When to Exercise
| Author: Judy Kohn, RN, BSN, CDE |
| Last Updated: Tuesday, October 03, 2006 |
Q: "Have you ever heard of a recommendation for exercise before or after a meal, or does the specific time one exercises make any difference with respect to blood sugar? My endocrinologist says that exercising after a meal is the way to go. Is that just his perception or is there evidence to support this?"
A: There used to be ongoing debates about the best time to exercise, and for that matter, it would depend somewhat on whether or not you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes, and whether or not you take insulin, pills, or no diabetes medication--i.e. the obvious concern is potential hypoglycemia if exercising before a meal. Since you didn't specify your diabetes type or treatment, I'll respond with some general information.
Previous thoughts:
- Exercising before breakfast: At one time it was thought that exercising first thing in the morning burned more fat, because allegedly you were without food all night, so the glucose stores were somewhat depleted; furthermore, the argument stated that morning exercise would increase your metabolism for the rest of the day.
- Exercising after a meal: Other experts wrote that exercising after a meal was better because you would increase the burning of those calories, as well as increase your metabolic rate for several hours later.
Current belief:
- Anytime is beneficial: The most recent thinking is that the time of day
doesn't matter-it all counts. Again, it would depend somewhat on whether or not
you need to be concerned with preventing hypoglycemia-in which case exercising
after a meal is better-and/or if you do take diabetes medications that could
cause hypoglycemia (i.e. insulin or sulfonylureas) you might need to lower the
dose before exercise. If this applies to you, you need to discuss this with
your physician.
- According to the ADA's The Health Professional's Guide to Diabetes and Exercise, your blood glucose can show improvement up to 12-72 hours after an exercise session (depending on the duration and intensity of the exercise). The author concluded that exercise should be performed at the time of day that is most convenient for you, but he also cautioned that because exercise can potentiate the effects of insulin as well as oral diabetes agents, you should be sure to understand hypoglycemia prevention.
- Here is a quote from an article by Richard Weil, M.Ed., CDE, an exercise physiologist, in an article titled "Exercise Myths and Facts" from Diabetes Self-Management, May/June 2003: (In response to the myth "Exercise in the morning works better than exercise at night"): "Some people believe that if you go to sleep right after exercise you won't get as much benefit from the workout, because your metabolic rate slows down while you're sleeping. If you exercise in the morning, they say, you jump-start your metabolism and burn more calories throughout the day. There's no evidence that this is true." He further states: "The bottom line is that the body responds to exercise whenever you do it…The best time to exercise is the time you are most likely to do it."
So while current research seems to indicate that the time of day doesn't matter, be sure to discuss this with your diabetes team.
Related Questions
How much exercise?
Q:
"What is considered an adequate amount of exercise? I don't exercise, but
now that I have diabetes, I think I should."
Hypoglycemic Reaction
Q:
"I've been diagnosed as type 2 since March of this year with a BG of 547 (I
had infections). I take one 10 mg Glucotrol in the morning and one 500 mg
Metformin in the morning and one in the afternoon. ..."
Related Links
American Diabetes Association (ADA)
http://www.diabetes.org
Diabetes Self-Management
http://www.diabetesselfmanagement.com
Important Notice: The responses provided by the team of Diabetes Educators are based on their personal experiences and expertise as practicing diabetes healthcare professionals, and are not to be considered diabetes management advice from Abbott Laboratories. Remember that information provided by the team of Diabetes Educators is for general background purposes and is not intended as a substitute for medical diagnosis or treatment by a trained professional. You should always consult your physician about any healthcare questions you may have, especially before trying a new medication, diet, fitness program, or approach to healthcare issues.
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