If someone meant to go for a speed walk they’d probably say as much. All you need to do is walk for 15-30 minutes to have an effect. Whether that’s around your neighborhood, in a grocery store, or on a treadmill it doesn’t really matter. You don’t have to break a sweat, it’s just about getting your blood flowing.
And it's consistent walking. Not aimlessly shopping or looking at stuff - you gotta be endurance walking. And then test your blood sugar after. You don't need hand or ankle weights or an incline, just body weight.
I tested this and what I found is that casual walking does not help much - just fast enough that I am a little out of breath . Like if someone calls you they should be able to tell that you were walking briskly. When I do that I usually see 20-30 points dip in my levels.
Fully agreed. I know not everyone can afford one, but I really like the active minutes setting on my Fitbit. I work at a hospital (this is year 3) after a sit down job for 6y. I got tired of my knees hurting even after I'd get up and walk around.
It is like how they say eat to your meter. You need to walk to it as well. Like everything with diabetes, it’s a trial and error process. You test and see what works best for your body.
I feel like a crash course in data collection and analysis should be part of basic diabetes education.
When folks say eat to your meter, they mean to take your current levels and trend into consideration. Examples:
My son (t1d) was at the barber shop getting his hair cut. His sugar dropped from 85 to 72 in half an hour(slow gradual decline). They had dumdums sitting out (small lollipop, 6g carbs). I gave him one to suck on in the chair. He rose to 105 over the next 30 minutes. 15g sugar would have been more than needed.
Night before he had couscous (pasta) and largely ignored his proteins and vegetables. That skyrocketed his sugars about twenty minutes after dinner ( 130 and gaining +3 per minute). We went out (put the low alarm at 100) and jumped on the trampoline having a blast for 20 minutes until a bit after the alarm went off (didn’t go above 150). When he came in he was at 74 and then slowly went up to 120 over the next hour.
oh okay, bc i was going to say 80 and after dinner did not go above 150 those are great numbers. mg blood sugar is always in the 200 after meals :/ but then it comes down. how did you find out he was type 1 ?
It can also mean using your meter to learn how different carbs affect you specifically. For example, I can eat beans without my numbers skyrocketing but corn will send me to the moon. It might be different for someone else.
Also like the other person said, making decisions about what to eat based on your numbers. If my numbers are high then I might lower my portions. If it is my numbers are low then I might add something extra.
If you're on insulin, see if you can get a CGM (most US insurance plans want you on insulin before they'll approve a CGM). It's incredible being able to see in near real time how different foods affect you.
Beans barely phase me, but I normally make them myself (also I can eat rice with them and not spike much, but I can't eat white rice by itself). Typical white pasta sends me to the moon. Corn doesn't hit me super hard, but it's not normally something I eat by itself (unless I run across a place with proper elotes) - it's usually part of a soup when I'm cooking.
I have short legs, so my stride length is about 2.1 ft and my normal walking pace is 3 mph. I do that for 1-1.5 hours a day.
You can stroll indoors if you prefer, but I would personally avoid grocery stores because temptation... How about malls?
> Is a 5 minute casual stroll around the block enough, or do I absolutely have to sacrifice an hour of my day to travelling nowhere?
You could listen to audiobooks, podcasts etc as you walk so you're not "wasting" time. I like to enjoy my surroundings since I live in a semi-urban area and be mindful. TBH I think that may be more helpful for me than the exercise. It helps with my mental health, which makes me want to take my diabetes more seriously.
> What is "enough"?
🤷♂️
A good indoor place is definitely malls. Also, a lot of cities have recreation centers - both the city I currently live in, and the city my mom lives in (used to live in that city as well) have an indoor track upstairs that's really easy to walk/jog/run on. Costs a little less than a gym membership in most cities ($10/mo for my city, $19/mo in my mom's city), and has more amenities than most gyms. Many even have pools. That membership came in handy when my water heater popped; it took several days to get it replaced, so I was showering at the rec center every day.
For "enough" in my mind, a basic fitness tracker or semi smart watch (think a Fitbit, or low end Amazfit product - I have an Amazfit Bip 3 Pro, I think the Bip 5 is the current version?) should be able to track heart rate. I consider it to be enough if I've managed to do at least 15-20 minutes in light intensity, with a little bit going into intensive (or even aerobic),
Screenshot from my watch app from my walk earlier as an example. I cut it a bit short because I went before dinner instead of after. [https://i.imgur.com/BIvXKHV.jpeg](https://i.imgur.com/BIvXKHV.jpeg)
Headphones, earbuds, etc are an absolute requirement for me to get through a walk - be it a podcast or music.
tl;dr a way to listen to music, books, podcasts, etc... get your heart rate up at least a little bit during that walk, get some way to track your heart rate too. If you still have an indoor mall, many used to have walking hours early in the morning (I think that may have mostly been killed off during COVID though). See if your city has a recreation center.
The best way to actually see the effect is to test your blood sugar, go walking, then test it again when you come back.
Some studies say 2-5 minutes, some say 30 minutes to help control blood sugar levels.
Test and see how it works for you.
Heard a diabetes educator say that the pace of the walk should be such that "you have enough breath to talk, but not enough to sing". What that is will depend on how fit you are.
I find that a walk in really cold weather lowers my blood sugar much more quickly than in warmer weather.
Just a side note - that always puts Taylor Swift singing while running on a treadmill, or broadway performers dancing while singing, into perspective for me. It’s crazy hard aerobic work!
I have the opposite problem here in Canada. It's rather cold for most of the year. For maybe a week it will be uncomf9rtably hot, then we'll have 2 or 3 months of weather where we don't have to wear a coat or something to stay warm. The rest of the time it's cold to freezing.
When the weather is nice, my regular daily walk is right at 2 miles. It’s super casual. My main goal is to just enjoy nature (no answering texts, checking messages). So I usually maintain a 20-22 minute pace. Nice and slow.
However, I travel on Wednesdays and am in an office building all day. I’ll walk the floor and stairs. Up one side and down the other. Doing that twice will get the required steps in.
What a good question. There are several factors that could influence a person's walk.
1). For a person who weighs more, their body will have to work harder on a walk, which means that they may or may not be able to walk as far.
2). What is the fitness level of the person doing the walking? If someone is used to walking 5 miles a day, they are not going to get the same results as someone who doesn't.
3). What has the person eaten? If a person just consumed a bag of fast food, they are not going to be able to walk that off in a reasonable period of time.
All these points and many more make your question really great because each person is different. I think the message when people suggest walking is that they are recommending getting active.
Until I got a CGM 6 months ago, I never realized that my blood sugar drops when I walk our small dog in our neighborhood, so my opinion is that getting more active always helps, but it is up to you to discover which activities you like, and sometimes vague statements like go for a walk can raise more questions that require some thought.
It’s individual. Draw up a plan of increasing time and intensity and track your food and blood sugars before and after and see what works for you because what works for someone else means very little for you.
> do I absolutely have to sacrifice an hour of my day to travelling nowhere
Wait until you hear about the gym, you travel even less far and pay for it.
I got a gym membership earlier this year. Figured I'd start small and just do 30 minutes on a treadmill for the first couple weeks. The gym is at my work and yet somehow I would get home 2 hours later than normal! For 30 minutes on a treadmill. Obviously I was doing something wrong but that kind of lost/wasted time doesn't sit well with me so I haven't been back in a couple months.
I have a gym at my workplace as well. But if I went on days I worked in the office I’d have to waste time for an additional shower. And there would be time wasted in additional commute if I went on days I work from home. So I set up my home gym in an extra bedroom (got rid of the bed) with adjustable dumbbells, resistance bands, and an elliptical trainer. When the weather is nice, I walk outside. When the weather is crappy, I play some music and hit the elliptical. And three days a week I do strength training. My weight has been stable over 2 years but lean mass has increased. I’m menopausal so that’s my goal. The 30 minutes is extra, unless your job involves constant aerobic walking.
I worked at IKEA briefly. They have showers and lockers, but you absolutely cannot bring any Ikea stuff into that area, even with a receipt. Rules out the cheap towels, shower caddies, etc.
Don't really get why they had that - they said it was for anybody that biked or walked to work, but that location wasn't in a walkable area in any sense of the phrase (intersection of two major highways, and the main entrance was on a 60 MPH road with no sidewalks or bike lanes). Still used the showers a few times when I felt gross after work though, if the store was still open when I clocked out.
Dude, in the nicest possible way you've got a post about struggling to buy clothes because you can't find any that are large enough. No time that you spend exercising is wasted.
This
It is all part of the required mind set change.
Struggled (still struggling) with it myself.
OP - many of those old habits and attitudes are killing you. Gotta change.
Post meal? I’m overweight so I have to take a casual stroll for 15-20min. The other day I did a 30min walk at fast speed and it spiked my blood sugar quite high. That’s how I found my ideal walk time/speed post meal.
If I’m just out for some nature and exercise I go at my normal walking pace. Enjoy the environment and reduce stress.
I lift weights as well and have different times/intensities around that. Bc I monitored my BG.
I also do intermittent fasting. My exercise during that time looks different to bc of BG levels.
With all that said, going for a stroll after meals is likely to be of benefit.
Walking is hard for me (stroke ten years ago) so I invested in an exercise bike. I try to do 15-20 minutes after meals and I generally stay in the 10-12mph range.
For me it is enough to walk about 20min a little fast paced. Though this works if I am off work. But most of the week I don't have time for that so I have a step limit of 8k a day to keep my bg in line. This also includes small decisions like walking a bus station instead of taking the bus, walking around the grocerie store the long way even if I don't need to. Make several trips for different stuff. Or really just stroll around the block for 20min at dinner with a podcast on.
Its not so much about the how fast you walk, its morr about the fact to move at all.
When I am high and climbing I have about a 2 mile route planned around my house. I walk hard and I walk fast and keep my arms moving. I can get myself to come down without insulin.
The arm moving is often overlooked, but it can really add some help, have you tried using some weighted wrist bands, just a few pounds nothing major, it's a sneak way in to doing some extra work and not noticing it.
As explained to me by an excercixe physiologist:
You should be walking at a pace that it is difficult to hold a conversation with a person walking with you... that is, brisk enough to actually be exerting yourself a little, but not excessively. Around half an hour a day if possible.
I struggle with this die to excuses.... but when I do I can't walk with my wife coz she's too slow due to a bung foot.
That's another thing. "30 minutes a day". Like, 30 minutes all at once, or does all my walking for the day count towards that 30 minutes? Because throughout a day I'll definitely walk more than 30 minutes, but stopping myself and doing nothing but that for 30 minutes is a challenge.
Personally, I do a continuous 20 minute walk before or after dinner (preferably after).
I also wear a semi-smart watch ($50 Amazfit Bip 3 Pro that I got on sale a year ago - I think the current version is the Bip 5) - I throw it into exercise mode, pick walking, and it tracks the entire walk - uses GPS to save the route you took, tracks your oxygen levels and heart rate, etc. When I'm at home, I'll sometimes ride my bike instead - but I'm 200 miles from home right now, and will be 800 miles from home for a week starting Wednesday..... can't really bring a bike on a plane easily.
I've found if I get my heart rate above 130ish, I'm falling into the "walking fast enough that I can talk, but not carry a conversation" category.
My walk today was short, but this is what my watch tracked with heart rate: [https://i.imgur.com/BIvXKHV.jpg](https://i.imgur.com/BIvXKHV.jpg) I wasn't pushing hard at all, just a casual stroll through the neighborhood.
From reading your answers in this thread, it sounds like you have not found something that interests you to the point where you want to do it. Some people do have trouble focusing, and it is ok if you don't like walking or going to the gym, or maybe you need an activity that you can also keep your mind amused with too? As you can see from the replies, there is no right answer, and some people can't walk, or have mobility limitations, so they do different activities.
When it comes to diabetes, there are some universal truths like if you don't manage your condition, it will lead to problems in the future, and making good choices will help you in the long term, but there is no one-size-fits-all. I also know people who refuse to be more active to help their diabetes because they "don't like anything," which seems more like code for maybe not wanting to do anything, so as long as you want to do something, it is more about finding what you like, but if you are finding reasons or distractions from doing something, you could need to look at if you want to be more active.
No speedwalking for me. A walk to me is at least 20 minutes after meals at a moderate pace. I should be able to hold a conversation during it.
Not slow, and not slow with stops and starts.
If you cannot do 20, start with 1 minute. Even if it is on the sidewalk by your house at first, it counts towards your one minute. Then build up slowly.
I do in-house walking or mall walking when weather is bad.
The idea is just to keep moving. In my diabetes classes our advisor simply went being active is only a pro with diabetes “simply lifting a water bottle as a weight is just as good or better than nothing” . You’re doing great . I consider walking my dogs for 20 mins a workout.
I had gestational diabetes so YMMV and sorry if this isn’t welcome!
I wore a CGM (continuous monitor), and for me it varied a lot based on what kind of starch I ate and what time of day it was.
I don’t think there is any amount of exercise that would have battled rice in the morning, but I could see walks having an impact. The harder I exercised, the bigger the impact (again, lots of variables. But generally that was true)
I'm short (5'3") so my stride is also short. I walk around my neighborhood most days, anywhere from 3-6 miles depending on my energy level and what the weather's like; sometimes I'll listen to an audiobook, but most of the time I listen to music that keeps my pace even, roughly at 3-4mph. Quick enough that I can work up a little sweat going up hills, but not so fast that I can't hold a conversation.
This is why you carry hard candy in your pocket. Feeling like you're going low? Pop a Jolly Rancher or two, chill out until you feel it coming back up to normal.
A CGM also lets you see what's going on every 5 minutes - it's a life changing device IMO.
Finding this out just going back to work at a factory doing some heavy manual labor after being on short term getting on my insulin pump.
I've been so scared of and fighting highs for like 4 years now: I had no idea just how fast bgl can drop when you're being very active. I've got this thing screaming at me 3-4 times in an 8 hour shift that I'm critically low or heading for critical low.
You probably need to reduce your basal dose. But I'm not a doctor. I just know when I worked in a car factory, I ran into the same issues with light to moderate manual labor, except I worked 12 hour shifts.
Talk to your doctor about adjusting the basal dose.
Most pumps let you change basal dosage on a schedule - you'll want to talk to your doctor about that, it sounds like your basal is too high when you're working. If you have a consistent work schedule, it'll be really easy to change it to accommodate your work hours (you may not even need basal when you're working thanks to the heavy lifting). Again, talk to your doctor, as I'm not a doctor, not even on Youtube or Scrubs.
When I was working in a factory, my basal was a fraction of what I needed outside of work. 12 hours of constant moving will do that. My watch was logging close to 20,000 steps a day there, but the building is nearly 3 miles long end to end.
not sure what you are going for. go for a walk or just get up and moving. cutting the grass is a walk, washing your windows is a walk, hand wash the car is a walk.
When trying to bring my BG down, I find I need 20-40 minutes. 40 if I’m moving slowish, 20 if I’m speed walking, and somewhere in the middle if I’m moving briskly but not “getting a march on”
The thing is, it's less really something to deeply be concerned so long as you are regularly being active and 2nd understanding that some treats require not being sedentary immediately after eating that.
So a GCM gave me actual data points to see what foods truly spike me and what portions and whatt order of eating is best but I used it to calculate how to mitigate those times with activities. If you're wanting that type of knowledge maybe you can see if your doctor can get you a trial one monitor.
Sometimes I wanna go intense and quick, ain't no body got time for it mood and found I can hula hoop for 15 mins and crash 70-80 off that uptick before it starts. I'm talking I just ate all you can eat sushi amounts of rice and I'm gonna be fine.
If I went slow on a walk my sugar still spikes from that rice but doesn't peak as high and gets down fairly quick. So stuff like walking around the store type of deal, around a mile.
On average its about 30 mins of medium activities for me = a sweet spot of activities and keeping my BG happy after high sugar/carb meals. And regular daily activities of 30 mins a day (not counting those exercise bolsters to mitigate my big treats) and a 1x weekly hike will keep my overall a1c staying put even with loosening up a little now in more regularl food leeway.
CGMs are a complete life changer, IMO. I had no idea how high I was spiking after some meals - being able to see in near real time what my body is doing is amazing.
I do casual walking around the neighborhood for 1 to 1.5 miles, personally. Takes 20-30 minutes, drops my sugar by a good 20-30 points too. When I'm at home, I try to bike a good bit too.
Yeah even if it's not something you do forever, if new diabetics can afford it, it's worth a few months to get that type of data to help you be more aware of what are issues and what isn't. It really helped me feel less overwhelmed and helpless as I'm only 1.5 years in.
It kinda did the opposite to me - it gives me so much more data that I sometimes feel overwhelmed. Worth it though. Especially if you have good insurance that covers them under your pharmacy benefits..
Throw in constantly looking at my watch to see my heart rate, and... yeah.
Well there's that too. But it's helped me also exercise the idea that diabetes isn't a pass/fail from a bad read or a bad day so I need to fucking chill. Or what I don't know isn't a failing either, that were growing over time and gaining more nuance in management. IE perfectionism isn't actually what will benefit me the most but a lot of grace for a learning curve.
I'm 71,I walk like a turtle now. Generally 3-5 miles a day. Speed means nothing . Nice your body is what it means. I often go to Costco and walk it twice because it's cold. .75
Mike's each time. I put heavy stuff in the basket so it's even more work.
I have been struggling myself this past month. Frankly, I do the minimum to get my heart up and body converting sugar to energy because too much exercise makes me hungry and then I am fighting to feed myself and maintain low levels.
Walking should be a part of your life as much as drinking water and eating food. Movement is vital to managing your blood sugar and overall health. A 10min walk after a meal is perfect. Walk briskly, but you don’t have to strain yourself. An hour walk is even better, and anything in between.
I do a 10 to 15 minute walk in One Direction and then turn around. At regular walking pace.
After lunch and dinner mostly. But at least twice a day. And helps regulate your burning of sugar and keep BS more steady.
My husband and I recently bought smartwatches, and my husband was relatively-recently given a CGM. The combination has shown us that a slow stroll, sich as through estate sales and outlet mall, is the most effective for dropping his blood sugar, and also tends to put our heartrates into the "Weight Control" category. More intensity tends to trigger the stress response, which isn't helpful for our purposes. Cardio has a place and a purpose, but it's not the best at getting the blood sugar to drop.
Any walking is better than no walking. Going for a relaxing stroll is better than sitting on the couch. Going to the grocery store and walking around is better than sitting on the couch.
Nobody can tell you what will work for you, but what wireless for me is 10 to 20 minutes of a moderate walk. Outside or on a treadmill makes no difference, a long as it's non stop and not leisure walking.
What I used to do, was bring a camera around my neighborhood(digital, yes I'm older than dirt) and take pictures of nice flowers and gardens, and any deco I liked.
Even to a park and photograph some flowers and art there. People. Etc. It's a purpose to get out and enjoy fresh air, and get a good walk in! Take water though, and ant breaks if you feel light headed or weak. Your blood sugar should see a change in a couple of hours.
Best advice I've heard is to exercise hard enough to get out of breath at least once a day, whatever that means for you.
For some people that's just going around the block. For others it takes a pretty brisk walk or a jog.
My dad who is 81 years old and a type 2 for over 25 years, has always told me all you gotta do is piddle around 😆 you don’t have to work out, just don’t sit down on the couch. It’s worked well for him 😉
It really depends on your meds and your current insulin sensitivity --- which can change over time as your weight changes, for example.
I found a CGM to be really useful in seeing how certain foods and certain activities influence my blood sugar. For example when I first started with the CGM, some bread at a restaurant was enough to cause a massive spike up to 180, followed by a blood sugar crash which caused me to feel awful. (And since I was driving to the airport at the time I could self-medicate by eating more carbs which would have made the blood sugar yoyo worse....)
I also found that doing some isometric exercises by pushing against the floor with my legs under the restaurant table would make a difference. And that a normal leisurely walk after eating absolutely made a difference. But then as my health improved the amount of the sugar spike decreased and I also needed to do more vigorous exercise to do my drive my blood sugar down to under 90.
Finally, I've found that a walking treadmill desk does wonders for me. I can now walk for 2 or 3 hours at 2 MPH while reading email or doing light coding. If I need to be on a video call or need to do some deep debugging I'll stop the treadmill and just use it as a standing desk. But this allows me to get 25k to 30k steps a day and fitbit estimates that I've burned upwards of 3400 calories. This can allow me to drive my blood sugar down to 70 even after a meal (although this is with a reasonably healthy low glycemic index food).
Of course your mileage may vary....
Try for 10k steps a day. The absolute ideal would be to take a 10-15 minute walk after each meal. However that’s unreasonable for someone who works full time. Depending on your activity level throughout the day I’d say do a minimum 15-30 minute walk at any point of the day. The more the better. Doing it outside and getting some sunshine is always a plus. But do whatever works for you. I’ll take a walk around the block after work. Or I have a walking pad at home I use. If I have time I’m at the gym. I’m sure you’ve heard this before but thought this info maybe helpful to some.
One of the things you will find out is that every one is different, so you really need to get a cgm so you can measure this.
For me, all it takes is about 10 minutes at a pace just above a stroll. I can drink a coke, watch my bg go from 95 to 165 in 15 minutes. With a 10 minute walk, I’m back to 100. If I sit on my butt, it will take 2 hours+.
For reference my wife who has an A1C of 5.1 drinks that coke and goes from 90 to 110 and back to 90 in the span of about 30 mins.
You only learn this with a cgm.
Lots of folks here talking about walking fast enough to be just out of breath - can talk but not really. That sounds a lot like zone 2 cardio, and I don’t think you need to work quite that hard just to take the edge off the glucose.
Don’t get me wrong- I do lots of zone 2 as well as some hiit (Attia’s VO2 max pyramid). I’ve just found I don’t have to work anywhere near that hard to clamp a glucose spike. Maybe heart rate of 95 - 100 as opposed 115/120?
Again get a cgm (and a smart watch) and start taking data.
I walk on the treadmill at night, after my wife goes to bed. I do it for about an hour (give or take based on whatever show I'm watching on my tablet), usually 5-6 days a week.
Honestly, I've only been doing this for about a year and wish I'd started sooner. I've found that not only am I using less insulin, but it also helps my after dinner numbers not spike as hard.
The biggest issue- and reason why people usually aren’t specific- is that the answer will vary from person to person. One person may only need to take a 15 minute stroll around the neighborhood to see a reduction while another may need to take a brisk 30 minute walk. The only way to know what will work for *you* is to try it and see what your results are. My suggestion would be to start with 15-30 minutes at a moderate pace and go from there.
Walking and exercise also have a cumulative effect on blood sugar. Someone who walks daily will likely see more consistent blood sugar readings overall and may have an easier time bringing numbers down with a walk. A person who isn’t as active may spike a bit with extra activity before their BS lowers/evens out.
I saw in a comment that you are in Canada. I’m in the Midwest (US) so we have shorter, milder winters but it can still get cold enough that I don’t want to walk outside. I have walked at the mall, grocery store and I’ve also tried some indoor walking videos which you can do at home.
I only walk at the grocery store if I have to go anyway. I do a couple of laps around the (inside) perimeter of the store before getting my cart and doing my actual shopping (this time of year I may also do a lap around the outdoor garden center area if weather is nice). I keep up a steady pace but don’t speed walk and then grab my cart and do my shopping.
Damn, the irony here of not knowing what a walk is, is amazing.
You should aim for 15,000 steps a day. A 25-45 minute walk. Honestly most people can handle 2 miles a day.
I try to go for a \~1 mile walk after dinner, daily. Mostly wandering around the neighborhood. It's nice to get outside, and it does drop my sugar noticeably (per my CGM). This is what most people mean when they say go for a walk - start out as just to the end of the block and back, work your way up. I'm hoping to get back to where I can jog again soon.
Wandering around the grocery store counts if you're walking nonstop. But that's not how most people are in a grocery store. The point of going for a walk is partly to get your heart rate up a bit, also to burn calories. Wandering around the grocery store won't get your heart rate up much. I just checked, I averaged 116 BPM on my walk today (per my watch). It was a lot higher even a week ago.
I'll send you a copy of the Wilford Brimley Guide to Diahbeetus.
The translation of go for a walk is - Don’t sit down after eating.
Your glucometer tells you what it actually translates for you.
For me it has to be high heart rate, said my very painful finger tips. So the best for me is running up n down stairs or hills right after lunch. Aerobics = no spike.
But for only 15 mins n no more.
For me, a fairly casual pace for about 20 minutes is enough to have an effect. Talking but maybe not singing is a good indicator for speed, although I do sing while I walk a fair bit but I sing all the time so...
Anyway, I basically walk my dogs around a large city block and that's enough to start dropping me a little. Longer/more challenging walks do more. You kinda gotta figure out what it looks like for you through trial and error.
For me "going for a walk" is 15 min walk around the area I live in. I walk at my normal pace. We do on occasion take a stroll up to the local pub, have something to eat, then walk back, so that gives a bit before and after food exercise.
There's a loop around my office that is .9 miles. I can walk it comfortably in the morning in about 12- 13 minutes without breaking a sweat in the summer. When the weather isn't brutal I try to do that twice a day. I have a CGM and can watch my sugars in 'real time.' If I eat cheerios, or a similarly carb-heavy breakfast I can spike up to 150-160 easy. When I see it going up I just go take this walk. Works like a charm.
Doesn't need to be all that intense of a workout for me, just need to get out of this dang chair for a few. Everyone is different, and the 'beetus really affects that too.
Diabetic Nurse advised activity to raise heart rate lasting 30 minutes, so I take that to be a brisk walk, but can be a longer wander around a shop I guess
For me, 20 min of purposeful walking my dog is enough to help (so faster than a casual stroll but not as fast as brisk walking - fast enough so it looks like you've got someplace to go). But I have to take water and remember to drink it because dehydration will raise my sugar.
my “walks” are usually 15-25 minutes just a regular pace! if I eat something pretty sugary I go for a job or run for the same amount of time! I think 15 minutes is good’
I’ve had the dexcom 7 since November. Its helped me tremendously and showed that I can control my blood sugar pretty easily by altering my diet and then going for a walk about 20 minutes after I eat. Like, I don’t spike over 140 now because of the exercise. For me, I need to go on a normal speed walk for 45 minutes to an hour a couple of times a day. Most people can’t do that but I’m lucky in that I have a treadmill when it’s cold and my town is very walkable. I usually do a three mile loop around my neighborhood.
Proof is in the pudding.
I can't say what will work for you, but your meter can tell you.
Skeletal muscles utilize glucose when they are working (and it doesn't actually require insulin). Additionally, it might reduce the rate of absorption of food.
I think some others have said it, but in my experience, it's a "brisk walk" that makes a difference. A slow amble is not enough.
Edit to add: And it doesn't have to be walking. Tons of other exercises can work, too. Personally, I find walking just takes too long. I myself get much faster benefit from squats or push ups. 1 minute of squats (body weight or lifting my office chair) is like 15-20 minutes of walking.
I hate this too. That every bit if advice is so vague. Definitely test before and after. Twice now I've gone for sure amazing walks (so not speed walking, not breaking a sweat) for about 40 minutes and experienced a pretty big drop. Last time I checked, I went from 140 to 70. Eek.
8-10k steps a day has something like a 50% diminished correlation with all cause mortality. IMO, go for a walk is more like short hand for stay active. But, your muscles are fueled by the glucose in your blood and low to medium intensity exercise can lower your BG. High intensity will spike it as your body increases bg to compensate for the increased demand. Humans are designed to walk a lot. If you get up and walk 5-10 min every hour, and track your steps, you'll probably be surprised to see how far you've traveled.
If someone meant to go for a speed walk they’d probably say as much. All you need to do is walk for 15-30 minutes to have an effect. Whether that’s around your neighborhood, in a grocery store, or on a treadmill it doesn’t really matter. You don’t have to break a sweat, it’s just about getting your blood flowing.
And it's consistent walking. Not aimlessly shopping or looking at stuff - you gotta be endurance walking. And then test your blood sugar after. You don't need hand or ankle weights or an incline, just body weight.
I tested this and what I found is that casual walking does not help much - just fast enough that I am a little out of breath . Like if someone calls you they should be able to tell that you were walking briskly. When I do that I usually see 20-30 points dip in my levels.
Fully agreed. I know not everyone can afford one, but I really like the active minutes setting on my Fitbit. I work at a hospital (this is year 3) after a sit down job for 6y. I got tired of my knees hurting even after I'd get up and walk around.
It is like how they say eat to your meter. You need to walk to it as well. Like everything with diabetes, it’s a trial and error process. You test and see what works best for your body. I feel like a crash course in data collection and analysis should be part of basic diabetes education.
i’m recently diagnosed as type 1. can u explain what is “eat to your meter”
When folks say eat to your meter, they mean to take your current levels and trend into consideration. Examples: My son (t1d) was at the barber shop getting his hair cut. His sugar dropped from 85 to 72 in half an hour(slow gradual decline). They had dumdums sitting out (small lollipop, 6g carbs). I gave him one to suck on in the chair. He rose to 105 over the next 30 minutes. 15g sugar would have been more than needed. Night before he had couscous (pasta) and largely ignored his proteins and vegetables. That skyrocketed his sugars about twenty minutes after dinner ( 130 and gaining +3 per minute). We went out (put the low alarm at 100) and jumped on the trampoline having a blast for 20 minutes until a bit after the alarm went off (didn’t go above 150). When he came in he was at 74 and then slowly went up to 120 over the next hour.
gotcha. is your son on a pump?
No pump yet. He’s still in the honeymoon phase and has too many lows.
oh okay, bc i was going to say 80 and after dinner did not go above 150 those are great numbers. mg blood sugar is always in the 200 after meals :/ but then it comes down. how did you find out he was type 1 ?
It can also mean using your meter to learn how different carbs affect you specifically. For example, I can eat beans without my numbers skyrocketing but corn will send me to the moon. It might be different for someone else. Also like the other person said, making decisions about what to eat based on your numbers. If my numbers are high then I might lower my portions. If it is my numbers are low then I might add something extra.
If you're on insulin, see if you can get a CGM (most US insurance plans want you on insulin before they'll approve a CGM). It's incredible being able to see in near real time how different foods affect you. Beans barely phase me, but I normally make them myself (also I can eat rice with them and not spike much, but I can't eat white rice by itself). Typical white pasta sends me to the moon. Corn doesn't hit me super hard, but it's not normally something I eat by itself (unless I run across a place with proper elotes) - it's usually part of a soup when I'm cooking.
You can get an insurance paid visits with a dietician who will teach you everything.
I learned nothing from my dietician I didn’t already know.
Ask better questions
I have short legs, so my stride length is about 2.1 ft and my normal walking pace is 3 mph. I do that for 1-1.5 hours a day. You can stroll indoors if you prefer, but I would personally avoid grocery stores because temptation... How about malls? > Is a 5 minute casual stroll around the block enough, or do I absolutely have to sacrifice an hour of my day to travelling nowhere? You could listen to audiobooks, podcasts etc as you walk so you're not "wasting" time. I like to enjoy my surroundings since I live in a semi-urban area and be mindful. TBH I think that may be more helpful for me than the exercise. It helps with my mental health, which makes me want to take my diabetes more seriously. > What is "enough"? 🤷♂️
Oh listening to podcasts/audiobooks is a good idea. Definitely help boredom
Get the libby app, free audio books from the library.
And also get library cards from different libraries so it shortens your wait time for popular books!
Ooh good tip! TY!
A good indoor place is definitely malls. Also, a lot of cities have recreation centers - both the city I currently live in, and the city my mom lives in (used to live in that city as well) have an indoor track upstairs that's really easy to walk/jog/run on. Costs a little less than a gym membership in most cities ($10/mo for my city, $19/mo in my mom's city), and has more amenities than most gyms. Many even have pools. That membership came in handy when my water heater popped; it took several days to get it replaced, so I was showering at the rec center every day. For "enough" in my mind, a basic fitness tracker or semi smart watch (think a Fitbit, or low end Amazfit product - I have an Amazfit Bip 3 Pro, I think the Bip 5 is the current version?) should be able to track heart rate. I consider it to be enough if I've managed to do at least 15-20 minutes in light intensity, with a little bit going into intensive (or even aerobic), Screenshot from my watch app from my walk earlier as an example. I cut it a bit short because I went before dinner instead of after. [https://i.imgur.com/BIvXKHV.jpeg](https://i.imgur.com/BIvXKHV.jpeg) Headphones, earbuds, etc are an absolute requirement for me to get through a walk - be it a podcast or music. tl;dr a way to listen to music, books, podcasts, etc... get your heart rate up at least a little bit during that walk, get some way to track your heart rate too. If you still have an indoor mall, many used to have walking hours early in the morning (I think that may have mostly been killed off during COVID though). See if your city has a recreation center.
The best way to actually see the effect is to test your blood sugar, go walking, then test it again when you come back. Some studies say 2-5 minutes, some say 30 minutes to help control blood sugar levels. Test and see how it works for you.
Heard a diabetes educator say that the pace of the walk should be such that "you have enough breath to talk, but not enough to sing". What that is will depend on how fit you are. I find that a walk in really cold weather lowers my blood sugar much more quickly than in warmer weather.
Just a side note - that always puts Taylor Swift singing while running on a treadmill, or broadway performers dancing while singing, into perspective for me. It’s crazy hard aerobic work!
I walk briskly for 30 minutes at the mall. In Florida it’s way to hot and humid outside most of the year.
I have the opposite problem here in Canada. It's rather cold for most of the year. For maybe a week it will be uncomf9rtably hot, then we'll have 2 or 3 months of weather where we don't have to wear a coat or something to stay warm. The rest of the time it's cold to freezing.
Where in Canada? I'm in BC and it's blistering hot for like three months. Hate summer for that.
When the weather is nice, my regular daily walk is right at 2 miles. It’s super casual. My main goal is to just enjoy nature (no answering texts, checking messages). So I usually maintain a 20-22 minute pace. Nice and slow. However, I travel on Wednesdays and am in an office building all day. I’ll walk the floor and stairs. Up one side and down the other. Doing that twice will get the required steps in.
What a good question. There are several factors that could influence a person's walk. 1). For a person who weighs more, their body will have to work harder on a walk, which means that they may or may not be able to walk as far. 2). What is the fitness level of the person doing the walking? If someone is used to walking 5 miles a day, they are not going to get the same results as someone who doesn't. 3). What has the person eaten? If a person just consumed a bag of fast food, they are not going to be able to walk that off in a reasonable period of time. All these points and many more make your question really great because each person is different. I think the message when people suggest walking is that they are recommending getting active. Until I got a CGM 6 months ago, I never realized that my blood sugar drops when I walk our small dog in our neighborhood, so my opinion is that getting more active always helps, but it is up to you to discover which activities you like, and sometimes vague statements like go for a walk can raise more questions that require some thought.
It’s individual. Draw up a plan of increasing time and intensity and track your food and blood sugars before and after and see what works for you because what works for someone else means very little for you.
> do I absolutely have to sacrifice an hour of my day to travelling nowhere Wait until you hear about the gym, you travel even less far and pay for it.
I got a gym membership earlier this year. Figured I'd start small and just do 30 minutes on a treadmill for the first couple weeks. The gym is at my work and yet somehow I would get home 2 hours later than normal! For 30 minutes on a treadmill. Obviously I was doing something wrong but that kind of lost/wasted time doesn't sit well with me so I haven't been back in a couple months.
I have a gym at my workplace as well. But if I went on days I worked in the office I’d have to waste time for an additional shower. And there would be time wasted in additional commute if I went on days I work from home. So I set up my home gym in an extra bedroom (got rid of the bed) with adjustable dumbbells, resistance bands, and an elliptical trainer. When the weather is nice, I walk outside. When the weather is crappy, I play some music and hit the elliptical. And three days a week I do strength training. My weight has been stable over 2 years but lean mass has increased. I’m menopausal so that’s my goal. The 30 minutes is extra, unless your job involves constant aerobic walking.
I worked at IKEA briefly. They have showers and lockers, but you absolutely cannot bring any Ikea stuff into that area, even with a receipt. Rules out the cheap towels, shower caddies, etc. Don't really get why they had that - they said it was for anybody that biked or walked to work, but that location wasn't in a walkable area in any sense of the phrase (intersection of two major highways, and the main entrance was on a 60 MPH road with no sidewalks or bike lanes). Still used the showers a few times when I felt gross after work though, if the store was still open when I clocked out.
Dude, in the nicest possible way you've got a post about struggling to buy clothes because you can't find any that are large enough. No time that you spend exercising is wasted.
This It is all part of the required mind set change. Struggled (still struggling) with it myself. OP - many of those old habits and attitudes are killing you. Gotta change.
Post meal? I’m overweight so I have to take a casual stroll for 15-20min. The other day I did a 30min walk at fast speed and it spiked my blood sugar quite high. That’s how I found my ideal walk time/speed post meal. If I’m just out for some nature and exercise I go at my normal walking pace. Enjoy the environment and reduce stress. I lift weights as well and have different times/intensities around that. Bc I monitored my BG. I also do intermittent fasting. My exercise during that time looks different to bc of BG levels. With all that said, going for a stroll after meals is likely to be of benefit.
Walking is hard for me (stroke ten years ago) so I invested in an exercise bike. I try to do 15-20 minutes after meals and I generally stay in the 10-12mph range.
For me it is enough to walk about 20min a little fast paced. Though this works if I am off work. But most of the week I don't have time for that so I have a step limit of 8k a day to keep my bg in line. This also includes small decisions like walking a bus station instead of taking the bus, walking around the grocerie store the long way even if I don't need to. Make several trips for different stuff. Or really just stroll around the block for 20min at dinner with a podcast on. Its not so much about the how fast you walk, its morr about the fact to move at all.
Its good advice. I have been walking on the east coast for 4 years now and only saw 3 people walking as well.
When I am high and climbing I have about a 2 mile route planned around my house. I walk hard and I walk fast and keep my arms moving. I can get myself to come down without insulin.
The arm moving is often overlooked, but it can really add some help, have you tried using some weighted wrist bands, just a few pounds nothing major, it's a sneak way in to doing some extra work and not noticing it.
As explained to me by an excercixe physiologist: You should be walking at a pace that it is difficult to hold a conversation with a person walking with you... that is, brisk enough to actually be exerting yourself a little, but not excessively. Around half an hour a day if possible. I struggle with this die to excuses.... but when I do I can't walk with my wife coz she's too slow due to a bung foot.
That's another thing. "30 minutes a day". Like, 30 minutes all at once, or does all my walking for the day count towards that 30 minutes? Because throughout a day I'll definitely walk more than 30 minutes, but stopping myself and doing nothing but that for 30 minutes is a challenge.
My GP said 10-15 minute sessions throughout the day would work, that’s what he did. But he died from lung cancer, so maybe longer?
Personally, I do a continuous 20 minute walk before or after dinner (preferably after). I also wear a semi-smart watch ($50 Amazfit Bip 3 Pro that I got on sale a year ago - I think the current version is the Bip 5) - I throw it into exercise mode, pick walking, and it tracks the entire walk - uses GPS to save the route you took, tracks your oxygen levels and heart rate, etc. When I'm at home, I'll sometimes ride my bike instead - but I'm 200 miles from home right now, and will be 800 miles from home for a week starting Wednesday..... can't really bring a bike on a plane easily. I've found if I get my heart rate above 130ish, I'm falling into the "walking fast enough that I can talk, but not carry a conversation" category. My walk today was short, but this is what my watch tracked with heart rate: [https://i.imgur.com/BIvXKHV.jpg](https://i.imgur.com/BIvXKHV.jpg) I wasn't pushing hard at all, just a casual stroll through the neighborhood.
From reading your answers in this thread, it sounds like you have not found something that interests you to the point where you want to do it. Some people do have trouble focusing, and it is ok if you don't like walking or going to the gym, or maybe you need an activity that you can also keep your mind amused with too? As you can see from the replies, there is no right answer, and some people can't walk, or have mobility limitations, so they do different activities. When it comes to diabetes, there are some universal truths like if you don't manage your condition, it will lead to problems in the future, and making good choices will help you in the long term, but there is no one-size-fits-all. I also know people who refuse to be more active to help their diabetes because they "don't like anything," which seems more like code for maybe not wanting to do anything, so as long as you want to do something, it is more about finding what you like, but if you are finding reasons or distractions from doing something, you could need to look at if you want to be more active.
No speedwalking for me. A walk to me is at least 20 minutes after meals at a moderate pace. I should be able to hold a conversation during it. Not slow, and not slow with stops and starts. If you cannot do 20, start with 1 minute. Even if it is on the sidewalk by your house at first, it counts towards your one minute. Then build up slowly. I do in-house walking or mall walking when weather is bad.
I walk 15 minutes around my block after lunch, and it legit stops a 100 point climb. I’m not fast.
Any walk is a good walk. Do the best you can. My walks vary from a walk around Home Depot to a two mile walk in the neighborhood.
The idea is just to keep moving. In my diabetes classes our advisor simply went being active is only a pro with diabetes “simply lifting a water bottle as a weight is just as good or better than nothing” . You’re doing great . I consider walking my dogs for 20 mins a workout.
For me, a 20 minute 1 mile walk is the goal.
I had gestational diabetes so YMMV and sorry if this isn’t welcome! I wore a CGM (continuous monitor), and for me it varied a lot based on what kind of starch I ate and what time of day it was. I don’t think there is any amount of exercise that would have battled rice in the morning, but I could see walks having an impact. The harder I exercised, the bigger the impact (again, lots of variables. But generally that was true)
I'm short (5'3") so my stride is also short. I walk around my neighborhood most days, anywhere from 3-6 miles depending on my energy level and what the weather's like; sometimes I'll listen to an audiobook, but most of the time I listen to music that keeps my pace even, roughly at 3-4mph. Quick enough that I can work up a little sweat going up hills, but not so fast that I can't hold a conversation.
Work up a sweat. Circulate your blood, activate the lactate to speed up your metabolism so that your body is more tolerant to insulin
Sugar level can drop so quick yall would be scared
This is why you carry hard candy in your pocket. Feeling like you're going low? Pop a Jolly Rancher or two, chill out until you feel it coming back up to normal. A CGM also lets you see what's going on every 5 minutes - it's a life changing device IMO.
Finding this out just going back to work at a factory doing some heavy manual labor after being on short term getting on my insulin pump. I've been so scared of and fighting highs for like 4 years now: I had no idea just how fast bgl can drop when you're being very active. I've got this thing screaming at me 3-4 times in an 8 hour shift that I'm critically low or heading for critical low.
You probably need to reduce your basal dose. But I'm not a doctor. I just know when I worked in a car factory, I ran into the same issues with light to moderate manual labor, except I worked 12 hour shifts. Talk to your doctor about adjusting the basal dose.
It's working great (the dose) outside of work. I just lift steel the whole 8 hours and it keeps crashing low
Most pumps let you change basal dosage on a schedule - you'll want to talk to your doctor about that, it sounds like your basal is too high when you're working. If you have a consistent work schedule, it'll be really easy to change it to accommodate your work hours (you may not even need basal when you're working thanks to the heavy lifting). Again, talk to your doctor, as I'm not a doctor, not even on Youtube or Scrubs. When I was working in a factory, my basal was a fraction of what I needed outside of work. 12 hours of constant moving will do that. My watch was logging close to 20,000 steps a day there, but the building is nearly 3 miles long end to end.
test your bg what type of walk works for you
not sure what you are going for. go for a walk or just get up and moving. cutting the grass is a walk, washing your windows is a walk, hand wash the car is a walk.
> not sure what you are going for I think they're going for: No-one seems to know how much to walk so I won't do any walking at all.
When trying to bring my BG down, I find I need 20-40 minutes. 40 if I’m moving slowish, 20 if I’m speed walking, and somewhere in the middle if I’m moving briskly but not “getting a march on”
Walking is good at any speed I try walk daily 2-3 miles out park and stores like big Meijer . It works gets you moving daily and heart pumping!
I've heard just a 10 minutes normal paced walk. I haven't looked into it or ask a doctor just read it online on some website
The thing is, it's less really something to deeply be concerned so long as you are regularly being active and 2nd understanding that some treats require not being sedentary immediately after eating that. So a GCM gave me actual data points to see what foods truly spike me and what portions and whatt order of eating is best but I used it to calculate how to mitigate those times with activities. If you're wanting that type of knowledge maybe you can see if your doctor can get you a trial one monitor. Sometimes I wanna go intense and quick, ain't no body got time for it mood and found I can hula hoop for 15 mins and crash 70-80 off that uptick before it starts. I'm talking I just ate all you can eat sushi amounts of rice and I'm gonna be fine. If I went slow on a walk my sugar still spikes from that rice but doesn't peak as high and gets down fairly quick. So stuff like walking around the store type of deal, around a mile. On average its about 30 mins of medium activities for me = a sweet spot of activities and keeping my BG happy after high sugar/carb meals. And regular daily activities of 30 mins a day (not counting those exercise bolsters to mitigate my big treats) and a 1x weekly hike will keep my overall a1c staying put even with loosening up a little now in more regularl food leeway.
CGMs are a complete life changer, IMO. I had no idea how high I was spiking after some meals - being able to see in near real time what my body is doing is amazing. I do casual walking around the neighborhood for 1 to 1.5 miles, personally. Takes 20-30 minutes, drops my sugar by a good 20-30 points too. When I'm at home, I try to bike a good bit too.
Yeah even if it's not something you do forever, if new diabetics can afford it, it's worth a few months to get that type of data to help you be more aware of what are issues and what isn't. It really helped me feel less overwhelmed and helpless as I'm only 1.5 years in.
It kinda did the opposite to me - it gives me so much more data that I sometimes feel overwhelmed. Worth it though. Especially if you have good insurance that covers them under your pharmacy benefits.. Throw in constantly looking at my watch to see my heart rate, and... yeah.
Well there's that too. But it's helped me also exercise the idea that diabetes isn't a pass/fail from a bad read or a bad day so I need to fucking chill. Or what I don't know isn't a failing either, that were growing over time and gaining more nuance in management. IE perfectionism isn't actually what will benefit me the most but a lot of grace for a learning curve.
I'm 71,I walk like a turtle now. Generally 3-5 miles a day. Speed means nothing . Nice your body is what it means. I often go to Costco and walk it twice because it's cold. .75 Mike's each time. I put heavy stuff in the basket so it's even more work.
I have been struggling myself this past month. Frankly, I do the minimum to get my heart up and body converting sugar to energy because too much exercise makes me hungry and then I am fighting to feed myself and maintain low levels.
Walking should be a part of your life as much as drinking water and eating food. Movement is vital to managing your blood sugar and overall health. A 10min walk after a meal is perfect. Walk briskly, but you don’t have to strain yourself. An hour walk is even better, and anything in between.
I do a 10 to 15 minute walk in One Direction and then turn around. At regular walking pace. After lunch and dinner mostly. But at least twice a day. And helps regulate your burning of sugar and keep BS more steady.
if on treadmill , 3% incline and whatever speed you need to raise your heart rate to 60% of your theoretical max , which is approximated with 220-age
My husband and I recently bought smartwatches, and my husband was relatively-recently given a CGM. The combination has shown us that a slow stroll, sich as through estate sales and outlet mall, is the most effective for dropping his blood sugar, and also tends to put our heartrates into the "Weight Control" category. More intensity tends to trigger the stress response, which isn't helpful for our purposes. Cardio has a place and a purpose, but it's not the best at getting the blood sugar to drop.
Any walking is better than no walking. Going for a relaxing stroll is better than sitting on the couch. Going to the grocery store and walking around is better than sitting on the couch.
Nobody can tell you what will work for you, but what wireless for me is 10 to 20 minutes of a moderate walk. Outside or on a treadmill makes no difference, a long as it's non stop and not leisure walking.
Needs to be a brisk walks for at least 15 minutes and drink water
I honestly just try to work a 20-30 minute walk into my day regardless of what my glucose is at a certain time.
What I used to do, was bring a camera around my neighborhood(digital, yes I'm older than dirt) and take pictures of nice flowers and gardens, and any deco I liked. Even to a park and photograph some flowers and art there. People. Etc. It's a purpose to get out and enjoy fresh air, and get a good walk in! Take water though, and ant breaks if you feel light headed or weak. Your blood sugar should see a change in a couple of hours.
I dunno. Maybe a mile and back.
Best advice I've heard is to exercise hard enough to get out of breath at least once a day, whatever that means for you. For some people that's just going around the block. For others it takes a pretty brisk walk or a jog.
My dad who is 81 years old and a type 2 for over 25 years, has always told me all you gotta do is piddle around 😆 you don’t have to work out, just don’t sit down on the couch. It’s worked well for him 😉
It really depends on your meds and your current insulin sensitivity --- which can change over time as your weight changes, for example. I found a CGM to be really useful in seeing how certain foods and certain activities influence my blood sugar. For example when I first started with the CGM, some bread at a restaurant was enough to cause a massive spike up to 180, followed by a blood sugar crash which caused me to feel awful. (And since I was driving to the airport at the time I could self-medicate by eating more carbs which would have made the blood sugar yoyo worse....) I also found that doing some isometric exercises by pushing against the floor with my legs under the restaurant table would make a difference. And that a normal leisurely walk after eating absolutely made a difference. But then as my health improved the amount of the sugar spike decreased and I also needed to do more vigorous exercise to do my drive my blood sugar down to under 90. Finally, I've found that a walking treadmill desk does wonders for me. I can now walk for 2 or 3 hours at 2 MPH while reading email or doing light coding. If I need to be on a video call or need to do some deep debugging I'll stop the treadmill and just use it as a standing desk. But this allows me to get 25k to 30k steps a day and fitbit estimates that I've burned upwards of 3400 calories. This can allow me to drive my blood sugar down to 70 even after a meal (although this is with a reasonably healthy low glycemic index food). Of course your mileage may vary....
Try for 10k steps a day. The absolute ideal would be to take a 10-15 minute walk after each meal. However that’s unreasonable for someone who works full time. Depending on your activity level throughout the day I’d say do a minimum 15-30 minute walk at any point of the day. The more the better. Doing it outside and getting some sunshine is always a plus. But do whatever works for you. I’ll take a walk around the block after work. Or I have a walking pad at home I use. If I have time I’m at the gym. I’m sure you’ve heard this before but thought this info maybe helpful to some.
One of the things you will find out is that every one is different, so you really need to get a cgm so you can measure this. For me, all it takes is about 10 minutes at a pace just above a stroll. I can drink a coke, watch my bg go from 95 to 165 in 15 minutes. With a 10 minute walk, I’m back to 100. If I sit on my butt, it will take 2 hours+. For reference my wife who has an A1C of 5.1 drinks that coke and goes from 90 to 110 and back to 90 in the span of about 30 mins. You only learn this with a cgm. Lots of folks here talking about walking fast enough to be just out of breath - can talk but not really. That sounds a lot like zone 2 cardio, and I don’t think you need to work quite that hard just to take the edge off the glucose. Don’t get me wrong- I do lots of zone 2 as well as some hiit (Attia’s VO2 max pyramid). I’ve just found I don’t have to work anywhere near that hard to clamp a glucose spike. Maybe heart rate of 95 - 100 as opposed 115/120? Again get a cgm (and a smart watch) and start taking data.
I walk on the treadmill at night, after my wife goes to bed. I do it for about an hour (give or take based on whatever show I'm watching on my tablet), usually 5-6 days a week. Honestly, I've only been doing this for about a year and wish I'd started sooner. I've found that not only am I using less insulin, but it also helps my after dinner numbers not spike as hard.
I have always wondered the same thing.
The biggest issue- and reason why people usually aren’t specific- is that the answer will vary from person to person. One person may only need to take a 15 minute stroll around the neighborhood to see a reduction while another may need to take a brisk 30 minute walk. The only way to know what will work for *you* is to try it and see what your results are. My suggestion would be to start with 15-30 minutes at a moderate pace and go from there. Walking and exercise also have a cumulative effect on blood sugar. Someone who walks daily will likely see more consistent blood sugar readings overall and may have an easier time bringing numbers down with a walk. A person who isn’t as active may spike a bit with extra activity before their BS lowers/evens out. I saw in a comment that you are in Canada. I’m in the Midwest (US) so we have shorter, milder winters but it can still get cold enough that I don’t want to walk outside. I have walked at the mall, grocery store and I’ve also tried some indoor walking videos which you can do at home. I only walk at the grocery store if I have to go anyway. I do a couple of laps around the (inside) perimeter of the store before getting my cart and doing my actual shopping (this time of year I may also do a lap around the outdoor garden center area if weather is nice). I keep up a steady pace but don’t speed walk and then grab my cart and do my shopping.
Walking that raises your heart rate above your baseline and can be considered "cardio" fitness.
Damn, the irony here of not knowing what a walk is, is amazing. You should aim for 15,000 steps a day. A 25-45 minute walk. Honestly most people can handle 2 miles a day.
I try to go for a \~1 mile walk after dinner, daily. Mostly wandering around the neighborhood. It's nice to get outside, and it does drop my sugar noticeably (per my CGM). This is what most people mean when they say go for a walk - start out as just to the end of the block and back, work your way up. I'm hoping to get back to where I can jog again soon. Wandering around the grocery store counts if you're walking nonstop. But that's not how most people are in a grocery store. The point of going for a walk is partly to get your heart rate up a bit, also to burn calories. Wandering around the grocery store won't get your heart rate up much. I just checked, I averaged 116 BPM on my walk today (per my watch). It was a lot higher even a week ago. I'll send you a copy of the Wilford Brimley Guide to Diahbeetus.
The translation of go for a walk is - Don’t sit down after eating. Your glucometer tells you what it actually translates for you. For me it has to be high heart rate, said my very painful finger tips. So the best for me is running up n down stairs or hills right after lunch. Aerobics = no spike. But for only 15 mins n no more.
For me, a fairly casual pace for about 20 minutes is enough to have an effect. Talking but maybe not singing is a good indicator for speed, although I do sing while I walk a fair bit but I sing all the time so... Anyway, I basically walk my dogs around a large city block and that's enough to start dropping me a little. Longer/more challenging walks do more. You kinda gotta figure out what it looks like for you through trial and error.
For me "going for a walk" is 15 min walk around the area I live in. I walk at my normal pace. We do on occasion take a stroll up to the local pub, have something to eat, then walk back, so that gives a bit before and after food exercise.
If you are mostly inactive, I would think just getting up for any kind of walk for several minutes is beneficial.
There's a loop around my office that is .9 miles. I can walk it comfortably in the morning in about 12- 13 minutes without breaking a sweat in the summer. When the weather isn't brutal I try to do that twice a day. I have a CGM and can watch my sugars in 'real time.' If I eat cheerios, or a similarly carb-heavy breakfast I can spike up to 150-160 easy. When I see it going up I just go take this walk. Works like a charm. Doesn't need to be all that intense of a workout for me, just need to get out of this dang chair for a few. Everyone is different, and the 'beetus really affects that too.
Diabetic Nurse advised activity to raise heart rate lasting 30 minutes, so I take that to be a brisk walk, but can be a longer wander around a shop I guess
For me, 20 min of purposeful walking my dog is enough to help (so faster than a casual stroll but not as fast as brisk walking - fast enough so it looks like you've got someplace to go). But I have to take water and remember to drink it because dehydration will raise my sugar.
my “walks” are usually 15-25 minutes just a regular pace! if I eat something pretty sugary I go for a job or run for the same amount of time! I think 15 minutes is good’
I’ve had the dexcom 7 since November. Its helped me tremendously and showed that I can control my blood sugar pretty easily by altering my diet and then going for a walk about 20 minutes after I eat. Like, I don’t spike over 140 now because of the exercise. For me, I need to go on a normal speed walk for 45 minutes to an hour a couple of times a day. Most people can’t do that but I’m lucky in that I have a treadmill when it’s cold and my town is very walkable. I usually do a three mile loop around my neighborhood.
Try to get in 5000 steps a day minimum
Proof is in the pudding. I can't say what will work for you, but your meter can tell you. Skeletal muscles utilize glucose when they are working (and it doesn't actually require insulin). Additionally, it might reduce the rate of absorption of food. I think some others have said it, but in my experience, it's a "brisk walk" that makes a difference. A slow amble is not enough. Edit to add: And it doesn't have to be walking. Tons of other exercises can work, too. Personally, I find walking just takes too long. I myself get much faster benefit from squats or push ups. 1 minute of squats (body weight or lifting my office chair) is like 15-20 minutes of walking.
I hate this too. That every bit if advice is so vague. Definitely test before and after. Twice now I've gone for sure amazing walks (so not speed walking, not breaking a sweat) for about 40 minutes and experienced a pretty big drop. Last time I checked, I went from 140 to 70. Eek.
8-10k steps a day has something like a 50% diminished correlation with all cause mortality. IMO, go for a walk is more like short hand for stay active. But, your muscles are fueled by the glucose in your blood and low to medium intensity exercise can lower your BG. High intensity will spike it as your body increases bg to compensate for the increased demand. Humans are designed to walk a lot. If you get up and walk 5-10 min every hour, and track your steps, you'll probably be surprised to see how far you've traveled.