Why Your Body Needs Movement (And Why "Exercise" Might Be the Wrong Word)

This article explains why thinking about "exercise" differently - as simple movement throughout your day - can help control blood sugar without forcing yourself into workouts you hate.

Someone called me last week about their blood sugar readings. They'd been checking after meals - all over 200, sometimes 250 - and their doctor had mentioned insulin. But what struck me was what they said next: "I hate exercise. Always have. So I guess that's not an option."

Movement vs. Exercise: What's the Difference?

Aspect	"Exercise" Mindset	"Movement" Mindset
Definition	Structured workout sessions, gym-based activities, scheduled fitness routines	Any physical activity: walking to the mailbox, taking stairs, doing household chores, standing while working
Psychological Barrier	High (requires commitment, proper attire, specific time blocks, often feels like obligation)	Low (already part of daily life, no special equipment needed, flexible timing)
Time Commitment	usually 30-60 minutes, requires planning	Can be as little as 5-10 minutes, integrated throughout the day
Blood Sugar Impact	Significant reduction during and after sessions	Consistent reduction with frequent short bursts (10-minute post-meal walk can lower blood sugar 20-50 points)
Sustainability	Often abandoned due to time, cost, or intimidation factors	Easier to maintain long-term as part of existing routine
Equipment Needed	Gym membership, workout clothes, shoes, possibly trainer	None - use what you're already doing
Effectiveness for Metabolic Health	Highly effective when done consistently	Equally effective when accumulated throughout the day; frequency matters more than intensity

Key Benefits of Movement (Any Type, Any Duration)

1. Immediate Blood Sugar Control
2. What happens: Muscles pull glucose directly from bloodstream without needing insulin (GLUT4 translocation)

3. When you'll notice: Blood sugar drops within 10-15 minutes of movement, effects last 1-2 hours

4. Improved Mitochondrial Function

5. What happens: Movement signals energy factories in cells to multiply and work more efficiently

6. When you'll notice: Less fatigue, better baseline energy within 2-4 weeks of regular movement

7. Enhanced Brain Function

8. What happens: BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) increases, supporting memory and mood

9. When you'll notice: Improved focus and cognitive function for up to 2 hours after just 20 minutes of moderate movement

10. Stress Hormone Reduction

11. What happens: Cortisol levels decrease, improving metabolism, sleep quality, and mental clarity

12. When you'll notice: More consistent within 4-6 weeks, though some people feel calmer after single sessions

13. Muscle Preservation & Growth

14. What happens: Resistance activities (carrying groceries, bodyweight exercises) reverse age-related muscle loss
15. When you'll notice: Strength gains within 6-8 weeks; metabolic improvements (better blood sugar control, faster metabolism) within 3-4 weeks

I paused. The window behind them was open, and I could hear traffic outside, the neighbour's dog barking. "Tell me," I said, "do you walk to get your mail? Stand up to make coffee? Take the bins out?"

"Well, yes. Of course."

"That's movement," I said. "We can work with that."

The word "exercise" carries baggage. It implies gyms, lycra, memberships, a certain body type, a level of fitness you might not have. It feels like a commitment, a performance, something you either do properly or not at all. But movement? Movement is different. Movement is what your body was built to do - not perfectly, not optimally, not even consistently. Just... do.

The Physiology of Why We Need to Move

Here's what happens when you move - even for five minutes.

Your muscles contract. When they do, they pull glucose - blood sugar - out of your bloodstream to use as fuel. They don't need insulin's permission to do this during exercise. It's called GLUT4 translocation, if you want the technical term, but what matters is this: movement bypasses the usual pathways. It pulls sugar out of your blood directly. That's why a 10-minute walk after eating can drop your blood sugar by 20, 30, sometimes 50 points.

Then there's what happens in your mitochondria - the tiny energy factories inside your cells. Movement signals them to multiply. More mitochondria means more capacity to burn fuel efficiently. It's like upgrading from a four-cylinder engine to a six. You process energy better. You feel less sluggish. Your baseline metabolic rate - how many calories you burn just existing - goes up.

And your brain. God, what happens in your brain when you move is remarkable. BDNF - brain-derived neurotrophic factor - spikes during and after movement. Think of it as fertilizer for neurons. It strengthens connections, supports memory, mood regulation, focus. A 2023 meta-analysis in Nature Neuroscience found that even moderate-intensity movement for 20 minutes improved cognitive function for up to two hours afterward. Not athletic movement. Just... walking briskly. Climbing stairs. Moving.

There's also the endorphin release everyone talks about, but what people miss is the cortisol drop. Cortisol - your stress hormone - decreases significantly after movement. Not immediately, sometimes. But reliably. And chronically elevated cortisol wrecks your metabolism, your sleep, your ability to think clearly. Movement is one of the few things that reliably brings it down.

The Muscle Problem We Don't Talk About

Muscle is probably the most underrated organ in your body. Yes, organ. It's metabolically active tissue - it burns calories at rest, regulates blood sugar, stores glycogen (your body's quick-access fuel), produces myokines (signaling molecules that reduce inflammation and support immune function). Muscle is protective. Longevity research consistently shows that muscle mass and strength are better predictors of healthy aging than almost any other metric.

But here's the problem: sarcopenia - age-related muscle loss - starts around 30. You lose about 3-8% of your muscle mass per decade after that if you don't actively maintain it. By 60, many people have lost a quarter of the muscle they had in their 20s. This isn't just aesthetics. Less muscle means slower metabolism, worse blood sugar control, higher fall risk, less functional independence.

The good news? Resistance training - bodyweight exercises, lifting weights, resistance bands, even carrying groceries - reverses this. A 2024 study in The Lancet Healthy Longevity showed that adults over 60 who did resistance training twice weekly gained muscle mass and strength comparable to people 20 years younger. Twice weekly. Not daily. Not even intense.

I'm not saying you need to become a bodybuilder. I'm saying: use your muscles or lose them. That's not motivational rhetoric. That's physiology.

Why "I'm Too Busy" Is a Structural Problem, Not a Personal Failing

When people say they're too busy to move, I believe them. Modern life is designed to keep you sedentary. We sit in cars, at desks, on couches. We order groceries online, use drive-throughs, automate everything. Convenience has a metabolic cost.

But "too busy" often means "I don't have 30 minutes to dedicate to exercise." And that's true for most people. What if we didn't need 30 minutes? What if we needed five?

There's a concept called exercise snacking - short bursts of movement throughout the day. Two minutes of squats while the kettle boils. A five-minute walk after lunch. Ten push-ups before a shower. These don't feel like exercise. They feel like... stretching your legs. But they add up. A 2023 study in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise found that three 10-minute movement sessions produced similar metabolic benefits to one 30-minute session. Blood sugar control, cardiovascular health, mood - all comparable.

The constraint isn't time. It's the belief that movement only counts if it's sustained, intense, formal. It doesn't.

The Motivation Myth

People often say, "I'm just not motivated." I hear this weekly. And I get it - motivation is fickle. It shows up when you feel good, disappears when you don't, and never arrives when you actually need it.

But here's what I've noticed: motivation follows action, not the other way around. You don't wait to feel motivated to brush your teeth. You just do it. And somewhere along the way, it became automatic. Movement can work the same way.

The trick - if there is one - is to lower the barrier so far that not doing it feels harder than doing it. Don't commit to a 30-minute workout. Commit to putting on your shoes. Once your shoes are on, walk to the end of the street. That's it. You'll probably keep going, but even if you don't, you moved. The next day, it's slightly easier to put on your shoes again.

This is behavioural psychology more than physiology, but it works. Tiny, ridiculously easy actions build momentum. Momentum builds habits. Habits don't need motivation.

What Gets in the Way (And What to Do About It)

Low energy is a common barrier. "I'm too tired to move." But here's the paradox: movement creates energy. Mitochondrial biogenesis - the process I mentioned earlier - literally increases your capacity to produce energy. The first week or two might feel hard. But by week three, most people report feeling more energetic, not less. It's counterintuitive, but it's real.

Physical limitations are real, too. Chronic pain, injuries, disabilities - these change what movement looks like, but they don't eliminate it. Chair exercises exist. Water-based movement reduces joint stress. Even seated arm movements improve circulation, engage muscles, provide benefit. The question isn't "Can I move?" It's "What kind of movement works for my body right now?"

Environment matters. If you live somewhere unsafe to walk, or it's dark when you're free, or the gym is 40 minutes away, that's a real barrier. But movement doesn't require equipment or a specific location. Bodyweight exercises - squats, lunges, push-ups, planks - can be done in a bedroom, a living room, a hotel room. YouTube has thousands of free follow-along routines. The environment limits options, but it rarely eliminates all of them.

Blood Sugar, Insulin Resistance, and Why Timing Matters

Post-meal movement - even a 10-minute walk - has outsize benefits for blood sugar control. When you eat, especially carbohydrates, your blood sugar rises. Your pancreas secretes insulin to shuttle that sugar into cells. Over time, if your blood sugar spikes repeatedly and stays elevated, your cells become less responsive to insulin - this is insulin resistance, the precursor to type 2 diabetes.

But movement changes the equation. As I mentioned earlier, contracting muscles pull glucose out of your blood without needing insulin. This means your pancreas doesn't have to work as hard. Over time, consistent post-meal movement improves insulin sensitivity - your cells respond better to insulin again. A 2022 study in Diabetologia found that post-meal walks reduced 24-hour glucose levels more effectively than a single long walk earlier in the day.

It doesn't have to be a walk. It can be stretching, light housework, pacing while on a phone call. The key is: movement within 30 minutes of eating, when your blood sugar is rising.

Bone Density and Why Weight-Bearing Movement Matters

Osteoporosis - thinning bones - is often thought of as inevitable with aging. It's not. Weight-bearing movement - walking, running, jumping, resistance training - stimulates osteoblasts, the cells that build new bone. Your bones respond to stress by getting stronger, denser.

But this only happens if you stress them. Swimming, cycling - excellent for cardiovascular health - don't load your bones enough to trigger this response. You need gravity-based, impact activities. Even walking helps. But if you can add squats, lunges, heel raises, or light jumping, the effect is amplified.

This matters more as you age. Fractures in older adults - hip fractures especially - are devastating. Recovery is long, complications are common, independence is often lost. Bone density in your 60s and 70s is largely determined by what you did in your 30s, 40s, and 50s. It's preventative. It's not something you fix later.

Sleep, Movement, and the Feedback Loop

People underestimate how much movement affects sleep. Physical activity increases sleep pressure - the biological drive to sleep - by depleting adenosine, a molecule that accumulates during wakefulness. It also regulates circadian rhythms, particularly if movement happens outdoors in natural light.

A 2023 systematic review in Sleep Medicine Reviews found that regular moderate-intensity exercise improved sleep quality, reduced time to fall asleep, and decreased nighttime awakenings. The effect was dose-dependent - more movement, better sleep - but even low-intensity movement (like walking) showed benefit.

Better sleep improves energy, mood, decision-making, and - here's the feedback loop - your likelihood of moving the next day. Poor sleep makes movement feel harder. Movement improves sleep. It's cyclical.

What Movement Actually Looks Like

Movement doesn't have to look like anything specific. It doesn't have to be the gym, a class, a program. It can be:

• Taking stairs instead of the lift
• Parking farther away
• Playing with your kids or grandkids
• Gardening
• Dancing while cooking
• Stretching during TV ads
• Walking while on phone calls
• Carrying shopping bags instead of using a trolley
• Doing squats while waiting for water to boil
• Standing up every 30 minutes at your desk

These aren't substitutes for structured exercise if that's your goal. But they're movement. And for many people, accumulating small amounts of movement throughout the day is more sustainable - and more beneficial - than forcing themselves into a routine they hate.

The Question I Ask

When someone says they want to move more, I ask: "What kind of movement sounds least terrible to you?"

Not enjoyable. Not exciting. Just... least terrible.

Because the best exercise is the one you'll actually do. If you hate running, don't run. If you find gyms intimidating, don't go. If you love dancing, dance. If walking while listening to podcasts is the only thing that doesn't feel like punishment, do that.

Movement doesn't have to be virtuous. It doesn't have to hurt. It doesn't have to prove anything. It just has to happen.

I'm still figuring out what works for my own body - what I'll actually do consistently versus what I think I should do. Most of us are.

But the physiology is clear: your body benefits from movement. Your metabolism, your muscles, your bones, your brain, your sleep, your mood. All of it improves when you move, even a little, even imperfectly.

The rest is just finding a way to make it happen.