5 Morning Exercises That Can Lower Blood Sugar

The Epoch Times

Elevated blood sugar can be your enemy.

That’s what my wife, Patty Shelley, a certified nutritional endocrinology practitioner, tells her clients. Helping them manage their blood sugar is one of her top priorities and a challenging mission in a world filled with processed foods.

Over time, elevated blood sugar can lead to diabetes.

Diabetes is one of the most prolific medical diagnoses in the world. It’s thought to be caused by a cluster of metabolic changes that result from consistently elevated blood sugar and insulin resistance. It can lead to other problems, such as heart failure, nerve damage, vision problems, and kidney failure, resulting in a need for dialysis.

Prediabetes is a condition characterized by higher-than-normal blood sugar that’s not high enough to be considered diabetes. Without lifestyle changes, adults and children with prediabetes are at high risk of developing diabetes.

“The science of blood sugar control is complex. Individual lifestyle habits such as quality of sleep, food choices, management of stress, mindset, and daily physical activity factors play significant roles in how the body utilizes food energy in the most optimal way,” Mrs. Shelley told The Epoch Times.

Though improved habits in any of these areas can have beneficial effects, consistent exercise has been shown to help manage elevated blood sugar. Exercising allows your muscles to burn glucose and can increase insulin sensitivity.

5 Exercises That Can Help Lower Blood Sugar

1. Brisk Walking

Walking is one of the most effective exercises to lower blood sugar, especially following meals.

“Walking is considered a ‘universal exercise’ that benefits almost every body system, whether it be muscular or metabolic,” Mrs. Shelley stated.

Step 1: Initiate your walk with a slow, measured pace, allowing your body to warm up before increasing intensity.

Step 2: After five minutes of walking, increase your pace to roughly double your starting pace.

Step 3: Try to maintain this pace for 10 minutes before slowing to your starting pace.

Step 4: Maintain this slower pace to slow your heart rate and let your body cool down.

The increased intensity in the middle of your walk can help accelerate your metabolism, helping to normalize blood sugar. Listen to your body as you walk and avoid pushing through pain.

2. Toe Touch-Sky Reach

This challenging compound exercise allows you to work many muscles simultaneously, providing excellent blood sugar benefits.

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Step 1: Begin in a standing position with your feet shoulder-width apart.

Step 2: Slowly bend your hips and knees while reaching down to touch your toes, pausing for a second.

Step 3: Stand back up and reach your arms as high over your head as possible, taking a second to move fully in this direction.

Step 4: Repeat the movement 12 times per set, and try to do three sets while focusing on movement quality.

Three sets of 12 repetitions may seem ambitious at first, but consistently performing this exercise can help you achieve this goal. If you’re unable to reach all the way down to your toes, move as far as you can before coming back into a standing position.

3. Jumping Jack/Modified Jumping Jack

This classic exercise is often overlooked in the modern era, but it is a tried-and-true exercise capable of providing a high-intensity workout in a short period.

There are two positions for a jumping jack:

• Position 1: Stand with your arms by your side and your feet close together.
• Position 2: Stand with your arms overhead and your feet spread wide.

The jumping jack exercise is a fast transition between these two positions.

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Step 1: Start in position 1, then rapidly transition using a small hop to help your feet move into position 2.

Step 2: From position 2, rapidly transition back into position 1. Moving from position 1 to position 2 and back is considered one repetition.

Step 3: Perform 10 total jumping jacks per set, and try to do three sets.

If classic jumping jacks are too aggressive for you, modified jumping jacks may be more suitable. These are sometimes called “jumpless jacks.” There are two positions for a modified jumping jack:

• Position 1: Stand with your arms by your side and your feet close together.
• Position 2: Stand with your arms touching overhead and extend one foot to the side without moving the other. Alternate between left and right feet during sets.

Jumping jacks are high-energy movements; it is best to do them after walking to ensure your joints and muscles are warmed up. Feel free to increase the number of sets and repetitions.

4. Knee Raises

Knee raises are surprisingly effective at delivering a great workout. They can raise your heart rate, work your core muscles and hip flexors, and improve your standing balance. They are also easy on your joints.

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Step 1: Start in a standing position with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms by your sides. Bend your elbows to 90 degrees and hold your hands straight out in front of you with your palms down.

Step 2: Keeping your back straight, lift one leg until your knee touches your palm, then lower it back down. Repeat on the other side, taking one second to move in each direction. 

Step 3: Raising one leg and then the other leg counts as one repetition. Try to perform three sets of 25 repetitions.

If you can’t accomplish the sets and repetitions at first, simply do your best. You will be able to do more over time. 

5. Battle Rope

The battle rope exercise is a challenging, fast-paced, high-intensity exercise that is quick to perform. It is predominantly an upper-body exercise but recruits muscles throughout the body.

Use a rope or twine approximately 20 feet long. True battle ropes are longer and heavier, but rope or twine can make for an excellent home workout.

Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times

Step 1: Loop the rope or twine around the leg of a chair or another piece of furniture, preferably one heavy enough to resist sliding while you are exercising. Hold the two halves of the rope, pulling them out straight while maintaining a small amount of tension on the rope or twine.

Step 2: While facing the piece of furniture, slightly bend your knees and hips simultaneously. The visual image is a slight crouch. Extend your arms straight and back up enough to keep tension on the rope.

Step 3: Raise one arm while lowering the other with your hands shoulder-width apart. Keep approximately 1 foot of distance between your hands.

Step 4: Begin rapidly moving your arms up and down, with approximately 1 foot of upward-downward movement.

Step 5: Maintain the activity for approximately one minute per set, and try to do three complete sets. Allow one minute of rest between sets.

The battle ropes exercise can be exhausting initially, but stay with it—improvements will come quickly.

Consult a Professional if Blood Sugar Problems Persist

While these exercises can be valuable in helping to manage your blood sugar, results can vary, depending on your unique physical and metabolic factors. Some individuals may experience low blood sugar after exercise, while others could see an increase. If you are struggling with persistent blood sugar issues, it’s always important to consult a physician. Combining these exercises with medical guidance can help you maintain healthy blood sugar levels.

*If you have health or mobility issues that may present problems, consult your physician before commencing any exercise regimen.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Epoch Health welcomes professional discussion and friendly debate. To submit an opinion piece, please follow these guidelines and submit through our form here.