Maintaining an active lifestyle is crucial and highly recommended as a key management strategy for type 2 diabetes. It can help reduce the risk of developing complications associated with this disease, as well as improve your overall health.
How Exercise Helps Manage and Prevent Type 2 Diabetes
Here are some of the reasons why you need to exercise, whether you have been diagnosed with diabetes or not!
Improves Insulin Sensitivity
Exercise helps improve insulin sensitivity throughout the body. When you exercise, your muscles and organs take up excess glucose from the bloodstream. This allows the body to use insulin more efficiently and lower blood sugar levels.
Muscles use 70-80 percent of the glucose from the food you eat, and exercise helps increase muscle mass. If your muscle mass is low, it prevents your body from clearing glucose from the bloodstream.
Lowers Risks of Heart Disease
An active lifestyle can lower the risk of heart disease. Exercise helps improve blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and blood sugar levels. It also keeps the heart rate up for prolonged periods, helping improve heart function and strength. Exercise also reduces inflammation in the body, which is a key risk factor for heart disease.
Reduces Risks of Nerve Damage
Type 2 diabetes can cause nerve damage because of high blood sugar that restricts proper flow in the small blood vessels.
With exercise, you can improve circulation throughout the body, ensuring the delivery of oxygen and blood to the nerves. This can help prevent nerve damage and restore nerve function.
Helps You Lose Weight
This is an obvious one. Exercise plays a key role in helping you shed the excess weight you carry. It helps burn more calories and use up glucose for energy, reducing blood sugar levels.
Makes You Feel Happier
Type 2 diabetes can lead to mental health problems, such as stress, anxiety, and depression. Exercise aids in reducing that risk because when you do physical activities, your body produces more endorphins, the hormones that trigger positive feelings.
Plus, being able to finish a workout or stick to your routine can give you a sense of accomplishment. Therefore, exercise not only helps you to lose weight, but it helps boost your self-esteem and improves your overall mood.
Promotes Better Sleep
It is crucial to get quality, restful sleep. Lack of sleep can affect insulin sensitivity and increase blood sugar levels. Regular physical activity helps regulate your biological clock so that you can get quality sleep, reducing stress and anxiety that can keep you awake at night.
Tips to Start Exercising for Type 2 Diabetes
Now you know how exercise is essential for managing type 2 diabetes, but you may be thinking it’s too hard to get started. Engaging in physical activities doesn’t have to be difficult. It’s easier than you may think!
Take It One Step At a Time
Don’t rush yourself. Take baby steps, especially if you’ve been living a sedentary lifestyle. The goal is to complete at least 150 minutes of exercise every week, but you can start with 10 minutes of physical activities each day, then gradually increase that until your body adjusts and is able to maintain the recommended minutes.
Start With Low-Impact Exercise
Low-impact exercises are a good way to start your workout routine. You can use a stationary cycle, go swimming, or take a walk. Then you can explore other aerobic exercises, resistance training, and high-intensity interval training.
Don’t Limit Yourself with Structured Workouts
When you say exercise, it’s not limited to structured workouts. Everyday physical activities and recreation also count! In some cases, they can even burn more calories than in structured exercise. These include walking to nearby establishments, lifting your grocery items, cleaning the house, and tending to your garden. Vacuuming your house is also a great routine!
In Summary
Exercise is a key element of any type 2 diabetes management strategy, and it can be fun! It has various benefits, such as improving insulin sensitivity, lowering blood sugar, and improving sleep. Remember not to feel overwhelmed when starting out. It can be as simple as you want it to be. So start small and gradually improve from there.
