Do you have diabetes and are wondering how long you can safely exercise after eating carbohydrates?
“Any physical activity after eating is good;, there isn’t a specific requirement,” says Alison Massey, MS, RD, LDN, registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator with over 10 years of experience in various community and clinical settings.
Exercise Recommendations for Diabetics
Massey says, “We do recommend that individuals with diabetes focus on incorporating at least 150 minutes a week of physical activity, and for individuals working on weight management I typically recommend striving for 250-300 minutes per week of physical activity.”
The problem that I’ve observed, as a former personal trainer and fitness instructor for a health club, is the varying ways that people interpret “physical activity.”
For diabetics, physical activity means the same thing as for people free of diabetes.
But diabetics, of course, should consume carbohydrates prior to exercise, during exercise and after exercise.
Examples of physical activity that count as exercise that will truly benefit diabetics and non-diabetics are as follows:
Resistance training with dumbbells, barbells, kettlebells, cable machines and tension tubing; aerobic activity such as brisk walking nonstop for at least 20 minutes, jogging, cycling, cardio classes, martial arts and inline skating; and jumping exercises with a low stool.
