Exercise is a Form of Insulin

Since exercise demands energy, it helps to consume some of the extra energy in blood in the form of glucose. Exercise therefore acts in the same way as insulin, providing our body cells with energy by moving glucose out of blood, and inside cells.

Your doctor fixes dosages for all the oral medicines and insulin that he or she prescribes for you, based on a schedule for daily physical activity. These dosages have to change if you exercise much more or less than planned. This is why you should consult your doctor before any change in exercise routines, and make every effort to adhere to the plan in this respect.

It is easier to adjust the medicine dose for patients who use pumps, than for those who are on oral medication, or injections of insulin. Therefore, you should ask your doctor about an insulin pump which you can switch off and on, if you expect to have a period of varying physical activity, and perhaps some irregular meals as well. A social or a business event, and travel are common occasions for this kind of daily variation in the case of adults, but it is nearly inevitable with growing children. Insulin pumps are therefore especially useful for kids. Type 1diabetes is more likely in childhood than type 2 diabetes. However, a pump works equally well with both types.