Using Diabetes Technologies for Better Performance

Help active clients and athletes with diabetes make more informed exercise decisions by understanding the technologies that shape blood glucose, insulin delivery and performance.

Diabetes technology is changing the way active clients and athletes prepare for, monitor and recover from exercise. Using Diabetes Technologies for Better Performance gives certified health and fitness professionals practical insight into how blood glucose, insulin, fuel availability and activity type interact during training. You will explore how common devices are used around physical activity and why technology data should be interpreted alongside exercise intensity, timing, recent food intake and lived experience.

Led by Sheri R. Colberg, PhD, FACSM, an international expert on diabetes and exercise, this course connects foundational diabetes concepts with real-world performance considerations. You will review blood glucose meters, continuous glucose monitors, insulin pens, pumps, patch pumps and automated insulin delivery systems, including benefits, limitations and common challenges. The course also addresses CGM lag, insulin on board, exercise targets and device adjustments that may affect aerobic, resistance and combined training sessions.

This course is especially valuable for personal trainers, health coaches, group fitness instructors and medical exercise specialists who support clients using diabetes devices. Through practical examples and an automated insulin delivery case study, you will build a clearer understanding of how technology, nutrition and training variables can influence blood glucose and performance. The result is a more informed approach to coaching conversations, exercise planning and professional collaboration within your scope of practice.

Upon completion, you will be able to:

• Describe how diabetes, blood glucose, insulin and exercise physiology can influence athletic performance.
• Identify common diabetes technologies and explain key exercise-related benefits, limitations and challenges.
• Interpret practical factors that affect CGM and automated insulin delivery use around physical activity.
• Recognize strategies involving device settings, food intake, exercise timing and insulin considerations that may support training and reduce low blood glucose risk.