Move more, sit less: simple ways to lower your diabetes risk

Regular physical activity is one of the most powerful tools for preventing type 2 diabetes.¹

By making your body more sensitive to insulin, prompting your muscles to use glucose for energy, and maintaining a healthy weight, exercise can significantly reduce your risk of developing diabetes.

If your blood glucose levels are higher than normal you have a condition called pre-diabetes. This often shows no symptoms, so the best way to find out if you are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes is to ask your doctor for a blood glucose test. You can also assess your risk level based on your own health and family history.² Those who typically have a higher risk:

• Have a family history of type 2 diabetes
• Are aged over 55
• Are aged over 45 and overweight or have high blood pressure
• Are aged over 35 and from an Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, Pacific Island, Indian subcontinent or Chinese background
• Have given birth to a child weighing more than 4.5 kgs (9 lbs)
• Have had gestational diabetes 
• Have a mother who had gestational diabetes when pregnant with you
• Have polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS) (formerly known as polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS))
• Have been prescribed long-term use of corticosteroid medications³

Being physically active has many benefits for our physical and mental well-being. But for those who may be at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, it’s particularly beneficial as physical activity helps to lower your blood glucose levels. This is because exercise prompts the body to use glucose as fuel.

“Exercise has been linked to a 30% reduction in diabetes risk,” says Nick Edwards, chief exercise physiologist with Exercise & Sports Science Australia (ESSA). “Cardiovascular exercise increases glucose uptake and increases our cardiopulmonary and vascular health.

“Increasing muscle mass also helps to decrease the body’s resistance to insulin, which enables the insulin we create to be utilised more effectively.” Regular exercise also helps you achieve and maintain a healthy body weight, which is a major factor in staving off type 2 diabetes.

ESSA recommends people with pre-diabetes aim for at least 210 minutes (3.5 hours) of moderate-intensity exercise or 125 minutes (around 2 hours) of vigorous exercise each week, combined with resistance training (lifting weights, using resistance bands, or bodyweight exercises) at least 2 to 3 days per week.

“A combined aerobic, walking, bike riding, swimming etc, and resistance training is generally best,” says Nick. “There’s some great research around high-intensity interval training, which is safe when done under the guidance of an accredited exercise physiologist (AEP).”

If you’re new to exercising, even a little more activity than you’re used to can be beneficial. Research has shown clear benefits from taking at least 4500 steps per day.⁴

“In general, we want to encourage everyone to be as active, safely, in whatever ways they can,” says Nick.

Simple things such as feeling less out of breath, getting out of low chairs more easily and noticing a change in how your clothes feel are all signs that exercise is having a positive effect on your health. Specifically, you can monitor your glucose levels before and after exercise, which Nick says “can be really rewarding”, although best done under professional supervision.

“An AEP can help with specific and objective outcome measures of fitness and strength and deciphering glucose levels and body composition,” says Nick. “AEPs can help monitor these outcomes and tailor a program to maximise results.”

Over 1.3 million Australians are living with type 2 diabetes, while an estimated 500,000 additional people remain undiagnosed.⁵ As well as regular exercise, these action points will help lower your risk:

• Eat well: Choose whole foods, vegetables, lean proteins and whole grains. Limit highly processed foods and sugary drinks.
• Get plenty of sleep: Poor sleep and high stress can increase your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
• Quit smoking. People who smoke are 30 to 40% more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than people who don’t.⁶
• Drink alcohol only in moderation. Heavy drinking significantly increases your risk due to empty calories, weight gain, and impaired insulin sensitivity.⁷
• Get regular health checks: Regular checkups can detect early warning signs so you can take appropriate action.

Diabetes Australia has comprehensive information on preventing type 2 diabetes, including a diabetes risk assessment tool.