Finding your kind of movement
Some people love running. Others would rather spend an afternoon walking through the countryside, swimming a few lengths or stretching out on a Pilates reformer.
And then there are those who find the idea of a gym deeply unappealing, but will happily spend hours cycling, gardening or exploring somewhere new.
The wonderful thing about movement is that there’s no single way to do it.
For people living with diabetes, physical activity can support cardiovascular health, muscle strength, mobility and overall wellbeing. It can also influence how the body uses glucose and responds to insulin.
But the effects aren’t always straightforward, and different activities can produce different glucose responses.
Finding something that suits your body, your preferences and your circumstances matters just as much as understanding the science.
So whether you’re looking to build strength, improve flexibility, get outside more often or simply try something new, here are eight ways to make movement part of everyday life.
1. Walking: The pleasure of getting outside
There’s a reason walking is recommended so often. It’s accessible, adaptable and doesn’t require much beyond comfortable shoes and somewhere to go.
A leisurely stroll through the village, a brisk walk around the park or a longer countryside ramble can all contribute to an active lifestyle.
Walking supports cardiovascular health, mobility and general fitness. And depending on its pace and duration, it can also help improve insulin sensitivity.
For people living with type 2 diabetes, a short walk after eating may help reduce the rise in glucose that follows a meal.
For those using insulin, however, walking can sometimes cause glucose levels to fall, particularly when there’s active insulin in the body.
The effect depends on several factors, including how long you walk, your starting glucose level and your individual treatment.
Why you might enjoy it: Walking offers the opportunity to explore, spend time outdoors and make movement part of your day without needing a formal workout.
2. Pilates: Strength, control and a little more body awareness
Pilates has become enormously popular, particularly reformer Pilates, which uses a sliding carriage, springs and straps to create adjustable resistance.
But Pilates isn’t new. Its principles of controlled movement, breathing and muscular coordination have been around for more than a century.
Whether practised on a mat or a reformer, Pilates typically focuses on core strength, posture, balance, flexibility and controlled movement.
It can be surprisingly challenging, too. A movement that looks effortless from the outside might require considerable concentration and muscular effort.
For people living with diabetes, Pilates can be one way to incorporate strength and mobility work into a regular routine.
It isn’t a proven substitute for aerobic exercise, and not every Pilates class provides enough resistance to meet strength-training recommendations. But it can complement other forms of activity beautifully.
Reformer Pilates also offers adjustable resistance, which may appeal to people who enjoy structured, low-impact exercise. The intensity varies considerably between classes, so it’s worth choosing one suited to your experience and abilities.
Why you might enjoy it: Pilates combines strength, control and concentration without necessarily involving jumping, running or high-impact movements.
3. Cycling: Movement without the pounding
Cycling is an excellent option for people who enjoy cardiovascular exercise but find running or other weight-bearing activities uncomfortable.
Because much of your body weight is supported by the saddle, cycling generally places less impact stress on the joints than running.
It can be as gentle or demanding as you choose. A relaxed ride along a quiet cycle path feels very different from a challenging hill climb or an indoor spin class.
Regular cycling can improve cardiovascular fitness, muscular endurance and overall physical health. For people living with diabetes, sustained cycling may lower glucose levels during or after activity, particularly when insulin is being used.
Longer rides may require additional planning around glucose monitoring, carbohydrate availability and hydration.
And while cycling works the legs, it doesn’t necessarily replace a broader resistance-training routine designed to build strength throughout the body.
Why you might enjoy it: Cycling offers a sense of freedom and exploration, with a lower-impact alternative to running.
4. Strength training: Building muscle for everyday life
Strength training isn’t just for bodybuilders.
Building and maintaining muscle helps us carry shopping, climb stairs, lift objects, maintain balance and remain physically capable as we get older.
Muscle tissue also plays an important role in glucose uptake and storage. Regular resistance training can improve strength and may support insulin sensitivity and glucose management.
There are plenty of ways to begin. You might use resistance bands, dumbbells, gym machines or your own body weight.
Exercises such as supported squats, wall push-ups and controlled sit-to-stands can be adapted to different abilities.
For beginners, working with a qualified instructor or physiotherapist can help establish appropriate technique and progression.
Strength training can also affect glucose differently from sustained aerobic exercise.
More demanding sessions may temporarily raise glucose levels because of the body’s hormonal response to exertion. Glucose may then fall later, depending on the activity and treatment.
For anyone with diabetes-related eye, nerve or cardiovascular complications, certain exercises or intensities may require modification.
Why you might enjoy it: Progress can feel wonderfully tangible. An exercise that initially feels difficult may become easier as you grow stronger.
5. Yoga: Flexibility, balance and a moment to slow down
Yoga encompasses a wide range of practices.
Some classes are gentle and restorative, while others involve demanding sequences that challenge strength, balance and endurance.
Depending on the style, yoga may help improve flexibility, balance, muscular endurance and general wellbeing.
Breathing exercises and relaxation practices may also help some people manage stress.
That’s particularly interesting in the context of diabetes, where the emotional demands of managing a long-term condition can be considerable. However, it’s important to distinguish between the benefits of movement and claims about specific poses.
There’s no convincing evidence that twisting or inverted yoga positions directly stimulate the pancreas or regulate blood glucose through their effects on internal organs.
Any glucose-related benefits are more likely to arise through broader mechanisms associated with physical activity, stress management and long-term health.
People with certain complications, particularly advanced diabetic retinopathy, may need to avoid or modify inversions and other positions that increase pressure.
Why you might enjoy it: Yoga offers an opportunity to explore movement at different intensities, with an emphasis on flexibility, balance and attention.
6. Swimming and water-based exercise: A gentler kind of resistance
There’s something rather lovely about being in the water.
Swimming can provide a full-body cardiovascular workout, while the buoyancy of water reduces the load placed on many joints.
For people who find land-based exercise uncomfortable, swimming or water aerobics may offer a more manageable alternative.
Water also creates resistance, allowing muscles to work as you move.
Swimming can improve cardiovascular fitness and muscular endurance, although it doesn’t necessarily provide the same progressive strength-building stimulus as lifting weights.
For people using insulin, water-based activities require some additional practical considerations. Glucose monitoring devices and insulin pumps have different water-resistance specifications, so it’s important to check the manufacturer’s guidance.
Hypoglycaemia can also be particularly concerning in the water. Having an individual glucose-management plan, access to treatment and appropriate supervision is essential.
Why you might enjoy it: Swimming offers a refreshing change of environment and a way to exercise without the repetitive impact of running.
7. Stretching and mobility: Making everyday movement easier
Not every activity needs to leave you out of breath.
Stretching and mobility exercises can help maintain or improve joint movement, reduce feelings of stiffness and make ordinary physical activities more comfortable.
Stretching typically focuses on lengthening muscles, while mobility work involves moving joints through a comfortable range of motion.
Both can complement other forms of exercise. A few gentle movements in the morning, a short stretching routine after a walk or a dedicated mobility class might fit naturally into your day.
For people who spend long hours sitting, these activities can also provide a welcome opportunity to change position and move.
Stretching alone is unlikely to have the same effect on glucose management as sustained aerobic activity or resistance training.
But it still has a valuable place in a well-rounded movement routine.
And for people with hypermobility or certain joint conditions, controlled strengthening and stability may be more appropriate than trying to increase flexibility further.
Why you might enjoy it: Stretching and mobility work can feel restorative, particularly when you’re stiff, tired or simply want to move without undertaking a full workout.
8. Dancing: Exercise that doesn’t always feel like exercise
You don’t need to be particularly coordinated to enjoy dancing.
Whether it’s a structured class, a few favourite songs in the kitchen or an evening spent learning something new, dancing combines movement with music and expression.
Depending on the style and intensity, it can challenge cardiovascular fitness, coordination, balance and muscular endurance.
And because dancing can be social and enjoyable, it may appeal to people who struggle to find motivation for more conventional exercise.
As with other activities, its effect on glucose depends on intensity, duration and individual circumstances.
An energetic dance class may have a very different effect from a gentle session at home.
Why you might enjoy it: Dancing shifts the focus away from exercise targets and towards rhythm, music and enjoyment.
Do different activities affect blood glucose differently?
They can.
Sustained aerobic activities, such as walking, cycling and swimming, often lower glucose levels in people using insulin.
Strength training and short bursts of intense exercise may produce a temporary rise, particularly when adrenaline and other stress hormones are released.
Gentler activities, such as stretching or restorative yoga, may have relatively little immediate effect.
But these are general patterns, not guarantees. Glucose responses depend on many factors, including starting glucose levels, insulin on board, recent food intake, exercise duration and individual physiology.
And activity can continue to affect glucose for hours afterwards.
For people using insulin or other medications that can cause hypoglycaemia, understanding these patterns and having an individual exercise plan is particularly important.
How much exercise should you aim for?
The NHS recommends that adults aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity each week, or 75 minutes of vigorous activity, alongside muscle-strengthening activities on at least two days.
It’s also beneficial to reduce long periods of sitting and include a variety of movement throughout the week.
But these recommendations are goals to work towards, not an entry requirement.
If you’re currently inactive, starting with a few manageable sessions can still be worthwhile.
You might combine cycling with strength training, enjoy Pilates alongside regular walks, or alternate swimming with yoga.
There’s no need to commit to one activity exclusively. In fact, combining different types of movement can help develop cardiovascular fitness, strength, balance and mobility.
If you have diabetes complications, cardiovascular symptoms, significant health concerns or are returning to activity after a long period of inactivity, seek individual guidance before increasing exercise intensity.
A few things to remember when exercising with diabetes
Physical activity is generally beneficial, but some additional planning may be necessary.
If you use insulin or medications that can cause hypos, monitor glucose as advised by your healthcare team, understand your individual response to exercise and keep fast-acting carbohydrate treatment accessible.
Remember that continuous glucose monitor readings can lag behind blood glucose during rapid changes.
Stay hydrated, wear suitable footwear and pay attention to any diabetes-related foot problems or other complications that might affect your choice of activity.
High glucose accompanied by ketones can make exercise unsafe, so follow your diabetes team’s guidance on when activity should be postponed.
And if you experience chest pain, fainting or unusual breathlessness during exercise, stop and seek appropriate urgent medical attention.
Most importantly, don’t assume that a workout needs to be exhausting to be worthwhile.
The best exercise is one that fits your life
It’s tempting to look for the perfect workout.
The one that improves glucose levels most effectively, builds muscle fastest or delivers the greatest health benefits in the shortest time.
But exercise isn’t simply a calculation of outcomes.
It’s also about how movement fits into the rest of your life.
Perhaps you love the concentration of Pilates, the freedom of cycling or the quiet rhythm of a morning walk. Perhaps you enjoy lifting weights because you can feel yourself becoming stronger. Or perhaps you’re still discovering what you like.
Whatever your preference, the aim isn’t to find the one exercise that does everything.
It’s to build a varied, sustainable relationship with movement that supports your health without making life feel smaller. Because living well with diabetes should leave room for the things you enjoy, too.
This article is intended for general information and does not replace personalised medical advice. Physical activity can affect glucose levels during and after exercise, particularly for people using insulin or medications that can cause hypoglycaemia. Discuss individual exercise plans, diabetes complications and medication adjustments with your healthcare team.