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Oct. 29, 2026

Does exercise prevent diabetes? What research shows and how to get started

Medically reviewed by:
Seema Bista, MD

Lifestyle changes can be extremely effective in preventing Type 2 Diabetes. For many people with pre-diabetes or increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, changing diet and adding more physical movement can improve blood sugar levels even without medications.

Research shows that exercise makes your cells more sensitive to insulin. Moderate activity can lower your blood glucose during a workout and keep it down for up to 24 hours after. If you make exercise a regular part of your weekly routine, insulin sensitivity increases and your body becomes better at processing glucose.1

Increased activity can promote weight loss. Lower body weight has also been shown to reduce the risk of developing diabetes.2

How does diabetes affect the body?

Diabetes is a condition that affects how your body processes the food you eat. Typically, when you eat food, your body breaks it down into a type of sugar called glucose. Your cells use glucose for energy to power all body systems and organs.

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A hormone called insulin helps glucose move from your bloodstream into the cells that need it. If you have diabetes, your body doesn’t make enough insulin, or your cells don’t respond to insulin properly.

When this happens, glucose remains in your bloodstream, leading to high blood sugar. Untreated high blood sugar levels can cause serious health problems, such as heart disease, vision loss and kidney disease.

There are two main types of diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes occurs when your body cannot make insulin at all. There is no way to prevent Type 1 diabetes, and people with Type 1 diabetes need to take insulin every day for their entire lives.

Type 2 diabetes occurs when your body loses the ability to produce insulin or your cells become less sensitive to insulin. It can develop gradually over many years. You may be able to prevent and treat Type 2 diabetes through changes to diet and increased exercise.3

How exercise helps prevent diabetes

Type 2 diabetes doesn’t happen all at once. It usually comes on gradually, and you may not notice any symptoms. During regular check-ups, your doctor might notice that your blood sugar levels are higher than usual and diagnose you with prediabetes.

Prediabetes occurs when your body starts to show signs of high blood sugar. Blood tests will show that blood sugar levels are high, but not high enough to be considered type 2 diabetes.

The good news is that making changes to your diet and getting more exercise can prevent prediabetes from progressing to Type 2 diabetes.

Exercise is one way to prevent Type 2 diabetes, because exercise helps your body process sugar more efficiently:

  • During exercise, your muscles can take up glucose directly from your bloodstream without requiring insulin.4
  • Over time, physical activity makes the cells in your muscles more responsive to insulin.
  • Physical activity helps you lose weight or maintain a healthy weight, which reduces insulin resistance.
  • Exercise reduces chronic inflammation, which lowers your risk for conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.5

How much exercise do you need?

The American Diabetes Association recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week to help manage your diabetes or reverse prediabetes.

This breaks down to 30 minutes of exercise per day, five days per week.6 Experts suggest at least three days per week of aerobic activity alternating with two or three days of resistance exercise. This ensures you’re exercising at least 5 times per week, so you have more activity days than rest days.7

Best types of exercise for diabetes prevention

The best kind of exercise is an activity you enjoy and want to do regularly. For some people, that means going to the gym and working out with a trainer. Other people prefer taking fitness classes or going for walks with friends or family members. You might find you really love pickleball!

The main goal is to find one or more activities that are enjoyable and get you moving every week.

Walking

Walking is a great way to get your whole body moving. You don’t need any special equipment to do it, though comfortable shoes are helpful. Aim for 30 minutes of brisk walking at about 100 steps per minute. You should notice your heart rate and breathing increase, but you will still be able to carry on a conversation.

Walking is also great for controlling blood sugar. Research shows that walking after eating lowers blood sugar levels. Even 10-minute walks were effective, suggesting that taking brief walks after meals could be just as beneficial as a single, longer walk per day.8

You can take walks with a friend or family member for company, or put on headphones and enjoy your favorite music or a podcast. If you live somewhere where inclement weather is an obstacle, look into local gyms or community centers. They often have treadmills or indoor walking tracks so you can get your steps in when it’s cold or rainy.

Water Exercise

If you have access to a pool, water exercise is a terrific way to get active. Swimming or doing laps with a kickboard is a great option.

If you prefer group exercise, look into water aerobics or similar fitness classes. Many pools offer them at various levels of difficulty, so you can find one that suits your current level of fitness.

Water exercises combine aerobic activity and mild resistance, making them ideal workouts. In addition, water fitness activities have a lower impact than walking or jogging, so they’re easier on the joints than other workouts.

Cycling

Like water exercise, cycling is a low-impact activity that is easy on the joints. If you enjoy being outdoors, taking bike rides on local trails is a good way to get exercise while enjoying fresh air and sunshine. Stationary bikes are also good options, especially if the weather isn’t ideal for outdoor cycling. Some gyms or recreation centers offer group spin classes for an extra challenge on a stationary bike, or you can try virtual classes on home equipment.

Strength training

Strength training is great for building muscle mass and increasing strength. Weightlifting is what most people think of when they hear strength training, but it doesn’t have to be about hoisting extremely heavy barbells.

Bodyweight strength exercises such as squats, lunges, wall push-ups or tricep dips can build strength without complicated gym equipment. These exercises build lean muscle and improve balance and core strength.

If you’re not sure where to start, you can work with a trainer or physical therapist to develop a personalized strength training routine.

Yoga

Yoga is renowned for improving strength and flexibility. It’s a low-impact exercise that doesn’t stress joints. Regular yoga practice can improve balance, flexibility and strength, as well as improve blood sugar levels.

Research shows that regular participation in yoga can provide significant benefits for people with diabetes, including weight loss, lowered blood pressure and decreased blood sugar levels.9

Many gyms, senior centers and recreation centers offer beginner-friendly yoga classes, so it’s easy to get started. A good yoga teacher can help you use proper form so you get the benefits of the poses without risking injury.

Pilates

Pilates is another low-impact exercise that can help manage or prevent diabetes. It incorporates elements of gymnastics, yoga and physical therapy to build strength and flexibility.

Participants work with an instructor who guides them through exercises using specialized equipment to build strength, especially in the core muscles of the abdomen, back and pelvis. It increases overall fitness and also improves diabetes symptoms.

A 2025 study showed that after 12 weeks of Pilates, participants experienced significant improvements in glycemic control and greater muscular strength, gait speed, balance and flexibility.10

Tips for starting an exercise routine

If you’re starting an exercise routine to help reverse or prevent prediabetes, you should first talk to your doctor. They can advise you on how to safely increase your activity levels without risking injury.

The American Diabetes Association recommends setting exercise goals that are measurable and realistic. Pick a goal you can safely achieve, and track your progress in reaching it. For example, start with 15-minute walks a few days a week, then gradually increase the length of your walks and the number of days you walk each week.

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You’re most likely to stick with activities you enjoy. Feel free to try lots of different options, but don’t force yourself to keep doing workouts that you don’t like. You’re more likely to keep up a fitness routine if you look forward to it.

Managing diabetes

Diet and exercise are part of a comprehensive treatment plan for managing prediabetes and preventing Type 2 diabetes. Your doctor can tell you what other treatments you may need. In some cases, diet changes and adding physical activity alone aren’t enough to improve your blood sugar levels. If that’s the case, you may need medication, as well as lifestyle changes, to help control your diabetes.

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