Physical activity

Being physically active is one of the best ways to improve your health and wellbeing. It doesn’t have to be fast-paced to have significant benefits. Some activity is better than none at all. Importantly, regular physical activity can help keep your blood glucose level in the target range.

What's on this page

Physical activity describes any body movement that uses energy

It can be incidental such as housework or structured planned exercise. Try for a combination of both. A good start is sitting less and standing more!

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Exercise is planned, structured and repetitive with a specific goal to improve physical fitness. It can be:

Aerobic and anaerobic exercise

Strength building or resistance exercise

Balance and flexibility
exercise

Find out more

Watch

Watch our short videos on common questions about type 1 diabetes and exercise

Download

Read, listen to or download our Physical activity fact sheet.

Join

Check out our Ready set go, let’s move online program.

Benefits of being physically active

There are many physical and mental benefits from doing regular physical activity when you have diabetes. These include:

reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke
prevents osteoporosis
lowers blood pressure
increases strength and balance
slows age-related loss of muscle mass
positive changes to gut health
lowers blood fats (cholesterol and triglyceride levels)
reduces the risk of falls
assists with weight loss and weight maintenance
improves mood and emotional wellbeing
improves sleep quality.

Specific benefits for people with type 1 diabetes

May lower the amount of glucose in the blood during and after exercise. This is because being physically active help your body use glucose for fuel for working muscles.

It can reduce the amount of insulin you need.

Get moving with different types of exercises

Combining different types of exercise can help you manage diabetes and improve your overall health. The two main types of exercise are aerobic and resistance exercise.

Aerobic exercise

These exercises get your heart and lungs pumping! Think of activities like walking, dancing, cycling, or swimming. You may play sport or even visit the gym.

If you want to start with something less strenuous, try light aerobic exercises such as yoga or lawn bowls. Even taking the stairs is beneficial.

Resistance exercise

These exercises work your muscles by pushing against some resistance. This type of exercise can be described as strength building.

Talk to a qualified exercise professional like an exercise physiologist or physiotherapist. They can help you plan a tailored resistance program.

Intensity and length of exercise

Setting the pace:

How intense should your exercise be?

Try for a moderate level of intensity. For moderate intensity, your exercise should make you breathe more heavily but still allow you to talk. If you’re huffing and puffing, you’re probably at a vigorous intensity.

Timing it right:

How long should you exercise?

The duration of your exercise depends on your fitness level and what you want to achieve. If you’re just starting, take it slowly and gradually increase your activity. Combine short exercise blocks to create a balanced routine. For example, merge a 15-minute walk with 15 minutes of cycling, making a total of 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise over the day.

Be patient with your progress and enjoy the journey towards a healthier you!

Making your exercise routine

The best type of exercise is the one that works for you! Craft your personal workout routine with a variety of activities. Here’s some examples:

Try for at least 30 minutes moderate aerobic activity daily, adding up to 210 minutes or 3 hours and 20 minutes per week.

Add in 2-3 resistance training sessions per week.

Try 40-45 minutes of vigorous aerobic intensity activity at least 3 days a week, adding up to 125 minutes or 2 hours and 5 minutes per week.

Add in 2-3 resistance training sessions per week.

Try a combination of moderate and vigorous aerobic activity.

Add in 2-3 resistance training sessions per week.

Remember, sitting for long periods can affect your health, even if you’re physically active. Always try to break up long periods of sitting whenever possible.

Top tip

On days when you are less active, you may notice that your blood glucose levels will be higher, so a daily routine of physical activity can be helpful.

Setting your exercise frequency

You should try for daily moderate intensity aerobic exercise that amounts to 2.5–5 hours per week and include resistance exercises 2-3 times per week.

Steps to increase your activity level

Schedule your workout times and stick to them, just like a necessary appointment.
Make exercise social. Plan your work out sessions with friend or a group.
Add more steps to your day. Walk to work or shops when possible.
Keep yourself motivated by setting an exercise goal and track your progress using an exercise diary.
Record your daily steps with an activity tracker.
Increase your incidental exercise over the day by standing and moving while talking on the phone, watching TV, attending meetings, or catching up with friends.

Starting a new exercise program

Warning signs

If you experience chest pain, unusual breathlessness, nausea or dizziness during exercise, stop exercising immediately and call 000.

If you get severe muscular or joint pain during or after your workout, stop exercising until you have had a check-up with your doctor.

You might decide to start a new exercise program online or through your local gym for example. Always talk to your doctor about the suitability of your new type of exercise before starting a program.

This may also include asking for advice about managing your diabetes, especially at the start. You may need to monitor your blood glucose level more frequently and make changes to your insulin dose.

You may need to take extra precautions to prevent hypoglycaemia (also known as a hypo).

If you have peripheral neuropathy (nerve damage), talk to a diabetes health professional, such as a podiatrist for advice on how to look after your feet whilst exercising.

Need inspiration or motivation to get started? Join our Ready Set Go – Let’s Move online program.

Looking after type 1 diabetes when exercising

Living with type 1 diabetes requires some additional considerations before, during, and after exercise.

Blood glucose monitoring

Check your blood glucose levels before, during if needed, and after for exercise lasting longer than 30 minutes. Your blood glucose may be lower for up to 48 hours after exercise.

Don’t worry if your blood glucose levels rise during vigorous intensity exercise. This may last for 1–2 hours after the activity.

Adjusting carbohydrates

You may need to have extra carbohydrates (carbs) depending on the type and duration of the exercise. This could be before, during or after exercise. Talk to your diabetes health professionals for advice about how to adjust your carbs for your type and duration of exercise.

Adjusting insulin doses

You may need to adjust your doses depending on the type and duration of the exercise. Look for patterns in your blood glucose levels. This information helps when you talk to your diabetes health professionals about how to adjust your insulin when exercising.

High blood glucose levels

Avoid exercise if your blood glucose level is above 15 mmol/L or you feel unwell. Check for ketones, stay hydrated and rest until your blood glucose level is back in your target range.

What do ketones mean?

Having ketones means you don’t have enough insulin for your muscles to use glucose for energy. It can lead to rising blood glucose levels,
a build-up of ketones and diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA).

Hypos and exercise

Taking insulin means you’re at risk of hypos, which happens when blood glucose level drops below 4 mmol/L. Exercise can increase your risk, so you need to be prepared.

Carry fasting-acting carbs

Always keep easily absorbed carbs, such as jelly beans or glucose tablets/gels with you during your workouts.

Respond to hypos

Treat a hypo as soon as you feel the symptoms or you’re alerted by your continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) or flash glucose monitoring (Flash GM) device.

Once you treat the hypo, wait until your blood glucose level is back in your target range before you start exercising again. You may need to confirm your blood glucose levels with your blood glucose meter. This is because sensor readings with a CGM or Flash GM device and blood glucose levels will not usually be the same.

It takes the glucose 6-12 minutes to move from the blood into the fluid between your cells (“lag time”). You will see the greatest difference between these readings when your blood glucose levels change quickly.

Take your hypo treatment kit (hypo kit) with you when exercising.

What’s in a hypo kit?
Remember, you may need to confirm your hypo symptoms or low glucose alerts from your CGM or Flash GM with a finger prick check.

Watch

Watch our prerecorded Managing hypoglycaemia in type 1 diabetes and Physical activity and type 1 diabetes webinars.

Read

Read, listen to or download our CGM, Flash GM, Managing hypoglycaemia and Blood glucose monitoring fact sheets.

Tips to keep your blood glucose level in the target range when exercising

Timing of exercise

Consider the time in the day or evening you’re planning to exercise. The 2 hours after taking your insulin is when you can be at the greatest risk of a hypo. Consider exercising before your morning meal. Early morning hormones naturally raise blood glucose levels, so exercising before breakfast can decrease the risk of hypos. Also plan to exercise before a meal when insulin levels are lower in your body. This can help keep your blood glucose level in your target range. If you’re planning to exercise after meals, discuss how to adjust your insulin doses with your doctor or diabetes nurse practitioner.

Insulin adjustment

Depending on your activity level, an adjustment to your insulin dose may be necessary. Ask your doctor or diabetes nurse practitioner for advice.

Top tips

Get medical clearance

Before starting any new exercise or activity program, always check with your doctor for suitability.

Make an exercise plan

Try for 2.5–5 hours of moderate intensity aerobic activity a week and resistance exercise at least 2–3 times a week.

Learn from your body

Understanding how your body responds to exercise will help you plan. Start by checking your blood glucose level before, during and after you exercise. This will help you to decide if you need to have extra carbs or adjust your insulin before and after you exercise.

Foot care

Ask your diabetes health professionals about the best way to take care of your feet and what type of footwear to use while exercising.

Safety first

If you’re exercising, stay safe by carrying your hypo kit, wearing your diabetes identification and bringing your mobile phone. Always make sure a friend or family member knows where you are if you’re exercising alone.