Research has shown that initiating exercise 30 min after meals improves blood glucose control.Performing aerobic exercise, like walking, before resistance exercise is ideal.While 45 minutes of exercise is ideal, benefits can be seen with as little as 10 minutes.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re watching your blood sugar due to having diabetes or prediabetes, you\u2019re probably aware that physical activity is recommended to help manage it. You may even be cognizant of the recommendation regarding physical activity for those with type 2 diabetes\u2014which is to include 45 minutes of any exercise type at any intensity following meals to help improve post-meal blood glucose response.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve previously reported on studies that say that walking for just two minutes after meals helps lower blood sugar<\/a> and that being physically active in the afternoon<\/a> or evening can help control blood sugar better than morning exercise.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Some of the information may seem conflicting\u2014and confusing. To try to fine-tune the exercise prescription for blood sugar control, researchers at the University of Rome decided to dig into the available research to see if they could develop more refined recommendations.\n<\/p>\n Start Moving 30 Minutes After a Meal <\/p>\n When considering any situation involving exercise, researchers typically consider the FITT Principle, which stands for frequency, intensity, time (duration) and type of exercise. These are the parameters these researchers used for this review. In this case, they also added a third \u201cT\u201d for timing\u2014looking at the best time relative to eating to be physically active for better blood sugar control.\n<\/p>\n Researchers took into consideration the timing of when glucose levels tend to peak after eating. In people without diabetes, glucose typically peaks 30 to 60 minutes after eating. For those with diabetes, peak glucose levels are reached between 60 and 120 minutes following a meal.\n<\/p>\n After combing through numerous studies, these researchers suggest initiating exercise before blood glucose levels hit their peak. This means that those without diabetes should start moving 15 minutes after eating and those with diabetes should start moving 30 minutes after eating to better manage blood sugar levels.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Aerobic Before Resistance <\/p>\n