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Managing blood sugar does not always require a heavy workout or spending hours at the gym. Simple exercises and activities, when done regularly, can help keep blood sugar levels from rising, especially after meals.
Nutritionist Deepsikha Jain has shared three simple exercises that can help people manage blood sugar levels. These are calf raises, air squats and walking.
The first exercise on her list is standing or seated calf raises. This simple movement involves raising the heels off the floor and then bringing them back down. It works the soleus muscle, which is one of the main muscles in the calf.
Jain says soleus muscle is your calf muscles which can actually help you manage and reduce your blood sugar spike by 30 per cent. "This is because it actually absorbs the glucose making it much better for you," she adds.
The second exercise is air squats. These can be done without any equipment and mainly work the muscles in the thighs and legs. To do an air squat, stand with your feet apart, bend your knees and lower your body as if you are sitting on a chair, then stand back up.
According to Jain, working the thigh muscles can help the body use more glucose. Squats can also strengthen the lower body and increase muscle activity which makes them a simple exercise to add to a daily routine.
A post-meal walk does not have to be a long or intense workout, she mentions. Even a short period of light walking can get the muscles working and help the body use glucose for energy. This is why walking after meals is often included as part of lifestyle advice for better blood sugar management.
"Walking is actually shown to again reduce your blood sugar spike drastically, especially post meals," Jain states.
"So start doing these three exercises to see a significant change in your blood sugars and share this with someone who needs to do it," Jain says.
Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for a qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.