How Does Exercise Affect Keeping Your Blood Sugar Normal?

 Keeping your blood sugar normal is the primary target  of good diabetes control.  Maintaining a normal range blood sugar brings many benefits.  You decrease the risk of diabetes complications, you have more energy, you reduce stress on your body, and you simply feel better than if you have high blood sugar. 

 Blood Sugar Normal Range Definition

Normal blood sugar range falls between 70 and 110.   Even though that is the generally accepted normal blood sugar range, you may find normal blood sugar range being stated with different numbers.  For years, 80 to 120  were accepted as being within normal limits.  Through research and studies, results indicated a change in the numbers to 70 to 110.  With diabetes, your normal blood sugar range may be different.  For example, my endocrinologist set a target blood sugar for me of 100.   You may want to talk with your doctor to find out what blood sugar range normal you should be targeting.

 Exercise and Your Blood Sugar Normal

 Since glucose (the sugar in your blood) is used during activity, exercise is a very crucial part of good diabetes control.  Regular exercise does more than just burn excess blood sugar.  It also helps to improve the body’s insulin response.  The higher the impact of exercise the longer the effect on blood sugar lasts. 

 Improving Blood Sugar Ranges with Exercise

If you are not exercising regularly, I urge you to begin exercising today. Improving blood sugar ranges with exercise is one of the easiest ways to see immediate changes for the better in your blood sugar.  Since the effects of exercise last for hours after exercising, you can help control your daily range of blood sugars by exercising at least once a day. 

Already exercising? Great! If you are on diabetes medications or insulin make sure to check your blood sugar before, during, and after exercise, to avoid the risk of low blood sugar. 

If you don’t currently have a regular exercise routine, before you start make sure with your doctor you are ok  for exercise.  Another important point when beginning exercise is to take it easy at first.  After you’ve been exercising regularly for a while, you’ll be able to pick up the pace and have more endurance for the more strenuous workouts.      

 Combining Diet and Exercise for Blood Sugar Normal

 Regular exercise helps your muscles, your metabolism, and your entire body use the glucose in your blood.  Keeping your blood sugar normal, becomes much easier with regular exercise…as long as you are not eating more to compensate for the exercise. 

Make sure to coordinate time of day you exercise and food consumption to help keep your blood sugar normal. Coordinating helps prevent lows and spikes thus promotes keeping your blood sugar normal.   

 Be sure to eat a healthy diet along with regular exercise.  This is the perfect combination for keeping your blood sugar normal…plus you’ll feel great!