2.4. Exercise Protocol
Following the completion of two NORMAL days to establish baseline blood glucose and activity monitoring, all participants completed the SHORT and LONG protocol in a randomized order. This randomized approach was taken to ensure that the interpretation of the results was not limited by the sequence of the protocol. Women randomized to the SHORT condition were asked to complete a 10 min walk within the first hour after breakfast, lunch, and dinner, totaling three 10 min walks per day for five days. Those randomized to the LONG condition were asked to complete 30 min of walking at any time of day, other than the hour immediately following breakfast, lunch, or dinner, for five days. Between interventions, the participants completed two more days of NORMAL activity that fulfilled a washout period between protocols. Following the two-day washout period, the participants were asked to complete the complementary exercise protocol for five days.Throughout the study, the participants wore a flash glucose monitor to measure interstitial fluid glucose and an accelerometer to measure physical activity. Compliance with the exercise intervention was quantified by totaling the number of sessions completed by each participant and expressed as a percentage of the prescribed number of sessions. Exercise adherence was assessed by confirming the heart rate recorded for each session. An exercise session was adhered to if the heart rate was within the prescribed range of 121–146 beats per minute (bpm).Walking was the prescribed modality because of its accessibility, feasibility, and low cost [