The #1 Underrated Exercise to Do If You Have Diabetes,

If you’re living with diabetes or prediabetes, your doctor might suggest adding more exercise to your routine to help keep your blood sugar in check. But that advice may leave you overwhelmed and wondering, what’s the best exercise for diabetes? Should I hit the treadmill, sign up for a fitness class or invest in exercise equipment? 

The answer might surprise you. Experts agree the best exercise for diabetes is the most underrated. It’s walking! Here’s how walking can help improve your blood sugar, and how much you need to do for better blood sugar management.

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How Walking Can Improve Your Blood Sugar

Improves Insulin Sensitivity

Think of exercise as free medication for blood sugar management. When someone has diabetes, they may be resistant to their body’s own insulin, or their pancreas might not produce enough insulin, says Amy Kimberlain, M.S., RDN, CDCES, a certified diabetes educator and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Because insulin is necessary to transport glucose from the blood into your cells for energy, this can cause sugar to hang out in the bloodstream, resulting in elevated blood sugar readings. 

How can walking help? “Any type of exercise, like walking, helps the body use its insulin better and can help lower blood sugar levels,” adds Kimberlain. And the benefits don’t stop once you finish your walk. The positive effects of exercise can last up to 24 hours after a workout, she says. So, you still reap the benefits hours later.

Prevents Blood Sugar Spikes

Keeping blood sugar levels stable is key for managing diabetes, and walking can help. “Even taking a short walk after meals, just 10- to 15-minute walk, can help prevent blood sugar spikes,” says Ashley Hawk, M.S., RD, a Los Angeles-based registered dietitian. “Research shows that a short walk within 30 minutes of eating can help blunt post-meal blood sugar spikes, which is a game-changer for diabetes management.” 

Supports Heart Health 

Exercise doesn’t just strengthen your muscles. It also strengthens the heart and improves circulation. This is especially important for people with diabetes, who face a higher risk of heart disease.  That’s because consistently high blood sugar levels can damage coronary arteries, making them susceptible to fatty atherosclerotic deposits, leading to coronary artery disease, says Kunal Lal, M.D., a Florida-based cardiologist.

The good news? Walking offers major heart-health benefits. It can help lower blood pressure and triglycerides, reduce markers of inflammation and raise beneficial HDL cholesterol. So, every step you take supports your body in a multitude of ways.

Strategies to Incorporate Walking into Your Routine

Make It a Regular Habit

Consistency is key when it comes to adding walking to your routine. While you don’t have to walk every day, experts recommend a total of 150 minutes of moderate- intensity activity per week. You can break it down in various ways. If you enjoy hitting the pavement most days, break that up into 30 minutes five times a week. If a daily walk is more your jam, aim for about 25 minutes per day. Or, if you prefer longer stretches, shoot for 75 minutes twice a week. Remember, you also can break up the time into smaller chunks, such as 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes in the evening, to fit a jam-packed schedule. 

Time It Right

The great thing about walking is you can do it practically anytime and anywhere. However, certain times of day may be especially advantageous. Studies show that walking after meals is more effective at reducing blood sugar spikes and managing blood sugar levels than exercising before eating. Research has found this to be true for people both with and without type 2 diabetes. 

If you’ve been in the habit of plopping yourself down on the couch post-meal, try lacing up your sneakers instead. Hawk adds, “If you only have time for one walk a day, making it after your biggest meal can give you the most bang for your buck.”

Kick It Up a Notch

A leisurely walk is a great start, but a little more intensity will yield even bigger benefits. Kimberlain suggests aiming for a brisk pace that gets your heart rate up and pumping but still allows you to carry on a conversation. For most people, that’s a 3- to 4-mile-per-hour pace, she says.

You can also do intervals, such as speed walking for 1 minute, followed by 3 minutes of moderate walking. If that feels good, repeat the cycle a few times to challenge yourself. Or, if you have hills in your neighborhood, incorporate a few hill repeats throughout your walk. Need a structured plan? Try our 7-Day Walking Plan to Lower Your Blood Sugar or our 30-Day Walking Plan to Help Lower Blood Sugar Levels. 

The Bottom Line

Walking is the No. 1 most underrated exercise for diabetes.  Research shows that walking can help improve insulin sensitivity, lower blood sugar levels and support heart health. Plus, it’s free, simple and you can do it virtually anywhere. So, whether you prefer to take it outdoors, on a treadmill, at the beach or even the stairs, there are lots of places to get those steps in!

If you’re wondering how much is enough, experts recommend 150 minutes per week. But if you’re not there yet, start slowly and increase as you get more comfortable. And don’t feel like you have to do it all at once—you can easily break it down into several small walks. Whether you do 10 15-minute walks, five 30-minute walks or two longer 75-minute walks, you’ll do good things for your blood sugar. Because when it comes to your health, every step counts!