Ready to lower your blood sugar and better understand what's driving those high numbers?
👉 Learn About the Mastering Diabetes Fall Retreat:
https://www.masteringdiabetes.org/retreat-fall-2026/
▶️ Watch the Full Video Version on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdDsEpYxBnA
🎁 Get Your Free GUIDE:
https://go.masteringdiabetes.org/optin-recipe-guide
Seeing a high number on your glucose meter can be stressful.
In this episode, Robby Barbaro shares two simple, free strategies you can use in the moment to help bring blood sugar down—while also stepping back to explain why blood sugar gets high in the first place.
You'll learn how stress hormones can affect liver glucose output, why slowing your breathing may help calm that response, and how even a short period of movement can help your muscles pull glucose from the bloodstream.
In this episode, you'll learn:
• Why stress and anxiety can raise blood sugar
• How cortisol and adrenaline can signal your liver to release more glucose
• Why a longer exhale can help activate the parasympathetic nervous system
• How to use a simple 4-second inhale and 6-second exhale breathing pattern
• Why this technique may be especially useful when you're feeling anxious about a high glucose reading
• How 10–15 minutes of movement can help lower blood sugar
• Why muscle contraction allows glucose to move into muscle cells through a pathway that does not rely on insulin
• Why even something as simple as walking can be a useful tool
• How these immediate strategies fit into the bigger picture of insulin resistance
• Why managing a high number in the moment is different from addressing the root cause over time
The first strategy is simple:
Breathe in through your nose for 4 seconds, then breathe out slowly through your nose for 6 seconds. Repeat this pattern for a few minutes.
The goal is to help shift your nervous system away from a stress response and toward a calmer "rest and digest" state.
The second strategy is movement.
Even 10–15 minutes of light activity, such as walking, can activate your muscles and give glucose another pathway out of your bloodstream.
These strategies can be useful tools when your glucose is running high, but the bigger goal is still to understand and address why high blood sugar is happening in the first place.
And an important reminder: this is not an anti-medication message. Never stop or change your medication without working with your healthcare team.
👉 Learn more about the Mastering Diabetes Fall Retreat:
https://www.masteringdiabetes.org/retreat-fall-2026/
The next retreat takes place October 29 through November 2, 2026 in Miami, Florida. Attendance is limited to just 12 people and includes prepared meals, guided movement, personalized coaching, and a supportive community.
🎁 Get Your Free GUIDE:
https://go.masteringdiabetes.org/optin-recipe-guide
Keep your carbs high and your A1C low.
