Unlocking the Power of Exercise: Your Guide to Exercising with Type 2 Diabetes

Diabetes is a big deal, affecting a whopping 463 million people across the globe. In the United States, it's a concern for 10.5% of the population. Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) is the big player, responsible for 90% to 95% of all diabetes cases. The goal of managing this condition is to maintain ideal blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure levels to prevent long-term diabetes-related problems.

After a diabetes diagnosis, most physicians will often suggest a combination of dietary adjustments and medications. However, the exciting news is that exercise has become a valuable addition to the arsenal against diabetes. Physical activity isn't solely about staying in shape; it can also play a huge role in combating Type 2 Diabetes (T2D). It enhances your body's ability to manage sugar, increases sensitivity to insulin, and fosters overall health. In essence, it acts like a potent elixir that can enhance various aspects of diabetes management, potentially reducing the risk of diabetes-related complications.

In this blog, we will explore the remarkable advantages of different types of exercises for individuals with Type 2 Diabetes, along with a review of the latest exercise guidelines issued by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the American Diabetes Association (ADA).

Benefits of Different Forms of Exercise:

1. Aerobic Exercise: This covers activities like jogging, biking, or even a brisk walk - anything that gets your heart rate elevated for a while. Aerobic exercise training has been shown to improve insulin sensitivity in adults with T2D. Regular aerobic workouts help keep your blood sugar in check, leading to fewer sugar spikes and a drop of about 0.5–0.7 units in your A1C levels, which measures your long-term blood sugar. Plus, it has a ton of other benefits; it makes you more sensitive to insulin, improves your cholesterol, helps with blood pressure, and amps up your fitness.
2. Resistance Exercise: This category includes exercising with body weight or dumbbells with the goal to build muscle strength. When individuals with T2D engage in resistance exercise, they experience significant enhancements in muscle strength, bone density, and reduced blood pressure. This exercise regimen also contributes to improved lipid profiles, increased skeletal muscle mass, and enhanced insulin sensitivity. As an added benefit, when combined with modest weight loss, it can lead to substantial reductions in A1C levels. Notably, high-intensity resistance training appears to be more beneficial for glucose management and insulin levels than low-to-moderate-intensity training.
3. Combined Exercise: Combining aerobic and resistance exercise appears to be superior to either mode alone, resulting in greater reductions in A1C.
4. Comparing Different Exercise Types: When it comes to different workout styles, they all help control blood sugar and make insulin work better, as long as they burn about the same amount of energy. If you enjoy yoga or tai chi, you're in luck. These forms of movement have been shown to improve A1C levels, blood lipids, balance, nerve pain, and quality of life. But more studies need to be done to really see the benefits for people with T2D.

Exercise Tips and Recommendations for People with T2D:

• If you're looking to help control your T2D with physical activity, it is recommended you work out 4-5 days per week with moderately high volume workouts. This can be interpreted as about 30 minutes of any moderate intensity exercise of your choice 4-5 days a week.
• Small “doses” of physical activity throughout the day to break up sitting time can have a beneficial effect on blood glucose and insulin levels. 
• Regular aerobic exercise helps manage blood glucose.
• High-intensity resistance exercise, when performed safely, can be more beneficial in managing type 2 diabetes than low- to moderate-intensity exercise. 
• Exercising after meals has a greater affect on reducing blood glucose than exercising before meals.
• People who use insulin should lower their levels or supplement with carbs to avoid a drop in blood sugar levels and a crash during or after their workout.

As always, consult with your physician or physical therapist before partaking in any of these tips. For more information on the current ACSM and ADA recommendations for exercising with type 2 diabetes click on this link: https://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/pages/articleviewer.aspx?year=2022&issue=02000&article=00018&type=Fulltext

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