Type 2 Diabetes Management

Type 2 Diabetes Management and Exercise

Posted on October 1, 2011 by Lu Young RN

Exercise can lower blood sugar, reduce your risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, lower stress and anxiety, improve depression and associated symptoms, and last but not least help you lose weight.  Type 2 diabetes management and exercise can just plain help you feel better and live longer.

Most people are aware by now that the lack of physical activity that plagues the globe is directly related to the increase in obesity. Obesity has been linked to health problems such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes.  In 2009, 200 million people were estimated to have type 2 diabetes.  According to a recent study, the lack of exercise that is related to the development of obesity may also be contributing to the development of type 2 diabetes.

This study used healthy men who lead active lifestyles but did not participate in any regularly scheduled activity.  This more accurately mirrors the general population.  They were asked to reduce their physical activity for just 14 days.  The reduction in this short period of time revealed an increase in central adiposity (belly fat) and an increase in insulin resistance.  Both centrally located belly fat and insulin resistance have been linked to the development of type 2 diabetes.  Of course, there are many intricate signals the body receives that play a role in this cascade, but basically lack of exercise leads to an increase in central belly fat, which leads to insulin resistance and finally type 2 diabetes.

It is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) that healthy adults get 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week and children get 60 minutes per day. It is not a novel concept that exercise is important to a healthy lifestyle, but now it may be vital to the prevention of chronic diseases.  Please consult your physician before starting any new physical activity regimen.

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You do not have to exercise at your maximum rate to gain the positive effects of exercise.  A study by the Journal of Sports Medicine recommend 20-30 minutes a day at about 70% of your maximum.

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So get out there a sweat a bit for your type 2 diabetes management with exercise but first consult your doctor or GP before starting any exercise regimen.