Inactivity Can Lead to Poor Diabetes Control

Consider how much we sit in a day. We drive to work and when we are at work most of us sit at a desk. When we go home, we sit and watch television. 

Studies have shown that physical inactivity plays a role in the development and management of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. 


A study, released February 3, 2016 from Diabetologia Journal, suggests inactivity can lead to Type 2 diabetes. “They found that people who had type 2 diabetes spent on average 26 minutes longer sitting or lying down, compared to people without diabetes. From this, the researchers calculated that each additional hour of being sedentary increased the chances of a person developing diabetes by 22%.” www.ncbi.nim.nih.gov

Inactivity is a controllable risk factor for Diabetes. Current statistics from The American Diabetes Association - over 30 million people have diabetes and 84 million people have prediabetes. 

There are small action steps you can do now to make a difference. I am a Wellness Diabetes Coach and I teach Living Well with Diabetes classes. After this research came out, I started adding a break to my 2-hour diabetes class. I encourage all in my class to walk around or even stand during the break. 

Four Easy Ways to Beat a Sedentary Lifestyle.

1. Take the stairs. If you are unable to go up the stairs, go down the stairs. I have a client who made a goal to take the stairs. Her office is on the 5th floor. She will take the elevator up to the 4th floor and takes the stairs to the 5th floor. 

2. Walk 10 minutes after a meal or take a 30-minute walk during lunch break. This is very effective to lower after-meal blood sugar in diabetes. "Human beings evolved as a walking entity, exploring the world on our feet," says James Levine, MD, author of Move a Little, Lose a Lot.

3. Be active during the television commercial breaks. One idea is to march in place or walk around the house during commercial breaks. 

4. Every hour stand for 5-10 minutes or walk. Instead of sitting at the computer for hours, take a break every hour and get up and move. 

In writing this article, I read something that I found relevant to this topic from author John C. Maxwell from the book, Today Matters. He said, “You will never change your life until you change something daily.” Starting today, plan to make one change you can do daily