The magic number: 150.
You’ve likely heard that getting 150 minutes of physical activity each week with two sessions of strength training is the target for most people. And reaching that target will help you reach your blood glucose (blood sugar) goals. Finding 150 minutes in a busy week can seem hard to do if you’re busy, don’t enjoy working out, or have conditions that make physical activity difficult. But don’t worry: Tackling 150 minutes of physical activity can be easier than you might think!
Why 150?
Any physical activity will help, but a minimum of 150 minutes of activity per week has been shown to get results. But while a slow stroll is a great start, you’ll want to get to a point where your breathing hard enough that you’re be able to talk, but not sing during your workout. It's important that you're comfortable during physical activity so it's easier to stick to over time.
Regular physical activity has lots of benefits for people living with diabetes, including making it easier to reach blood pressure and blood glucose (blood sugar) targets. Plus, research has shown that getting 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity lowers your risk of heart disease and premature death.
Spread it out
Instead of looking at your 150 minutes a week target as one big goal, think of it as a set of mini goals. Aim for 30 minutes five times a week, 25 minutes six times a week, or 50 minutes of exercise three times a week. And make sure that two sessions of strength training are mixed in.
Each breakdown will have a slightly different impact on your blood glucose. To really get the benefits of physical activity on managing blood glucose, try to keep time between workouts shorter. To do that, try to time your workouts so that you go no more than two days between sessions.
Shorten your sessions
It’s easy to skip a session of physical activity if you don’t have a 30 to 60-minute chunk of time, but you don’t need a wide-open schedule to meet your goals.
Think about three spots in your day where you could fit in 10 minutes of physical activity. It could be a 10-minute jump rope session before work, a 10-minute walk at lunchtime, and 10 minutes on an exercise bike after dinner.
You still get the health benefits: 10 minutes of exercise three times a day gives you cardiovascular benefits the same way 30 minutes at one time does. Just don’t go too fun-sized with your sessions. When you’re working at a moderate intensity, sessions that last 10 minutes or more do the most for heart health.
Setting smart goals
If a goal is specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-bound, there is a higher chance of sticking to the new behavior and seeing results.
Sure, you might aim for 150 minutes of mountain biking each week, but that can be hard to do, especially if you're just starting out. You can aim to fill those 150 minutes with shorter, less-intense activities. Something as simple as vacuuming for 10 minutes could get your heart rate up. Doing this type of activity throughout the day is a more realistic and an easier goal if you're busy or have limitations to the activities you can do.
Fine-tuning your fitness level
Are you just starting or have you been working out for a while? It makes a big difference in the type of physical activities that will work for you.
If you’re new to physical activity, create goals that help you build toward the 150 minute target. If you sit at a desk all day and don’t have an exercise routine, your first goal might be to get 10 minutes of physical activity at a time during your week until you reach the 150-minute mark. It’s not about how long it takes you to get to that goal, what’s more important is taking the steps to reach it.
Make time for physical activity
A routine for physical activity that you can stick to should work into the demands of your day. To find a time that works for you, think about when you have time and when you feel like you have the most energy.
The timing of your medication may also affect the timing of your sessions. Certain diabetes medications, like insulin and sulfonylureas, can increase your risk for low blood glucose (hypoglycemia). Add in the blood glucose–lowering effect of physical activity, and your evening workout may up your risk of overnight lows. In that case, you might want to go with a morning or afternoon session instead of getting physical activity in the evening.
Sometimes, increasing your amount of physical activity will also affect the timing of your medications. If you aim to get physical activity two to three hours after eating, for instance, you may need to reduce your premeal bolus of rapid-acting insulin to prevent lows.
How to stay motivated
Choosing an activity you enjoy, creating a log to track your progress, and preparing for snags—all of these can help keep you motivated.
- Have fun. Making physical activity fun will help you stick with it—nobody wants to do 150 minutes of something they don’t enjoy! Find workouts that will check off those boxes for you—whether that’s a dance class, a pickleball league or a walking club. You can also try listening to music or doing activities with a friend to make them more enjoyable.
- Track your progress. Logging your workouts can help you track just how many of those 150 minutes of physical activity you have left to meet this week's goal. If you keep your log someplace you'll see it every day, it can be visual reminder of your goal. That could mean on a calendar on your wall, a day planner on your desk, or an app on your phone or computer.
- Safeguard your plan. Come up with an alternative workout option for days the weather isn’t great or things don’t go as planned. Instead of cycling outside, you could walk laps at the local mall, use the elliptical machine at the gym, or do 10 minutes of stair-climbing at home.
Having a friend that you get physical activity with is another way to help stick to your exercise routine. It could even motivate you to try new activities.
