How Exercise Helps Manage Prediabetes (Even Just Walking)

If you’ve been told that managing pre-diabetes means signing up for a gym membership or committing to a strict workout regimen, I want to offer you a more compassionate—and realistic—alternative.

I’m Dr. Rebecca Berens, family physician and founder of Vida Family Medicine. In this post, I’ll explain why small, sustainable changes in your daily movement can make a meaningful impact on your blood sugar—and how to do it without flipping your entire life upside down.

Why Movement Matters (Even When It's Not "Exercise")

Pre-diabetes means your body is having trouble responding to insulin—the hormone that helps move sugar out of your bloodstream and into your cells for energy. To compensate, your pancreas has to work harder and produce more insulin.

Here’s where movement helps: when you use your muscles—whether it’s for walking, cleaning, or carrying groceries—those muscles pull sugar out of the bloodstream and use it for energy. This lightens the load on your pancreas and improves your body’s overall insulin sensitivity.

And no, you don’t need to be lifting weights or running marathons to get those benefits.

What’s Getting in the Way?

One of the biggest challenges my patients face is our modern environment. Our cities and routines are designed for cars—not for movement. We spend most of the day sitting: in cars, at desks, on the couch. It’s not laziness—it’s structural.

Add to that busy schedules, caregiving responsibilities, and exhaustion, and it’s easy to see why formal exercise routines often don’t stick.

So instead of fighting your lifestyle, what if you worked with it?

Simple Ways to Add Movement to Your Day

You don’t need more discipline—you need a strategy that fits your real life. Try starting here:

1. Move More Without Going Anywhere
If you work at a desk, set a timer every hour. Stand up, stretch, walk around the office, grab a glass of water. It doesn’t have to be complicated—it just has to happen.

2. Take Advantage of the After-Dinner Window
After eating, your blood sugar naturally rises. A quick cleanup session—dishes, tidying up the living room, light chores—can be surprisingly effective at helping your body use up that sugar and avoid a spike.

3. Layer Movement Into What You Already Do
Park farther from the store. Take the stairs. Walk to a nearby errand instead of driving—if your city allows it. These small changes can build up without requiring major life overhauls.

4. Try the 5-Minute Rule
You don’t need a full 30-minute session. Just commit to five minutes of movement when you can. It adds up, and it’s way more doable than dragging yourself to the gym for an hour every day.

Consistency > Perfection

The most important thing is not what type of movement you do—it’s that you do something, regularly. A 5–10 minute movement break after dinner most days of the week will do more for your health than an hour at the gym once a month.

And because these actions are simple and sustainable, they’re more likely to become lasting habits.

Final Thoughts

Managing pre-diabetes doesn’t have to be extreme. It doesn’t have to involve gym memberships, workout apps, or intense routines. It just requires a thoughtful, compassionate approach to incorporating more natural movement into your life—without guilt, pressure, or perfectionism.

At Vida Family Medicine, we help patients find realistic, sustainable ways to improve their health—without adding to their stress.

Looking for personalized support with pre-diabetes?
📞 Call our office or schedule online at www.vidafamilymed.com

Want to Learn More? Watch the Full Video

In this video, I walk you through the science of movement and blood sugar—plus practical tips you can start using today (no gym required).

👉 Watch the full video here: How Exercise Helps Reverse Prediabetes (Even Just Walking) And don’t forget to subscribe to the Vida Family Medicine YouTube channel for more compassionate, evidence-based health content.