Can You Reverse Type 2 Diabetes With Exercise?

If you have Type 2 diabetes, exercise could be one of the most important things you do for your health.

You may have been told that you need to lose weight, eat better or exercise more.

But has anyone actually explained why exercise matters — or helped you work out how to start?

For some people, Type 2 diabetes can improve so much that their blood sugar returns below the diabetes range without diabetes medication.

Doctors call this remission.

It isn’t a guaranteed cure, and diabetes can return. But it does mean that Type 2 diabetes doesn’t always have to simply get worse.

Why does exercise help?

When you move, your muscles need energy.

One of the things they use for energy is sugar from your blood.

Regular exercise also helps your body use insulin better.

And here’s something people sometimes don’t realise:

You don’t have to be thin to benefit from exercise.

Becoming stronger and fitter can improve your health even while you’re still working on your weight.

What exercise should I do?

You don’t need to run.

You don’t need Lycra.

And you definitely don’t need to suddenly spend five days a week in a gym.

Start with what you can manage.

That could be:

● walking

● cycling

● swimming

● an exercise bike

● simple strengthening exercises

● lifting weights

● exercise classes

● gardening

● getting up and moving more often during the day

A short walk is better than no walk. Ten minutes counts. Then, as you get fitter, you can gradually do more.

Strength is important too.

People often think exercise for diabetes means lots of walking. Walking is great. But strengthening your muscles is important too.

You can strengthen your body using weights, gym machines, resistance bands or simple exercises at home. You don’t need to become a bodybuilder. The aim is simply to make your muscles work.

“I’d exercise, but everything hurts.”

We hear this a lot.

Maybe your knees hurt when you walk.

Perhaps you’ve got arthritis.

Your back hurts.

You’re carrying more weight than you’d like.

You’re worried about falling.

Or perhaps you’ve simply become very unfit and don’t know where to begin.

That’s exactly where physiotherapy can help.

Instead of simply telling someone to “exercise more”, we can look at what’s stopping them.

We can help manage pain, improve strength and find exercises that are realistic for your body right now.

Then we build from there.

Could exercise get rid of my diabetes?

Exercise can make a big difference to Type 2 diabetes.

But we need to be careful about promising that exercise alone will make diabetes disappear.

Research shows that some people can put Type 2 diabetes into remission, particularly when they lose a significant amount of weight.

Exercise can be an important part of that journey — and it brings many other health benefits too.

It can help you become:

stronger

fitter

more mobile

and healthier.

Don’t wait until you’re fit enough

This is perhaps the most important message.

You don’t need to lose weight before you start exercising.

You don’t need to get fit before joining a gym.

And you don’t need to wait until your aches and pains have completely disappeared.

Start where you are.

If five minutes is what you can manage, start with five minutes.

If walking hurts, let’s find another way to exercise.

If you’re frightened of the gym, someone can show you what to do.

Small changes, repeated regularly, can become big changes over time.

Exercise really is medicine

We use exercise to help people recover from injuries.

But exercise can do much more than that.

It can help improve blood sugar, heart health, strength, mobility, confidence and general health.

So perhaps the question isn’t:

“Am I fit enough to exercise?”

Perhaps it’s:

“What exercise can I start doing today?”

A quick safety note

If you have diabetes and take medication, particularly insulin or medication that can cause low blood sugar, speak to your GP or diabetes team before making a big change to your exercise routine.

If pain, arthritis, injury or poor mobility is stopping you from exercising, a physiotherapist can help you find a safe place to start.

This article provides general information and does not replace advice from your GP or diabetes healthcare team.