Unlocking Type 1 Diabetes Benefits: How Physical Activity Leads to Improved Blood Sugar Control

Let’s face it.

If you’re a type 1 diabetic (T1D), it can feel like a constant balancing act trying to juggle healthy AND reliable blood glucose levels!

But it doesn’t have to be.

One of the few actions you can put on your diabetic tool belt is a reliable routine of physical activity.

Read on to learn how routine physical activities can:

enhance insulin sensitivity
improve overall blood sugar management
lower A1C levels
Empower a T1D to become more confident in regulating their blood sugars
help reduce the risk of long-term complications associated with type 1 diabetes

Ready?

Let’s roll!

The Importance of Physical Activity in Type 1 Diabetes

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Now, we all know that exercise is good for most of us.

So, I’m not going to waste your time in validating this.

Instead, let’s start scratching the surface of exactly what regular activities such as exercise or more frequent walks can do for most of your blood sugars.

According to the medical research, engaging in physical activity helps the body use insulin more efficiently (meaning: you don’t need to use as much), ensuring glucose is transported from the blood and into the cells where it’s needed for energy.

Do you know how else to label this notion?

Improved. Insulin. Sensitivity.

And when insulin sensitivity is reliably present, this normally leads to easier blood glucose management, as well.

There’s also data suggesting that insulin sensitivity may last anywhere from 24 to 72 hours post-exercise (1, 2).

In addition, after a 70-minute workout, it may improve your insulin sensitivity by up to 35% (3)!

Can you imagine if you were working out 3 – 5 days a week routinely?

This is a HUGE reason why those who are more active have more impressive (4):

insulin sensitivity
lower insulin levels
blood glucose levels and management
cardiovascular function
aesthetics (they look good in bathing suits)
inflammation control (less oxidative stress)
- this also enhances the immune response
lower mortality rate (they typically live longer)

Keep in mind that there is no free lunch and that there are risk factors, especially among type 1 diabetics, that I will be going over shortly.

Physical activity specifically helps regulate blood sugars by increasing glucose uptake in the muscle cells while reducing insulin resistance.

When you do this long enough, not only do the muscle cells become more insulin sensitive, but your other body cells do, too, as they come along for this insulin-sensitive ride (5)!

To what extent, however, is still left up for debate.

But if this is one insulin-sensitive-driving tool to act on, it’d be worth checking out with your doctor, right?

Let’s peel back some of the layers of this fact to get a better understanding on the connection between insulin sensitivity and physical activity, shall we?

The Simple Science Behind How Physical Activity Improves Blood Sugars

Picture source: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00125-020-05177-6

There are a few factors involved in how the body cells respond to insulin better when physical activity becomes more routine.

These include:

The relationship among physical activity, reduced insulin demand, and increased cell sensitivity to it
Glut4 transport assistance
Ensuring other blood sugar influencers are properly working

How Physical Activity Reduces Insulin Demand While Increasing Cell Sensitivity to It

When you exercise, your muscles use glucose for energy, which leads them to remove glucose from the blood and typically lower blood sugars quicker than an injected dose of insulin will.

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This process reduces the demand for insulin, as glucose is absorbed by muscle cells more efficiently.

Additionally, physical activity enhances insulin sensitivity, meaning your other body cells respond better to insulin, allowing for more effective glucose uptake while reducing insulin demands to accomplish this accordingly.

Regular exercise also eases the storing of glucose in the muscles and liver (aka glycogen), stabilizing blood sugar levels even more over time!

Consequently, the combination of reduced insulin demand and increased cellular sensitivity to it helps manage and prevent insulin resistance among diabetics.

A personal benefit I noticed was that because I wasn’t using as much insulin, this meant my medication costs were reduced, as well!

These are multiple WINS along with a common result of easier-to-manage blood sugars, too!

But why isn’t insulin needed as much to absorb glucose during physical activity?

Glut4 Transport Assistance

Now that you’re more familiar with how exercise commonly benefits BGs, let me add another factor that enables this further.

Many likely don’t know that these improved blood sugars are primarily through the action of GLUT4 transporters.

What the heck are GLUT4 transporters, you ask?

GLUT4 transporters facilitate the uptake of glucose from the bloodstream into muscle cells, reducing blood glucose levels.

During exercise, muscle contractions (when you flex or strain your muscles) stimulate the movement of GLUT4 transporters to the cell surface without the need for insulin (6).

This process is enhanced as more GLUT4 transporters are activated with increased physical activity, either by duration, intensity, or both!

What’s incredible about GLUT4 transporters is that they reduce blood sugars without the need for insulin!

As a result, this reduces the overall demand for insulin while enhancing insulin sensitivity.

This is one of the primary reasons healthy, nondiabetics “carb-load” after intense workouts. It doesn’t stress the body as much to replenish glycogen stores without the need for as much insulin.

Ensuring Other Blood Sugar Factors are Working in Your Favor

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As stated previously, there’s almost never a “free lunch” with many beneficial activities.

What I mean is that a type 1 diabetic will likely not see optimal benefits with regular exercise if:

Their diet relies heavily on high-carbs (athleticism pending) or ultra-processed and refined foods with minimal nutrients.These foods constantly demand more insulin, which not only increases insulin resistance but also causes physiological damage in the form of chronic inflammation, free radicals, and oxidative stress (7).High levels of insulin can also impair GLUT4 transport if one is a couch potato or not able to make time to exercise, as well.

They suffer from poor sleep. If your diet and exercise are excellent, but you’re struggling with adequate rest (aim for 7 – 9 hours of uninterrupted sleep), then all bets are off, and you’ll likely still be struggling with your blood sugars to some extent. This is how important a good night’s sleep is!

You’re stressed all the time, be it mental, physiological (which happens frequently with chronic hyperglycemia and autoimmunity), emotional, physical, job-related, relationships, parenting, etc.

Your gut health hasn’t been addressed. This is commonly the “last straw” to finally get better blood sugar results when everything else has failed!

It’s extremely common for those with autoimmunity to have a condition known as gut dysbiosis, which has been noted to be a precursor to many autoimmune conditions, including type 1 diabetes.

Tips for Adding More Physical Activities to Your Daily Routine with Type 1 Diabetes

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There’s definitely no “one-size-fits-all” approach to what activities you can do.

I strongly encourage you to find something you enjoy doing that gives you the result(s) you seek!

In my experience, high-intensity interval training (H.I.I.T.) has been the most beneficial and quickest way to get my blood sugars more reliably stable.

It also added more muscle and got me lean as hell ASAP!

What if Your Blood Sugar Spikes During Your Workouts?

I am aware of the many type 1 diabetics who experience blood sugar spikes during some or all of their exercise routines.

This is because their physiology interprets these actions as a stress response (as if they’re being attacked by lions).

As a result, stress hormones and glucose are released to better accommodate and fuel this “need.”

The good news is that you don’t have to put all your eggs in one “exercise” basket.

A simple 20-minute walk immediately after each meal has been shown to be one of the best actions to take to stabilizer blood sugars, especially if insulin resistance is present (8)!

Whenever my blood sugars are in my target range but then surprisingly spike up, I’ll often take a 20-minute walk to get them back down closer within my BG goals.

There are a variety of other physical activities that can positively impact BGs, such as:

Bike rides
Nature walks
Yard work, i.e. pulling weeds, trimming branches, moving piles of yard waste, mowing the lawn
Jumping on a trampoline (I was surprised to learn this with my kids!)
Most forms of manual labor
Aerobic exercise: 5Ks, half-marathons, marathons
Anaerobic exercise: Crossfit, sprints, H.I.I.T.
Building anything big: When I put together my family’s gazebo, it was extremely difficult to keep my blood sugars up! It was insane, as I’d never experienced this before!

These are just a few of my own personal experiences but find whatever you feel is a good fit for your enjoyment and blood sugar goals after discussing these options with your doctor!

Precautions and Considerations for Exercising with Type 1 Diabetes

Remember, there are no “free lunches” even with more physical activity, as there are many T1Ds who will either experience their BGs dropping or spiking during a given activity.

Intentional physical activity with type 1 diabetes requires careful planning to manage blood sugar levels and prevent complications.

The good news is that your body will typically follow a set pattern in how it responds to a particular physical activity.

So, once this is realized, it commonly makes blood sugar regulation a bit easier in that you’ll know what to expect, at what time, and to what degree.

This way, you can stay ahead of how your BGs will likely respond much better!

Until then, here are some things to look out for:

The 3 Main Factors Impacting Blood Sugars During Any Physical Activity

These factors will influence how much of a drop or spike your blood sugars may take for any given physical activity.

Knowing these and how your body responds to them will only empower you to address your blood sugars with more certainty during many forms of physical activity you engage in.

Type of physical activity
Duration
Intensity

Walking for 5 minutes compared to 45 will likely have a much different impact on your BGs.

In addition, training for an Iron Man competition will also cause a different blood glucose response when compared to just lifting weights.

If you’re going to learn more about these factors personally, please do so with the guidance of your physician!

Monitor Blood Sugar Levels

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Regularly check blood glucose levels before, during, and after exercise.

Aim for the range you & your doctor have agreed to in order to avoid hypoglycemia (low blood sugars) or hyperglycemia (high blood sugars).

If you have a continuous glucose monitor (CGM), this should make things a bit easier.

Please note there are many cases of CGMs becoming less reliable in accuracy the higher blood sugars become. So, you may need a blood sugar tester to validate some readings should they go high.

Adjust Insulin Dosage

Because blood sugars can either go up or down during activities like exercise, you’ll need to consult with your doctor to adjust insulin doses around these times.

Carbohydrate Intake

Consuming carbohydrates before or during prolonged or intense exercise may prevent hypoglycemia.

Carry quick-acting glucose sources like glucose tablets or juice in case of lower-than-normal blood sugar episodes.

Stay Hydrated

Drinking plenty of water is essential, as dehydration can affect blood sugar control and overall performance (9).

Wear Medical Identification

As a better-safe-than-sorry approach, it’ll be a good idea to wear a medical ID bracelet indicating you have type 1 diabetes, ensuring prompt and appropriate treatment in emergencies.

Gradual Intensity Increase

Wherever you start with your activities, gradually increase the intensity to allow your body proper time to adapt and minimize risks.

Recognize Symptoms

Be aware of hypoglycemia symptoms such as dizziness, sweating, confusion, and quicker irritations.

Stop exercising and treat low blood sugar immediately if any hypoglycemic reactions occur and give at least 15 – 30 minutes to validate if symptoms are improving.

Post-Exercise Monitoring

Continue to monitor blood sugars after exercising, as delayed hypoglycemia may still occur.

Consult Healthcare Professionals

Regularly consult with your healthcare providers to tailor exercise plans and adjust management strategies based on individual responses to exercise.

Do Something You Actually Enjoy

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I always think of my older sister, who has never enjoyed any form of exercise merely because she felt it was just another chore to act on.

That is, until she joined a popular fitness club and then enjoyed going because of the comradery and similar principles, values, and interests she shared among her group.

Long story short, try to find something you actually enjoy doing.

This way, you can avoid dragging your feet to whatever activity you decide to do and then possibly dampening the mood for everyone else.

No one enjoys being around “that” guy or gal. So, avoid it when possible.

By taking these precautions, type 1 diabetics can safely enjoy the blood-sugar benefits of physical activity while minimizing risks.

The Role of Physical Activity in Achieving Better Blood Sugar Control for Type 1 Diabetics: A Dr. Mo Story

I’m a parent who, at the time of this writing, is rehabbing an injured shoulder and two bad knees.

Since my injuries occurred, my once reliable blood sugar management has steadily declined.

Although I’m still maintaining 5.5% A1Cs, my BGs have been more volatile since my muscular insulin resistance has increased, which has required more insulin from me, as well.

At this point, my blood sugar management has been like a dog chasing its tail!

While trying to get back in the swing of things with my rehab, my attempts have been daunting with the daily stressors of work, family, kids, and getting my groove back with my blood sugar management and physical health, among a host of other things!

So, trust me when I tell you I GET IT when people shrug their shoulders after being told to “just exercise more!”

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However, I’ve experienced extremely positive blood sugar results when my activity goals are in a consistent routine!

In fact, one example of my exercise routine being such a blessing includes how I was able to maintain steady AND healthy BGs at work despite having forgotten my insulin pump supplies that I needed to switch out that morning.

In other words, I went most of my workday without insulin and without high BGs.

Keep in mind that this was a few years before addressing my gut health, too.

Here’s the video I shared on my Instagram back in 2019.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BwRoZqIBcK-/?igsh=NGlldTU4dzJtZDBt

Dr. Mo does not encourage you to intentionally perform these actions! I had never done this before, but I was confident I’d be successful, given my experience with how my BGs respond to my walks.

Overall, when blood glucose levels become easier to manage with better accuracy, this means:

Better A1Cs
Lower risk of diabetic complications
Longer quality of life
You showing your disease that YOU ARE IN CHARGE & not the other way around

I’m hoping you now have a better understanding of how blood sugar regulation can be made a bit easier with routine physical activities!

If you feel any other type 1 diabetic may benefit from this info, please send this their way!

I hope you got value out of this!

References

Empower Your Blood Sugars to Overcome their Most Common Hurdles!

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