Most body functions are a series of biochemical reactions. This is true with the metabolism of blood sugar as well. Jogging is a form of aerobic exercise. When you jog, you burn energy, and for your body, blood sugar is energy. Any form of aerobic exercise will lower blood sugar levels and reduce insulin resistance. Lowering blood sugar and managing insulin production are tiny pieces in the metabolism puzzle and are key benefits to aerobic exercise.
What Happens When You Eat
When you eat, your body sorts out and breaks down the nutrients in carbohydrates, protein and fat. Your body immediately converts carbs to glucose, or sugar. It absorbs it into the blood, raising your blood sugar level. Proteins convert to amino acids to help build cells, and fats turn to fatty acids, or stored energy.
The Importance of Insulin
For cells to use glucose, they need insulin. Think of insulin as the key to a lock on the cells. If insulin is not present, the glucose is physically unable to enter the cells. This is the basis for diabetes. Some diabetics produce no natural insulin or their bodies become resistant to insulin. The insulin key begins to break and cannot open the lock anymore. This is why exercise is so important for diabetics. When the body cannot use insulin, it has a hard time automatically regulating the blood sugar levels. Exercise is a natural way to burn energy and helps to manually regulate the levels.
Jogging
When you jog, you are burning energy. Even when you are sitting watching television, you are burning energy, but jogging works the muscles in your body, including your heart. The muscles start demanding more fuel. The first place the body goes for energy is the bloodstream. This demand for more energy releases insulin to let fuel enter the cells and increase the energy levels. The released insulin is what reduces the blood sugar levels. Diabetes inject insulin. Exercise will trigger the injected insulin to use the blood sugar, as well.
Other Benefits of Jogging
The more muscle you have, the more energy you need. The more you jog, the more muscle you will build in your legs and buttocks. This increases the amount of blood sugar your body burns during a run. Once the blood sugar drops, the next energy source is stored fat. Jogging helps break down fat into energy for fuel. These benefits are not exclusive to jogging, but are common for any aerobic exercise.
