Physical Activity

By Sheri Colberg, PhD
I recently co-chaired a new consensus statement from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) that is an update from the 2010 joint ACSM/American Diabetes Association position statement on physical activity/exercise for individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D). A lot more research has been conducted in the ensuing decade since the joint position statement was published, and this new consensus statement summarizes the current evidence.

Like medication, exercise can be dosed based on the characteristics of the individual to increase its benefits and reduce side effects, substantially affecting glycemic control. 

Is the current guidelines’ recommendation of moderate exercise for 150 minutes per week during pregnancy enough to reduce the risk of gestational diabetes? 

By Sheri Colberg, PhD
I recently was asked about the latest research on the reversal of type 2 diabetes—both bariatric and non-bariatric solutions—and it made me wonder about the mechanisms of this possibility and what role being active may play in it. Each new year always brings a whole host of resolutions that people make focused on losing weight, getting more fit, and becoming healthier. Especially with all the COVID-related pounds I have heard about people gaining, I expect these resolutions to be out in full force at the start of 2022. But how effective will they be long-term, and is the reversal of type 2 diabetes a realistic resolution to make?

Part 2 of this Q&A with our diabetes exercise expert covers pre-exercise glucose checks, exercise-induced hypoglycemia, and more.

Fitness trackers are affordable and popular, but do they correlate with better physical activity levels in people with diabetes or other with cardiometabolic conditions?

I recently gave a webinar for the American College of Sports Medicine (and Technogym) that reached almost 1,200 participants in real time. You can watch the webinar, titled “The Role of Physical Activity in Type 2 Diabetes Management and Prevention,” posted on Youtube.

By Sheri Colberg, PhD
In the recent past, we discussed how to know if joint problems (e.g., overuse injuries) are due to being active, aging, or diabetes, but let's focus on aging by itself this time around. Of course, we'd all love to slow down normal aging or even reverse some aspects of it, but is that even possible?

A meta-analysis was conducted to determine the impact of physical activity on cognition improvement in patients with diabetes.

By Sheri Colberg, PhD
Who knew I'd be talking about carbohydrate intake and being active for the third time this year, but here we go again! Unfortunately, a lot of confusion still exists related to the practice known as "carb loading" as well.  Do you need to do it? Should you? How do you know?