The Best Time of Day to Exercise

The best time of day to exercise with diabetes is mostly the time you will actually do it. But the timing does change the effect, and it is worth understanding before you choose.

The headline target is the same whenever you go: at least 150 minutes of moderate activity a week, which works out at about 30 minutes on most days.

What each slot does

• Straight after a meal — the most direct effect on your readings, because it blunts the rise while it is happening. If you only have one slot, use this one.
• Morning, before eating — easiest to protect from interruptions, and it sets the day. But if you take insulin or a sulfonylurea, exercising fasted carries more risk of a low.
• Evening — fine, and often the only realistic option. Leave enough of a gap before sleep that you settle.

The advice that matters more than the slot: check your sugar before and after, at least while you are learning what a particular activity does to you. You will likely see a lower reading afterwards, and knowing the size of that drop is what makes it safe to keep going.

There is detail on how much exercise and what kind in the Knowledge Base.