Blood sugar is one of the rare nutrition topics where everyone agrees: We should avoid big peaks and dips and aim for a steady curve. Spikes cause inflammation, accelerate aging, and lead to type 2 diabetes. Crashes make us feel moody and tired, and crave foods we don’t need. We can control our blood sugar through what and how we eat. But something else affects our blood sugar — physical activity. Exercise has a profound effect on your blood sugar response. Together with your food choices, being physically active helps you keep your blood sugar level even.In this episode of ZOE Science & Nutrition, Jonathan speaks with Javier Gonzalez and Sarah Berry to find out how exercise affects our blood sugar response — even when we’re fasting — and how much exercise we need to do to benefit. Javier Gonzalez is an associate professor of human physiology at the University of Bath whose research focuses on the interaction between diet and exercise. Sarah Berry is one of the world's leading experts on human nutrition. She has personally run over 20 randomized clinical trials looking at how humans respond to different fats. Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguide Timecodes:00:00 - Introduction00:12 - Topic introduction01:39 - Quickfire questions02:55 - Is a 30-minute walk as good as 30-minute cardio?03:39 - What is blood sugar and why should we care about it?05:10 - Blood sugar control throughout the day07:43 - Why is it important to know about blood sugar?09:01 - Blood sugar control12:25 - How exercise affects blood sugar14:17 - The power of fidgeting16:12 - Effects of higher intensity exercise17:00 - Lower intensity exercise vs higher intensity exercise18:41 - Intermittent fasting and blood sugar24:43 - Personalization26:35 - What types of exercises can you do to control blood sugar?29:12 - Cardio vs resistance training34:21 - Blood fats & exercise42:15 - 3 tips on leveraging exercise to control blood sugar and blood fats43:14 - Summary44:25 - Goodbyes44:37 - OutroEpisode transcripts are available here.Follow Javier on Twitter: https://twitter.com/gonzalez_jtFollow Sarah on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drsarahberry/ Follow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/Have an idea for a podcast? Contact Fascinate Productions to bring it to life.

Our transformation into coach potatoes happened in the blink of an eye. Only 100 years ago, most people relied on manual work to make their living. Today, things are different. Many of us live our lives in front of a screen. Online shopping and remote work mean some of us don’t need to leave the house at all. So how bad is this for us? The answer is now clear: Low levels of physical activity lead to an increased risk of disease and a lower quality of life in older age. However, when we come to the question of what sort of exercise you should be doing, how often, and how much it contributes to weight loss, the answers might surprise you.In today’s episode, Jonathan speaks to a Human Physiologist to learn about the interactions between diet and exercise and their impact on human health: Dr. Javier Gonzalez is an associate professor of Human Physiology at the University of Bath and also a technical advisor to the athletes in the INEOS Tour de France cycling team.Download our FREE guide — Top 10 Tips to Live Healthier: https://zoe.com/freeguideTimecodes:00:00 - Intro02:00 - Episode start: quickfire round03:45 - Why does exercise matter?04:42 - How much exercise do you need to see health benefits? 05:40 - Defining exercise08:16 - How much walking to do to see health benefits?09:03 - What is cardio training & strength training?10:41 - Differences between cardio and strength training12:18 - Importance of strength training15:28 - Is exercise or nutrition more important for weight loss?18:03 - Dr. Javier’s research on fasting & exercise22:16 - Should we exercise in a fasted state?25:26 - Fasting and bone health26:35 - What can we learn from professional athletes?28:03 - How does glycogen get produced?31:55 - How does exercise relate to gut health?33:09 - What we should eat to benefit from exercise35:40 - How to think about protein intake37:26 - How should non-athletes think about food to complement their exercise40:51 - Personalization & differences between men & women43:57 - How important is exercising for menopausal women?45:56 - Summary51:42 - Goodbyes51:53 - OutroEpisode transcripts are available here.Follow Javier: https://twitter.com/gonzalez_jtFollow ZOE on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zoe/This podcast was produced by Fascinate Productions.

Prof. Javier Gonzalez discusses how various exercises can stabilize blood sugar levels, from simple movements to high-intensity workouts. He explains the effects of fasting, stress, and different exercise intensities on blood sugar control, emphasizing the importance of finding enjoyable activities for long-term health.