If you are someone who is pre-diabetic or a type II diabetic, moderate intensity exercise could be a game-changer to your daily life. When the pancreatic beta cells become desensitized to the uptake of insulin, your body is not able to absorb glucose (an energy source) and use it for energy, causing your blood sugar levels to spike. Over time, your doctor may prescribe medications to control your blood sugar, including insulin, and diagnose you with type II diabetes. Taking insulin will allow your body to absorb glucose again so you can continue normal life. In this post we’ll discuss how you can use exercise to help control your blood sugar levels and improve type II diabetes.
Firstly, it’s important before starting any exercise regime to be cleared for exercise by your primary care doctor. Once you are given the green light from your doctor it is now time to start taking control over your health. You can get yourself on track with exercise to potentially eliminating type II diabetes, or at least limiting the amount of insulin you are injecting.
How exercise improves insulin sensitivity
It has been shown in studies (Reynolds, Mann, Williams, Venn. 2016) that moderate intensity exercise after meals helps the body absorb glucose and improves insulin sensitivity. This is huge when dealing with type II diabetes, because you can reduce the amount of insulin you will have to inject after meals. With exercise, your body by itself is now actively absorbing more glucose than it would without exercise!
What is happening inside of the body as you walk is the contraction of muscles in the legs and arms. When the muscles contract and move, it allows the GLUT-4 transporter to move closer to the surface so that it can absorb insulin in the cell, allowing glucose to be used in the muscle. This improves insulin sensitivity
Sample exercise regimen
After eating a big dinner, lace up your shoes and go for a walk down the street. The time range will depend on what you are capable of, but always start on the conservative side if you are just beginning. Five to ten minutes is a good starting range for beginners. Monitor your blood sugar levels accordingly and you will see a difference in the spike of your blood sugar. By simply walking down the street you have given your body the power to absorb glucose by itself again giving yourself freedom from having to take insulin on a regular basis.
What is incredible about type II diabetes and pre-diabetes is that it can be reversed. If you are overweight and inactive, simply changing your lifestyle will reverse the effects that type II diabetes is having on your life. Losing weight, being active, and following the diet your doctor prescribes is the solution to this disease.
Work with a personal trainer
Lifestyle changes can be very difficult for people. That is why it is important to add accountability to your life either through a workout buddy, family support, or getting a personal trainer. A personal trainer is someone who can not only keep you safe and guide you, but also hold you accountable to your exercise regime. If you are a member at Fit Focus you can schedule a free one on one session with a trainer and they will go over exercise goals, exercise regimens, and what it will take to get the results you want.
Don’t let type II diabetes take hold of your life. Take control on this preventable disease and start your journey to a better, healthier you!
*This is not medical advice. See your doctor before starting any exercise programs*
