Exercising regularly is a great way to stay healthy, keep fit, and control your weight.
Exercising with Type 1 diabetes
When you have type 1 diabetes, there are a couple of extra steps you will need to take to exercise safely. Exercise affects your blood glucose levels so a general rule to follow is to test and record your blood glucose levels before, during, and after exercise. This can help you work out how much carbohydrate to eat and how much insulin to take.
Read Chris' story on how he manages to stay active with type 1 diabetes.
Exercising with Type 2 diabetes
With type 2 diabetes, the impact of exercise on your diabetes and general health can be huge. Eating better and becoming more active can help control your diabetes and in some cases allow you to reduce, or even come off medication altogether. Some types of medication (such as insulin and drugs like gliclazide) can make you more likely to have a hypo (lower blood glucose level) during exercise, so if you’re thinking about becoming more active, speak to your GP or diabetes care team first to make sure you can do so safely. You can find out more about staying active in our Let's get physical section.
Read Zahoor's story on how becoming more active helped him better manage his Type 2 diabetes
Useful resources
Diabetes UK has some useful information on the benefits of exercise and how to manage blood glucose levels during exercise.
You can find out what activities are happening in your area using the That Counts! activity finder.
Most people treat their Type 2 diabetes with medication, diet and exercise. But some people are able to stop taking medication and put their diabetes into remission. This can be life-changing.
People with diabetes are encouraged to exercise regularly for better blood glucose control and to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Additional benefits of exercise include a healthier heart, better weight control and stress management.
This page contains useful tips on how to maintain a healthy balanced diet.
This page describes two ways used to calculate if you are a healthy weight: BMI and waist circumference. These are used to work out if you are underweight, a healthy weight or overweight and any potential impact your weight has on your health.
This page discusses physical activity and exercise.
This video outlines the recommended types and amounts of weekly exercise for adults.
This page gives advice on how to get started if you want to lose weight.
A site that aims to help people with diabetes using insulin to feel comfortable with taking up exercise – covers the basic rules for most people living with diabetes.
Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a very common problem where fat builds up in the liver. It is often linked to being overweight and conditions such as type 2 diabetes.. MASLD can lead to long term liver damage and other health issues, but making healthy lifestyle changes can stop or even reverse it.
This resource explains how physical activity affects your blood glucose and what you should bear in mind before you start exercising.
This page provides detailed advice on exercise and physical activity with type 1 diabetes.
A site for people with diabetes with a focus on sport, providing information on diabetes and sport as well as other issues that people with diabetes may experience.
Having type 1 diabetes shouldn't stop you from taking part in extreme sports, however, it does mean that you have to be a bit more prepared and plan for the unexpected. Martin Draper talks about his experiences with having type 1 diabetes and participating in extreme sports.
This page discusses strategies for weight loss, including different eating plans and tips for getting off to a good start.
Through this course, we aim to give you information about what people with type 1 diabetes need to consider when exercising. It explains how exercise impacts blood glucose and how to manage blood glucose levels before, during and after exercise.