Best Workouts to Manage Blood Sugar Levels for Overweight Women

Living with obesity and pre-diabetes or diabetes can sometimes feel like walking a tightrope where every choice matters. But do you know that there is a secret weapon you might not have considered? Guess what, exercise can make a whole lot of difference. You may be asking in your mind, is this a fitness lecture or are you trying to make me run marathons? Of course not, unless you want to. This is just like beginner workouts to manage blood sugar levels in obese women.

Then what are we doing here? We want you to know how exercise can be fun, manageable, and most importantly life-changing for blood sugar levels. If you are ready let’s, see why exercise is a good strategy for managing diabetes. Now, let’s see the best workouts to manage blood sugar for overweight women.

Losing weight is the best way to get high blood sugar under control. Food is energy, so if the calories you consume don’t get burned off, fat accumulates on your body, particularly in the abdomen, which can cause diabetes. So, you need an effective workout plan to achieve blood sugar control.

There are two effective methods for helping you lose extra pounds and prevent diabetes or reduce your blood sugar levels. These are through limiting your carbohydrate and sugar intake and doing heart-pumping, heavy-breathing aerobic exercise (Tuomilehto, Schwarz and Lindstrom, 2011). Here’s what happens when you work out:

When you move, your muscles take up glucose and lowers blood sugar levels naturally. When your muscles contract during physical activity, your cells will be able to take up glucose and use it for energy whether insulin is available or not (American Diabetes Association, 2024). So, workouts for overweight women with diabetes use glucose for energy.

Exercise makes cells more responsive to insulin, and is a game-changer if you want to manage or prevent diabetes. The effect exercise has on your blood glucose vary depending on how long you are active and many other factors. Physical activity can lower your blood glucose up to 24 hours or more after your workout. It does this by making your body more sensitive to insulin (American Diabetes Association, 2024). So, blood sugar management workouts works.

But you need to become familiar with how your blood glucose responds to exercise by checking your blood glucose level. So, you should check it more often before and after exercise to help you see the benefits of activity. Also, you can use the results of your blood glucose checks to see how your body reacts to different activities. So understanding these patterns can help you prevent your blood glucose from going too high or too low (American Diabetes Association, 2024).

Losing even a little weight such as 5-10% of your body weight can improve your blood sugar regulation. In prediabetes, weight loss through exercise helps to delay the onset or decrease the risk of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. In an established Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, weight loss will improve your glycaemic control. Also, exercise with severe calorie restriction can reverse the progression of your Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (Wilding, 2014). So, go for the best exercise to lower your blood sugar fast.

There are so many fitness routines overweight women can do to control their blood glucose levels. But these best workouts for blood sugar control must not be tedious. So you don’t need to train like an Olympic athlete to see results. The best workouts are those you ladies will enjoy and stick with. Here are some tried-and-true exercises for overweight women with diabetes:

• Why Walking Exercise Works: Walking is simple, free, and effective. Studies show that even a 30-minute daily walk can lower blood sugar levels and improve insulin sensitivity.
• How to Start Walking Exercise: Lace up your comfiest sneakers and aim for a brisk pace enough to make you slightly out of breath. This brisk walking should still allow you to chat. You can try to walk after meals, as it helps prevent blood sugar spikes.
• Let’s Clarify Some Issues About Walking Exercise: Walking doesn’t have to be stressful, or require a gym membership, or a personal trainer yelling, “feel the burn!” “Walk faster lady!” It’s basically exercise in disguise with lots of fun.

• Why Strength Training Works: There are some strength training workouts for diabetes management or for preventing high blood sugar levels. Lifting weights builds muscle, and exercising your muscle will help to burn glucose. The more muscle exercise you do, the better your body is at managing blood sugar. While a strength training routine can help nearly everyone get healthier, it can significantly benefit people with type 2 diabetes (Meyer and Haddad-Garcia, 2023).
• How to Start Strength Training: There are many means of doing this workout. You can use resistance bands, light dumbbells, or your own body weight (such as squats and wall push-ups). Aim for 2-3 sessions per week, targeting major muscle groups.
• Let’s Clarify Some Issues About Strength Training: You may think you will build too big muscles. No, you won’t “bulk up.” Unless you’re secretly bench-pressing a heavy weight, you will just get stronger and healthier.

• Why Dancing Works: Dancing is a type of cardiovascular exercise, and it is way more fun than running. Plus, it gets your heart rate up, burns calories, and lowers blood sugar just like other forms of workouts.
• How to Start Dancing Workout: Turn on your favourite playlist and dance like nobody is watching. You can also subscribe to Zumba classes or YouTube tutorials or follow any dance program you enjoy.
• Let’s Clarify Some Issues About Dancing Workout: The main reason for your dance is to control your blood sugar levels. So, you may not make it onto “dancing with the stars,” but who cares? Your blood sugar levels will be giving you a standing ovation.

• Why Yoga Exercise Works: Yoga Exercise has some important poses and positions. But yoga is not just for your flexibility and shows only, it is great for reducing your stress which can spike your blood sugar levels. Apart from the relaxation effects, you feel, some yoga poses also help improve circulation and insulin sensitivity.
• How to Start Yoga Exercise: Try beginner-friendly routines online or join a plus-size-friendly yoga class. Poses like Downward Dog or Child’s Pose can work wonders.
• Let’s Clarify Some Issues About Yoga Exercise: You may be thinking that you must maintain all the positions of yoga exercise to achieve a positive result. No, you don’t have to twist yourself into a pretzel. Yoga in this context is about maintaining balance that will help you to relax and exercise some group of muscles to reduce your sugar level.

• Why Cycling Exercise Works: Cycling is easy on your joints while giving you an amazing cardio workout. Also, it is one of the blood sugar-friendly exercises. It’s particularly great if walking feels hard on your knees. So, don’t have to ride up a hill to get a good outcome, just cycling on a plain ground can be great.
• How to Start Cycling Exercise: Use a stationary bike or hit the road with a helmet, please. Start with 10-15 minutes and build up gradually. All this depends on your individual situations.
• Let’s Clarify Some Issues About Cycling Exercise: If you are on a stationary bike, you get to work out without leaving your house or the gym environment. Pyjamas are optional if you are at home though encouraged. But if you are cycling along the road you may need to be on the right cycling outfit with a helmet.

To start a fitness routine is never easy, even for women to maintain it is a bigger challenge. The question is, can overweight women stick to their exercise and enjoy the journey all the way? Here are some ways that can keep you motivated:

You can do your workout alone, but sometimes it is better with a friend or fitness group where members encourage one another when they feel like stopping. It is motivating when you see your friend of similar situations striving to complete her fitness routing to control her blood glucose levels.

Did you walk for 10 minutes today? Awesome! Managed a full week of workouts? Treat yourself to something non-edible, like new workout gear. Is this important? Yes, it has a way of encouraging you to continue.

If you want to maintain and enjoy your exercise journey you need to do more than one type of workout. Because boredom is your enemy at this time, sticking to one kind of exercise will not be the best. Some low-impact workouts for women with obesity can be helpful. So, you should alternate between walking, dancing, and strength training to keep things fresh.

Answer 1: Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week. That’s just 30 minutes a day, five days a week. Even smaller chunks of workouts like 10 minutes at a time can make a difference in your sugar levels. Or you can go for 75 minutes per week of vigorous aerobic activity, or a combination of both, preferably spread throughout the week (American Heart Association, 2024).

Answer 2: Chair exercises, water aerobics, or resistance bands are fantastic options for women who cannot walk around. You don’t need to be a super-athlete to see the effects of your exercise on your sugar levels.

Answer 3: Whether overweight or not, diabetic or not, everybody should eat healthy diets and still follow their specific fitness routine. Exercise and diet work together to keep your blood sugar levels in check. So, you should try as much as you can to combine both methods to control your blood sugar levels more effectively.

Managing blood sugar levels as an overweight woman doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. Exercise is a powerful tool that helps your body work better, feel better, and, yes, look better too. Whether you’re walking, dancing, or channeling your inner yogi, every step you take is a step toward better health. So, find a workout you enjoy, start small, and keep going, you must not be perfect. Your blood sugar, and your overall health will experience maximum benefit. Now, are you ready to make some moves?

1. American Diabetes Association. (2024). Blood Glucose and Exercise. Retrieved December 29, 2024, from https://diabetes.org/health-wellness/fitness/blood-glucose-and-exercise#
2. American Heart Association (2024). American Heart Association Recommendations for Physical Activity in Adults and Kids. Retrieved December 28 2024, from https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/fitness/fitness-basics/aha-recs-for-physical-activity-in-adults
3. Meyer, A and Haddad-Garcia M.L (2023). The Best Strength Training Exercises for People with Diabetes. Retrieved December 29, 2024, from https://www.eatingwell.com/article/8035177/best-strength-training-exercises-for-diabetes/
4. Tuomilehto J, Schwarz P, Lindstrom J. (2011) Long-term benefits from lifestyle interventions for type 2 diabetes prevention: time to expand the efforts. Retrieved December 29, 2024, from https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3632163/
5. Wilding, J.P.H. (2014). The importance of weight management in type 2 diabetes mellitus. Retrieved December 29, 2024, from https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4238418/

Author: Ikenna Nathan Ojiegbe. First Published: 30th December, 2024. Last Updated: 31st March, 2025.