5 Moves to Bring Down Blood Sugars in a Pinch

You’ve probably been there before: you’re stuck at work, your blood sugar is running high, and it just won’t budge. Maybe you’ve already taken extra insulin, but it doesn’t seem to be working. Before you give yourself a “rage bolus”—taking too much correction insulin out of frustration, only to crash low later. Consider another option: movement.

According to Matt Vande Vegteone, trainer, nutritionist and diabetes health coach, one of the best ways to help “activate” insulin on board is to get your body moving. Movement raises your heart rate, which helps increase circulation of both blood and insulin throughout your body. But not all exercise affects blood sugars the same way.

While heavy resistance training can improve insulin sensitivity over time, steady-state cardio is often more effective for bringing down a stubborn high in the moment. Steady-state cardio means keeping your heart rate elevated for an extended period of time. In general, the longer you keep moving, the more noticeable the drop in blood sugar tends to be.

Before getting started, make sure you hydrate. Hydration and movement work together to help insulin do its job more effectively.

How to Use These Moves

There are two ways to approach this routine:

Option 1: Pick one movement. Choose your favorite exercise and complete 50 repetitions. Repeat as needed to help bring your blood sugar down.

Option 2: Complete the full circuit. Spend one minute on each movement, completing as many repetitions as possible (AMRAP style).

That means:

• 1 minute x 5 exercises = 5 minutes per circuit
• Repeat circuits as needed

For a full workout, aim for four to five rounds.

Your Step-by-Step Plan

Step 1: Hydrate

Step 2: Complete your workout

Step 3: Hydrate again and celebrate

Movement 1: Jumping jacks

Jumping jacks make a great warm-up. While they don’t heavily target one major muscle group, they involve full-body movement and help raise your heart rate to improve insulin circulation.

Bonus: they may also help boost your mood.

Movement 2: Mountain climbers

Mountain climbers also use full-body movement, but they require more effort than jumping jacks. If they feel too challenging, try slowing them down or swapping them for standing high knees. Mountain climbers are also excellent for strengthening your core.

Movement 3: Push up to side plank

Push-ups build upper-body strength, while the side plank challenges your stabilizer muscles and core.

Focus on keeping your body level throughout the movement and avoid letting your hips sag toward the floor. Exercises that engage the chest, shoulders and triceps can also help lower blood sugar because working muscles pull glucose from the bloodstream.

Movement 4: Lunge with thoracic twist

Lunges are great for building lower-body strength, but form matters most here. Adding the thoracic twist helps encourage better posture and keeps your back in a more neutral position. It also improves thoracic mobility through a dynamic side-to-side stretch. Because lunges recruit large muscle groups, they can also help activate insulin and bring blood sugars back into range.

Movement 5: Squat bounce to squat jump

Squats are one of the most effective full-body movements for building strength and burning energy. According to Matt, they’ve also become his go-to move for bringing down high blood sugars in tight spaces like airplanes, restaurants, or even movie theater bathrooms.

Aim for 30 to 50 slow, controlled reps.

For this variation:

1. Lower into a controlled squat
2. Add a small bounce
3. Lower again and jump explosively

You’ll get your heart rate up, work large muscle groups, and potentially help lower your blood sugar in the process.

Bonus Movement: Warrior Walks

If you have more space or time available, try going for a walk. Walking can be one of the simplest and most reliable ways to help bring blood sugar down. It also offers another benefit: a chance to clear your mind and reset.

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