Short Exercise Bursts before Meals Help Control Blood Glucose in Individuals with Insulin Resistance

Short bursts of intense exercise before main meals are more effective at improving glycemic control than a continuous moderate-intensity 30-minute session in individuals with insulin resistance, particularly 3-hour post-meal glucose following breakfast (17% reduction compared with no exercise) and dinner (13% reduction compared with continuous 30 minute exercise). While 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise did not improve glycemic control in the Diabetologia study, distributing the same volume of exercise as 3 brief pre-meal “exercise snacks” resulted in a 12% reduction in post-meal blood glucose concentration that was sustained for the subsequent 18 hours following the last exercise snack.