Are you living with type 2 diabetes? You’re not alone in navigating this challenging journey. Keeping your weight and blood sugar under control involves paying attention to your diet, taking your medication, and building a lifestyle that helps you manage your health. Let’s explore how to thrive, not just survive.
According to the American Diabetes Association, exercise is a key part of managing diabetes and getting the most benefit from your medications. People with diabetes should exercise at least 150 minutes a week. Exercise works with your medications to improve your health and helps control your weight. It can also help improve your mood and sustain your mental health.
Here are some of the benefits of exercise for people with type 2 diabetes.
Improved Blood Sugar Control
Exercise makes your muscle cells more sensitive to insulin and helps them take up glucose better, lowering blood sugar. This works with your medication to keep your blood sugar even and under better control throughout the day. Increasing muscle mass through weight and resistance training will also help keep blood sugar under control as your muscles have a higher demand for glucose. Browse our strength collection for some workouts that fit your level and fitness journey.
You may find that you need to adjust your exercise routine to optimize your blood sugar control, but exercise will keep your numbers where they need to be.
Optimized Weight Management
Diabetes medications do help control your weight, but exercise is better. Regular physical exercise supports your metabolism, increasing the number of calories you burn. It adds muscle and reduces fat. Muscle takes more calories to maintain, resulting in a cycle that continues to help control weight and blood sugar.
This makes weight loss more effective and sustainable and reduces the risk of weight oscillations that can cause health issues. Proper nutrition is also a big part of your weight management picture. Weight loss from medication alone is often not sustainable and if you stop taking the medication for any reason, your weight problems can worsen. Exercise and healthy eating habits prevent this from happening. Learn more about how nutrition plays a role in diabetes management in our blog.
Cardiovascular Benefits
People with type 2 diabetes have twice the risk of developing heart disease and a higher risk of heart attacks, hypertension, and stroke. Elevated and/or unstable blood glucose has a negative impact on your entire cardiovascular system.
Exercise helps compensate for these risks, reducing blood pressure and improving lipid profiles. Overall, exercise lowers the risk of heart disease in all individuals, but it is particularly important for those at higher risk. Controlling your weight also helps your heart. Cardio exercise is the best option for these benefits, but people with diabetes should engage in a variety of exercises to maximize benefits. Manage these chronic conditions better with lifestyle changes. Learn how to here!
Preserving Muscle and Bone Health
Modern diabetes medications can produce rapid weight loss. Unfortunately, this can have side effects in terms of muscle loss and decreased bone density. While it’s important to reduce weight, these side effects can affect your functional fitness and increase the risk of injury.
Regular exercise compensates by strengthening muscles and bones. Resistance training is particularly important if you are on medication that encourages fast weight loss.
Long-Term Success
Adding exercise helps you obtain longer-term success. Over time, combining exercise with medication can reduce inflammation, decrease abdominal fat, and reduce the severity of metabolic syndrome.
A sustainable exercise program also helps you keep up with the lifestyle changes you need to make to manage your diabetes and improve your health.
While you should talk to your doctor about your exercise needs and safety, Sworkit can help you put together a sustainable fitness plan that works with the rest of your treatment plan to support your health and reduce the complications associated with type 2 diabetes. Check out our fitness library today and add a sustainable exercise routine to your treatment plan for your diabetes.
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