Living with Diabetes: Walking and Blood Sugar Management
Trying to manage your diabetes or lower your risk for developing Type 2 diabetes?
Walking can make a BIG difference in your blood sugar management efforts, all while rarely breaking a sweat. While we often think we need to be doing excessive amounts of exercise, at high intensity, every single day, in order to see significant change, that isn't really true for most people.
Walking and diabetes (Type 2 & pre-diabetes in particular) have been well-studied for decades. Some of these studies are huge, like the Nurses Health Study which look at over 70,000 female nurses over 8 years. An analysis of the study looked at what conclusions could be drawn between walking time & intensity and risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.
Some of the benefits they found included:
The inverse relationship between energy expenditure (aka, calorie burn) from walking and risk of type 2 diabetes was similar to the inverse relationship for energy expenditure from total physical activity and risk of type 2 diabetes. (Essentially, the more energy used up from walking/physical activity, the greater reduction of risk).
The inverse association remained so even after adjusting for BMI (aka all BMI’s within the study saw similar risk reduction results).
There was a strong association found between walking pace and risk of type 2 diabetes. This includes after controlling for variables.
Other studies are smaller and more specific, like a 2012 study looking at 201 people and how number of steps per day & potential relationship to A1C change.
Some of their findings included:
On average, participants took 5300 steps. Average age was 60 years old, and approximately 47% were women.
When adjusted for age, ethnicity and sex, each 13.4cm (5.35 inch) increase in waist circumference was associated with a 0.26% higher A1C.
When adjusted for age, ethnicity and sex, each 0.08 increase in waist-to-hip ratio was associated with a 0.46% higher A1C.
In models that adjusted for all measured variables, each 2609 increase in daily step count was associated with clinically important decreases in BMI & waist circumference, and decreased WHR in women but not men.
data that suggested higher step counts may be associated with a lower A1C independent of changes to abdominal adiposity. While at the time their study suggested further research, it drew the implication that higher step counts may lead to additional reduction to abdominal adipose tissue, while reaping the benefits in A1C % indicated from both actions independently.
A metanalysis of 10 cohort studies with over 300,000 participants also found that at least 2.5 hours per week of moderate intensity walking can significantly reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes by approximately 30%, compared to being sedentary. Moderate intensity walking was specifically defined as “brisk” or 5.6km/h (3.5miles/h). You may measure this by:
50-70% of max heartrate,
if you are able to speak with some effort but not sing,
a 3-7 out of a scale of 0-10, depending on your previous exercise experience.
So, what does all of this mean to you?
In most studies, the conclusion that becomes apparent is that any amount of walking, at any intensity, is better than being entirely sedentary, both in terms of overall diabetes risk as well as management of symptoms.
As someone becomes more active, small increases in time and/or intensity can be even more beneficial. This is important to note because this helps individuals determine what is realistic for their life, abilities, and goals.
For some people, feeling like they need to "exercise" is an overwhelming thought; they don't know where to begin, they're worried about getting injured or burning out; they aren't sure where to fit it into their day. When we start to flip the thought process to "physical activity", moving our body, more gentle versions of that exercise, it may begin to feel more achievable and realistic.
While the recommendation is at least 150 minutes (2.5 hours) per week of moderate to vigorous activity, we can't expect to begin there if we're currently not moving much more than just our day-to-day functions.
Maybe we start by parking a little farther away at stores. Maybe we take the stairs, or take two laps of the store vs just one. Maybe we carry 1-2 items at a time when tidying the house, instead of filling our arms to minimize trips to the laundry r or bedrooms.
Build from where you’re at now, not where you think you should be already.
Already active? Consider where you can go from here:
is it realistic to add more time?
Could you walk faster?
Could you choose a route with hills or gravel vs asphalt?
Maybe you add in some weight training, yoga, balance exercises or a sports practice.
Maybe you're maxed out already and you explore other aspects of your health & wellness, like good sleep or stress management.
If you're looking for support, there are often local walking groups; virtual walking challenges (The Conquerer events are fun!), or resources from your health care providers. There's no shortage of information out there to help you move more; the difficult part is sorting through what is relevant to YOUR life.
We work with individuals living with all types of diabetes, so book a discovery call if you would like to learn more about how we can support your health goals, activity included. ❤
Have any tips to share with others about how to get more active? We'd love to hear them! 👇
*Remember to consult your health care team prior to beginning physical activity for the first time, after an extended break, or after any changes to your health. Ensure your providers, included CDEs and pharmacists are aware of changes to your lifestyle as this may impact their advice.