Minimizing Negative Effects on Glycemia of Pre- and Post-Meal Exercise for People With Diabetes: A Personal Case Report and Review of the Literature

Despite extensive efforts to prevent diabetes through healthful eating patterns, exercise, and medications, the prevalence of diabetes is on the rise (1).Healthy lifestyles can help with the management (2), prevention (2-4), and remission (5) of type 2 diabetes.However, data indicate that few people practice healthy lifestyles (6-10).Healthy lifestyle habits typically include eating a wellbalanced diet, getting regular physical activity, controlling body weight and blood pressure, not smoking, and consuming little or no alcohol (1,2,6).Aerobic exercise (AE) and resistance exercise (RE) have consistently shown glycemia benefits for people with diabetes (2,11).AE consists of continuous, rhythmic movement of large muscle groups, such as what occurs during walking, jogging, and cycling (2,11).RE involves movements using free weights, weight machines, body weight exercises, or elastic resistance bands (2,11).Anaerobic exercise is short-length, high-intensity activity such as high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE), sprinting, and jumping that breaks down glucose for energy without using oxygen.American Diabetes Association (ADA) guidelines recommend 150 minutes/week of moderate to vigorous activity for adults and 60 minutes/week for children and adolescents (2).It also recommends RE at least three times per week for all people with diabetes (2).These forms of physical activity, along with healthful eating patterns, are expected to help people with overweight or obesity reach a recommended weight reduction goal of >5% body weight (2).