Any body impairment or disease can be extremely frustrating and limiting, but there are certain conditions that you have some power to improve yourself. Type 2 diabetes is one of the conditions, and two of the easiest ways to improve your diabetes yourself are getting enough exercise and eating healthy. Studies have found that regular exercise and dieting increase blood flow, regulate blood sugar levels, and reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Exercise and Type 2 Diabetes
Regular physical activity has plenty of benefits for people with diabetes, and the amount of exercise is not that much, just 150 minutes a week, which works out to be less than 30 minutes a day. According to a recent study, walking briskly or cycling for the recommended 150 minutes a week can reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes by up to 26%. People who carry out an hour of moderate to vigorous exercise every day can reduce their risk of getting type 2 diabetes by 40%. The study also revealed that any amount of physical activity can reduce the risk of developing the disease. The research, published in Diabetologia, is the most comprehensive study to look at the specific impact of exercise on a person’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Besides just reducing your risk of developing type two diabetes, exercising can also improve your blood sugar levels and increase your blood circulation.
Exercise for Lower Blood Sugar
Two of the main concerns for those with type 2 diabetes are managing blood sugar levels and improving blood circulation. Those with type 2 diabetes have chronically high blood sugar and are insulin resistant, so keeping their blood sugar low is at the top of their priority list. One way to do this is through exercise and muscle movement.
Your muscles are the main site of glucose clearance. Yes, some glucose gets stored in your liver, but your muscles store the most. After a meal, blood glucose will go to the muscles and the liver first; when they are full, your fat cells will store the extra.
This means that it’s very important that you enlist the help of your muscles to maintain proper glucose levels. Without them, it’s very hard to be successful at managing your blood sugar. Activating your muscles on a regular basis will make them want more glucose. This will make them more sensitive to insulin and make it easier to clear glucose out of the blood. So, exercise and moving your muscles regularly will take sugar out of your blood and store it in your muscles instead, causing your blood sugar levels to lower, making your diabetes easier to manage.
Exercise Can Improve Blood Circulation
If you have type 2 diabetes, you are more likely to have poor blood circulation. Type 2 diabetes is a disease that stiffens blood vessels and reduces the amount of oxygen that circulates throughout your body. This includes your brain. When blood flow in the brain is impaired, it can affect the way we think and make decisions.
People who have type 2 diabetes are often overweight or obese. These are conditions that are also usually linked to cognitive problems. Lowering caloric intake and increasing physical activity are both known to reduce the negative effects of type 2 diabetes on the body. However, researchers wanted to know the effects of these interventions on cognition and the brain. They examined information from a 10-year-long study called Action for Health in Diabetes (Look AHEAD). In this study, participants learned how to adopt healthy, long-term behavior changes. This meant participants were given a daily goal of eating between 1200 and 1800 calories and getting 175 minutes of physical activity during the week, through activities such as brisk walking.
After the study was completed, researchers analyzed the results and specifically focused on whether participants with type 2 diabetes who lowered their caloric intake and increased physical activity had better blood flow to the brain. They looked at overweight or obese adults at the beginning of the study and concluded that those who did the long-term behavioral intervention had greater blood flow in the brain. Specifically, the behavior intervention worked best for those who were overweight but not for those considered obese. Furthermore, blood flow tended to be greatest among those who did not do as well on tests of mental functions. This supports the claim that exercise can increase blood flow and brain function. All of this evidence supports the notion that exercise can improve type 2 diabetes, but committing to exercising regularly can be daunting.
Where to Start
Starting the exercise journey can feel like standing at the bottom of a giant mountain, but exercise doesn’t have to be overwhelming or hard. Let’s start off easy, with just sitting less.
If you think about it, you sit during your commute, you may sit at work, you sit for meals, and you sit in front of the TV. Recent research on the negative effects of prolonged sitting is very strong. Dr. James Levine, director of the Mayo Clinic-Arizona State University Obesity Solutions Initiative and inventor of the treadmill desk, is credited with coining the now-common phrase “sitting is the new smoking.”
Did you know that sitting less could influence your blood glucose? When healthy young people sit for most of the day, for only one day, they become less sensitive to insulin. Also, long sitting periods can reduce the health benefits of a regular exercise routine. But how do you sit less if you have a desk job, where you are required to sit?
For starters, break it up. Make it a habit of standing up every 30 to 60 minutes. These brief interruptions will have a positive effect; research shows that reducing your sitting time by just 25% can have a significant influence. Set an alarm to tell you to get up and move so that periodically you’ll get up from your chair and walk around for a few minutes.
Now that you are on your feet a bit more and taking a few steps, remember that it all adds up — every bit of movement is important. Make a habit of walking a few minutes before getting into work, and do the same when you leave. Take the stairs instead of riding the escalator. Go for a walk around the block. Grab every chance you can to move. Don’t be the person who waits in line to stand on the escalator; the stairs may be faster, and they’re definitely more beneficial.
Obviously, the more movement you include in your life, the more control you’ll have and the more your diabetes will improve. It’s never too late to take back control of your blood sugar and your health.
References:
Some is good, more is better: Regular exercise can cut your diabetes risk
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