Controlling blood sugar (glucose) levels is one safe and effective way to manage your overall weight and body composition. Furthermore, for individuals with diabetes, managing glucose levels can literally save their lives. Glucose can be affected by a number of factors, including meal timing, meal frequency, meal content and exercise.
Glucose
Glucose is simple blood sugar, your body's primary (and preferred) source of energy. Glucose is mainly derived from carbohydrate consumption. When carbs are consumed, the rate at which they are digested affects the magnitude of the rise in blood sugar levels. Blood sugar is then carried off by insulin to both muscle and fat cells, for immediate energy or storage.
Glucose and Body Composition
Stimulating your body through exercise increases its need for immediate energy. Thus, it will seek to "spend" more of the glucose at its current disposal rather than store it for later use. Exercising after a large meal can help keep you lean by convincing your body to use the energy it has just been provided as opposed to storing it in fat cells for another time.
Exercise and Glucose Levels
In people without diabetes, training presents a stimulus that will cause levels of blood glucose to lower. The effect on blood glucose levels is commensurate with the intensity of the training. Thus, while walking will have a fairly negligible effect on blood glucose levels, sprinting or weight training will bring glucose levels down swiftly. According to the American Diabetics Association, exercise is such a powerful stimulus on blood glucose that it can remain lower up to a full day following cessation of training.
Glucose Levels and Diabetes
For individuals with diabetes, exercising when their resting blood glucose levels are already high can actually have the opposite effect. In diabetics, high blood sugar levels means that insulin is being inadequately produced, resulting in blood sugar not being transported to the body's cells. Thus, according to individuals at Johns Hopkins Hospital, you should avoid exercising if you have diabetes and your glucose levels are currently over 250 mg/dL.
Considerations
To use glucose in your quest to improve your body composition, only provide your body with quick energy (fast-digesting carbs) where you know you will be exercising soon. The speed at which a carb is digested is measured by the glycemic index, with a lower ranking indicating slower digestion. Eat mostly low-GI carbs throughout (like vegetables and most fruits) throughout the day, providing your body with higher-GI carbs (like whole grains and other bread products) immediately before exercise.
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