muscles involved in exercise absorb insulin faster.

This information is a summary from the "Complete Guide to Diabetes" and is provided with the permission of the American Diabetes Association.

It is a comprehensive book and recommended by the American Diabetes Association for those people that want to learn more.

Click on the image to go to the American Diabetes Association bookstore.