HIIT and Blood Sugar Levels

If you’re serious about fitness, you know that it’s about more than just moving your body. A regular exercise regimen requires that you put in effort, with proper form and nutrition being a basic requirement. The point of fitness is to build strength and health, and your body needs rest and fuel for that to happen.

In today’s article, we’ll talk a little bit about what you need to understand about your body, especially when it comes to high intensity workouts like HIIT. Specifically, we’re going to talk about HIIT and blood sugar levels, and how the two are related.

Understanding HIIT

HIIT is short for high intensity interval training (HIIT), a type of high intensity workout that consists of short but intense exercise followed by a brief period of rest. This period of rest is then followed by another round of exercise, and so on.

As we explain in our article ‘What is HIIT?’, HIIT is popular because it’s a fast yet efficient way to get results. HIIT workouts can vary in intensity, and can be done with pretty much any type of exercise.

Why is HIIT So Popular?

What makes HIIT so popular? Quite a few factors, actually. Insider notes that HIIT can burn more calories and fat within the same time period as a bout of regular exercise. It also improves oxygen, blood flow, and muscle growth, leading to better overall health within a shorter period of time.

Vox writes that HIIT can improve cardiovascular health by making you more aerobically fit. This can help prevent heart disease. It’s also used by athletes to improve endurance and stamina through ramping up the intensity of your workouts.

Why Are Blood Sugar Levels Important in HIIT?

So what does this have to do with blood sugar levels? Quite a few things, actually. Blood sugar levels are important because they measure how much sugar or energy is being transported to your cells via your blood stream. Your glucose levels will fluctuate according to your food and activity.

While your blood sugar level indicates how much energy can be distributed around your body, there can be a downside to it. WebMD reports that hyperglycemia, also known as high blood sugar, can lead to headaches, fatigue, weight loss, and in some extreme cases coma or even death.

That’s why many people, especially people with diabetes or pre-diabetes, are careful about what and when they eat. Many people will try to avoid blood sugar level spikes by eating foods with low glycemic index. This can include high fiber foods, fruits, and much more. In a feature about apple cider vinegar gummies on Brightcore, for example, they recommend ACV in gummy form because they are compact, portable, yet extremely beneficial for lowering blood glucose levels.

HIIT and Blood Sugar Levels

Diet is definitely the most popular method for bringing down your blood sugar levels, but it’s not the only one, This is where HIIT comes in. Research has found that exercise brings down blood sugar levels. A research team from the University of Turku found that HIIT improved glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity for a period of time.

Exercise in general can have a positive effect on managing your blood sugar levels, but HIIT might actually be the more effective choice. When done regularly, the interval training process allows you to more accurately improve your glucose control.

hiit blood sugar

All of this data simply means one thing: you have less reason to fear blood sugar spikes, and all the more reason to get started with HIIT. If that’s not good enough reason to get started, then we don’t know what is!

If you would like to combine HIIT exercise with nutrition for blood sugar control, just drop us a note and we’ll talk about training options.