Exercise is something everyone knows is healthy, but many are unsure of just how much they should incorporate into their daily routines. New research is finding that small portions at a time can maintain healthy blood sugar levels, as exercise controls blood sugar. And best of all, it’s measured in just a few minutes.
According to new research published in this month’s Diabetologia, New Zealand scientists gathered up nine adult men and women with Type 2 diabetes. Before dinner, the scientists asked the group to walk on the treadmill for 30 minutes at a moderate pace, and after exercising, they tracked their sugar levels.
On a different day, the participants performed three, smaller-sized workouts, which came before breakfast, lunch, and dinner. While the volunteers used shorter intervals, scientists also used a repetitive, higher intensity walking exercise that lasted for 12 minutes. Another experiment using interval exercise before each meal was introduced, but this time there was a focus on resistance training too.
Once the results came back in, scientists noticed that physical activity regulated blood sugar levels, but only in the groups that exercised in smaller amounts before each major meal time. In fact, when participants used the “snacking” method, a common term coined by the scientists to describe the general amount of exercise being exerted in smaller quantities, they noticed the effects lasted more than 24 hours after the initial activity had taken place.
The scientists who organized the study, such as Dr. James Cotter, were quick to point out that even though individuals may not have easy access to a treadmill; individuals can still achieve quick bursts of exercise by simply walking up a few series of steps or jogging. Instead of long, strenuous hours in the gym after a day’s work, a sequence of exercise hors d’ oeurvres can enable the body to stabilize blood sugar and maintain a healthy weight, plus it keeps you returning back for more!
