Type 2 diabetes (T2D), a chronic metabolic condition characterized by elevated blood glucose levels, has emerged as a substantial global socioeconomic burden. The disease gives rise to a broad spectrum of complications, including cardiovascular diseases, kidney failure, blindness, and lower limb amputation. It is estimated that 536.6 million adults (aged 20–79 years old) were living with diabetes, a number projected to escalate to 783.2 million by 2045 [1]. Consequently, the financial resources allocated to diabetes management are escalating at an alarming rate [2]. Enhancing individuals’ adherence to prescribed self-care behaviors assumes a pivotal role in attaining and sustaining targeted blood glucose levels, which form the cornerstone of diabetes management [3]. Given the escalating prevalence and economic ramifications of diabetes, an urgent imperative exists to identify effective strategies capable of enhancing self-care behaviors, thereby fostering efficacious diabetes management.

Diabetes self-care behaviors play an essential role in achieving optimal glycemic control and mitigating the risk of long-term complications associated with diabetes [4], [5]. These behaviors, such as adhering to healthy diets, engaging in regular physical activities, monitoring blood glucose levels, and adhering to prescribed medications, are seemingly straightforward. Nevertheless, maintaining consistent adherence to these behaviors is proven to be a challenge for numerous individuals with T2D [6]. Despite of physical activities being classified as a less frequently performed self-care activity [3], participating in regular physical exercise reportedly contributes to the enhancement of patients’ commitment to diabetes self-care practices [7], [8]. As such, exercise education is used as a measure to enhance one's commitment to diabetes self-care practices [9]. Beyond regular exercise, multiple studies have substantiated that the utilization of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices can also exert a favorable influence on patients’ dedication to diabetes self-care routines [10], [11], consequently yielding improved glycemic control among those with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes. To achieve noteworthy enhancements in the adherence to diabetes self-care practices, participants in these studies were assigned with CGM devices over prolonged periods [12]. Nonetheless, it is imperative to note that the cost associated with engaging in physical exercise is considerably lower in comparison to utilizing CGM devices. Thus, implementation of this approach might not be feasible, particularly considering the high cost associated with CGM devices in many developing nations. It is of paramount importance to determine whether wearing CGM devices for short durations can yield comparable enhancements in individuals’ commitment to the prescribed self-care practices. Thus, the aim of the current study is to compare the effectiveness of 2 weeks of CGM (CGM) wearing versus CGM combined with regular exercise in enhancing adherence to diabetes self-care behaviors among individuals with T2D.