BlogLower Your Diabetes Risk With Exercise! | NVCPC.com

Understanding the importance of adding exercise into your daily routine can help with a number of conditions, including diabetes. Read on to learn more.

Research on diabetes and exercise

In a recent publication in the Public Library of Science, researchers followed up on a Nurses Heath Study that began in 2000. Women who did not have diabetes were split into two groups; one that performed stretching exercises like yoga and one that performed aerobic exercise in order to study diabetes risk. While aerobic exercise has been known to reduce the risk of type-2 diabetes, the study showed that muscle conditioning and resistance exercise also helped limit the risk.

Based on the research, it is recommended that individuals add other forms of exercise to their aerobic routines. As the article notes:

“During the 705,869 person years of follow-up, 3,491 women developed type 2 diabetes. They found that resistance exercise and lower intensity muscular conditioning exercises were both independently associated with a reduced risk for diabetes, even after adjusting for aerobic activity and many other potential confounding factors. Women who engaged in at least 150 min/week of aerobic activity and at least 60 min/week of muscle-strengthening activities had the most substantial risk reduction compared with inactive women.”

How to get started exercising 

It is very common for individuals to be motivated to start an exercise program but much more difficult to stay engaged.

Here are a few tips to get started:

  • Aim for 20 to 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise. This includes walking, jogging, or bike riding. Anything that raises your heart rate and keeps you active will fall into the aerobic or cardio exercise category.
  • Add weight training. Many people fixate on the cardio portion of a workout and don’t consider the benefits of strength training. Start slow and increase the weight you lift as it becomes easier.
  • Focus on flexibility. Stretching is important before and after a cardio work out. Many adults add this into their regular routine by taking up yoga. Yoga is very popular and good for group motivation.

How can you add exercise to your routine to decrease your risk of diabetes?