Think It’s Just Age or Stress? Spot the Early Signs of Diabetes Before It Crashes Your Game
- Kay Wettasinghe
- Oct 16
- 7 min read
You feel wiped halfway through a round, foggy after lunch, or flat by Friday, and assume it’s age or stress — but those dips could be some of the early signs of diabetes. More than 1 in 5 UK adults now live with diabetes or pre-diabetes (The Guardian, 2025), and most have no idea. The first warning signs aren’t dramatic; they creep in as slower recovery, a few extra snacks between holes, or a dip in concentration at work.
If that sounds familiar, this is your friendly reminder to tune in — not panic. Here’s how to spot what’s really happening, what’s causing it, and what to do before it becomes a long-term handicap.
The Situation: Why You Don’t Notice the Drift
Prediabetes doesn’t slam you with symptoms. It’s a slow chemical shuffle in the background of busy life. You play golf at weekends, hit the gym occasionally, eat what you think is fine — but your weekday habits (sitting, skipping meals, stress) quietly raise blood sugar and blunt insulin response.
Around 5.1 million Brits are in this “grey zone” of pre-diabetes (Office for National Statistics, 2025), and men over 40 are most at risk because they tend to downplay fatigue and put off check-ups. It’s not neglect — it’s normal. The symptoms look like “modern life.”
The Cause: Everyday Early Signs of Diabetes You Might Overlook
Here’s what early diabetes often looks like in real life — the things most people chalk up to busyness or age:
Feeling tired after meals or needing sugar hits in the afternoon
Thirst that sneaks up even when you drink water
Night-time bathroom trips are becoming more frequent
Blurry vision after screens
Pins and needles or mild numbness in hands or feet
Cuts are taking longer to heal
Mood dips or brain fog that comes and goes
A few inches are creeping around the waist
None of these alone screams “problem.” But together, they can hint at insulin resistance — when your cells stop letting sugar in efficiently. Always get any concern checked; a quick blood test can confirm what’s going on (NHS, 2025).
Stress, Sitting & Sugar: The Modern Trio Behind the Slide
Work stress raises cortisol — the hormone that keeps you alert but also raises blood sugar. Combine that with hours at a desk, takeaway lunches, and weekend bursts of activity, and your metabolism lives on a rollercoaster.
A Public Health England review (2024) found prolonged sitting to be directly linked to a higher risk of metabolic syndrome and diabetes (Public Health England, 2024). Even if you exercise, long sedentary blocks undo much of the benefit.
Metaphorically? You’re red-lining the engine all week, then parking it for days
Alcohol — The Hidden Blood-Sugar Spike
Alcohol is the blind spot for most men. It’s not just the calories — it’s the way alcohol confuses the liver. When you drink, your liver focuses on clearing ethanol instead of regulating glucose, which can cause blood sugar levels to swing wildly high or low for up to 24 hours. Regular drinking also worsens belly-fat storage and insulin resistance (Diabetes UK, 2024).
You don’t need to quit; rethink your routine. Swap a few beers for alcohol-free days or lighter drinks, especially on evenings before early tee-times. That single tweak can steady your energy and your swing.
Action: How to Get Back in Control
1️⃣ Heat Your System — The Breathing Session
Your body’s first “reset button” is your breath. Try the Heating Breath routine. Here’s why it works:
Slow, rhythmic breathing activates the vagus nerve, calming the stress response.
This lowers cortisol, which in turn stabilises blood sugar and reduces fat storage around the gut.
The focused, belly-led breath also improves oxygenation — helping your body burn stored fuel instead of hoarding it.
Think of it as gently stoking a fire: you’re teaching your metabolism to regulate heat and energy rather than spike and crash.
2️⃣ Load Your Movement (Not Just Cardio)
Most men assume “more cardio” fixes blood sugar — but that’s half the story. High-impact running or long cardio sessions can actually raise cortisol levels and increase appetite if overdone, especially in men who carry extra weight. It also hits joints hard: knees, hips, lower back. If you’re already stiff or overweight, pounding the pavement can increase inflammation.
What works better? Active mobility + light resistance — like yoga, body-weight drills, or controlled strength moves.They:
Build lean muscle, which uses glucose more efficiently.
Improve joint stability and posture.
Teach control and torque — exactly what your golf swing needs.
This is your “sweet-spot” training: powerful enough to stimulate metabolism, gentle enough to keep you moving pain-free.
3️⃣ Check In With Your Diet (And Your Mindset)
You can’t out-train blood sugar chaos. A Mediterranean-style diet — high in colourful veg, olive oil, lean protein, nuts, and slow carbs — keeps insulin stable and inflammation low (British Heart Foundation, 2025).
Be mindful rather than militant:
When eating out, be the healthy guy — choose grilled, not fried.
Dessert is a special-occasion treat, not a daily routine.
Notice how different foods make you feel two hours later — steady or crashy? That’s your real feedback.
Sugar isn’t evil, but mindless sugar is. Awareness is the skill that keeps you off medication
4️⃣ Small Shifts That Build Big Change
Stand up every 30 minutes during desk hours.
Walk or stretch while on calls.
Sleep before midnight; glucose regulation happens overnight.
Hydrate — water helps the kidneys clear excess sugar.
These aren’t glamorous hacks. They’re how your body finds rhythm again.
When It Works: What You’ll Notice and Why YOGA
When you start breathing deeper, moving smarter, and eating consciously, the body begins to self-regulate again — the very thing diabetes disrupts.
Here’s what’s really happening under the surface 👇
🩸 1️⃣ The Pancreas Pressure Valve
In type 2 and prediabetes, the pancreas is overworked — constantly pumping out insulin to keep rising glucose levels in check. Certain yoga postures and controlled breathing stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, reducing the “fight-or-flight” response that keeps blood sugar elevated.
Gentle compression and release around the abdomen (like in twists and forward folds) also increase blood flow to the pancreas, improving its oxygen supply and encouraging more efficient insulin secretion(Diabetes UK, 2024 | PubMed: Yoga & Glucose Regulation, 2023).
As stress hormones drop, the pancreas no longer has to shout — it can whisper and still be heard.
🧠 2️⃣ The Hormone Reset
Breath-led movement lowers cortisol and adrenaline, two hormones that block insulin’s effect. When cortisol normalises, your cells become more insulin-sensitive, allowing sugar to enter the muscles and liver rather than linger in the blood. That’s why, within days of steady practice, many people feel calmer energy and fewer cravings — their body is literally responding to insulin again.
💪 3️⃣ The Muscle “Sponge” Effect
Yoga’s controlled load and isometric strength work engage multiple large muscle groups at once. Active muscles act like metabolic sponges, soaking up glucose without needing extra insulin. Studies show a single 60-minute yoga session can increase glucose uptake in muscles for up to 24 hours (Frontiers in Endocrinology, 2022).
The more regularly you move this way, the more glucose your body can use as fuel instead of storing it as fat.
🔥 4️⃣ The Anti-Inflammation Cascade
Chronic inflammation is the silent driver of both insulin resistance and joint stiffness. Slow, mindful movement and diaphragmatic breathing reduce inflammatory markers like C-reactive protein (CRP) and TNF-α, easing aches while improving vascular health . That’s why golfers often report “feeling younger” — joints decompress, circulation improves, and energy rebounds.
🌙 5️⃣ The System Re-sync
Better sleep, mood, and digestion are the signs your circadian rhythm has reset. When your nervous system stops running in overdrive, cortisol follows its natural curve again — high in the morning, low at night. This rhythm is essential for blood-sugar balance and consistent energy, both on the course and at work.
✅ What You’ll Feel
Steadier energy: you’re using sugar for fuel again, not storing it.
Sharper focus: brain fuel is stable, not caffeine-spiked.
Looser joints: inflammation and fluid retention are reduced.
Easier sleep: nervous system finally downshifts.
Slimmer waistline: lower insulin means stored fat is released.
In short, yoga gives your pancreas a break, your muscles a job, and your brain a calmer signal — a team effort that restores balance across the body. That’s when you don’t just move better; you live better.
When to Get Checked (And Why You Should)
If you relate to several of the symptoms above — or you’ve been told your cholesterol or blood pressure is “borderline” — book a fasting glucose and HbA1c test with your GP.
Early awareness is power, not punishment.
Never self-diagnose; always use professional testing (NHS, 2025).
When Diabetes and Cholesterol Collide
High blood sugar and high cholesterol often share the same root: stress, diet, and inactivity.
As LDL and triglycerides rise, insulin resistance worsens — and vice versa.
The same lifestyle tweaks that lower sugar also lower LDL.
We’ll unpack that connection in our next post — [Golf Fitness Over 40 & Cholesterol Belly – The Gut-Health Connection No One’s Talking About.]
Your Next Step
Start with one of the short sessions — Heating Breath or Shoulder & Gut Activation Flow — and notice how quickly your body responds. Most golfers feel the difference within days: steadier energy, easier focus, and a lighter swing.
If this strikes a chord and you’d like to explore what’s really possible for your body, book a short call. We’ll look at your movement, your goals, and how to bring this same balance into your game — one small change at a time.