Exercise Prescription Programs
A measured, prescribed activity plan matched to your feet, your medication and your fitness.
Key Takeaways
- Exercise is prescribed with a specific type, intensity, duration and frequency.
- Resistance training improves insulin sensitivity as much as aerobic exercise.
- Foot status determines which activities are safe, particularly with neuropathy.
- Medication may need adjusting, since exercise lowers blood sugar independently.
What Does a Prescription Include?
- Aerobic work, with specified minutes and intensity
- Resistance training, with sets, repetitions and progression
- Flexibility work, especially calf stretching for foot protection
- Balance training where neuropathy affects stability
- Clear rules on what to avoid given your foot condition
Why Is Resistance Training Included?
Because muscle is where glucose goes. More muscle mass means more storage capacity for sugar, and resistance training improves insulin sensitivity in a way that walking alone does not. Additionally, it preserves the strength older patients need to stay independent.
Many patients are surprised by this, having been told for years to simply walk more.
How Does Foot Status Change the Plan?
Considerably. An active ulcer rules out weight bearing exercise on that foot, so cycling and seated work replace walking. Neuropathy without ulceration allows walking in protective footwear, with a foot check afterwards. Charcot foot in the active phase means no weight bearing on that limb at all.
This is why the plan is written alongside your foot assessment rather than in isolation from it.
What About Medication Adjustments?
Exercise lowers blood sugar for hours afterwards. Patients on insulin or sulfonylureas therefore need guidance on timing, carbohydrate intake and monitoring, otherwise hypoglycaemia becomes a real risk. Those adjustments are part of the prescription.
What Does It Cost and What Results Should You Expect?
Prescription and review are included within remission programme consultations, with supervised sessions quoted separately. Expect improved insulin sensitivity within weeks, and measurable HbA1c change across roughly three months of consistent effort, alongside better overall lifestyle control.