Importance
Blood sugar levels rise and fall throughout the day in response to various events, such as eating food and exercising. This is normal and beneficial. However, we can run into trouble when these levels are chronically elevated.
When our blood sugar levels are high for extended periods of time, it can lead to:
Insulin resistance (insulin is the hormone that promotes the absorption of sugar from the blood and moves it into tissues). Insulin resistance can, in turn, lead to type II diabetes.
Neuropathic symptoms (dysfunction of the nerves).
Cancer - endometrial and colorectal, among others.
“When it comes to your health, [blood sugar] is, in my opinion, a more important variable to consider than cholesterol, vitamin D, minerals, telomere length, cortisol, testosterone or just about any biomarker one could ever measure.” - Ben Greenfield
Implementation
Strength train
When we lift weights, our body shuttles glucose into our muscles. This appears to occur even when using relatively low weights (30% of your 1 rep max (the absolute heaviest weight you could lift once)).
Therefore, doing some sort of resistance training is an effective way to move sugar from our blood and into our tissues to be used.
Post-prandial walk
Walking after a meal is a great way to control the blood sugar response to that meal. Studies have shown that taking a 15-20 minute walk after a meal leads to lower blood sugar levels than if someone went for a walk before a meal.
Stand more
Studies have shown that office workers who stand instead of sit at their desks reduce their blood sugar response to a meal by 43%.
Another study showed that sitting at a desk rather than standing after a meal increases the risk of developing type II diabetes by 112%.
High-intensity exercise
Engaging in just 7.5 to 20 minutes of high-intensity exercise can improve blood sugar levels for up to 3 days after the exercise session.
“Exercise is such a reliable means for controlling blood sugar levels that we may come to realize that a sedentary life is the primary risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes.'“ - Dr. Suhas Kshirsagar
Eat most of your carbohydrates in the morning
“Insulin sensitivity is also cyclical, with insulin sensitivity higher in the morning and lower in the evening. So if you have some carbohydrates in the morning, say a little bit of oatmeal or a piece of whole-grain toast, your body's blood sugar won't spike as much as if you ate those same things in the evening.” - Dr. Suhas Kshirsagar
Before You Go
Here are some free links to articles published this week:
Great article. I tend to sit for long periods so this also reminds me I need to stand up and change positions. Be well ❣️