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Exercise for Insulin Resistance

According to information from the Mayo Clinic, diabetes is a condition which occurs where the body's ability to use insulin to manage blood sugar levels becomes impaired. Before diabetes becomes a full-fledged condition, a period of pre-diabetes usually occurs, during which time the body becomes increasingly resistant to the effects of insulin. Whether you have developed diabetes or are pre-diabetic, regular exercise can help improve your body's ability to use insulin, providing some measure of relief (or completely insulating you from) this prevalent disease.

  1. Insulin and Exercise

    • Understand that exercise alone can help your body to regulate insulin levels, thus improving insulin sensitivity and warding off the impact of diabetes. According to a study accepted for publication in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, exercise (even without resultant weight loss) can improve insulin sensitivity in individuals. This occurs because exercise encourages the body to transport blood sugar into the muscles as opposed to storing it as fat. In anticipation of this process, the body up-regulates its ability to utilize insulin, increasing sensitivity.

    Exercise Tips

    • Perform at least four, 30-minute workouts of moderate intensity cardio each week to duplicate the results of this study. Regardless of what exercise modicum you choose, attempt to elevate your overall heart rate to at least 70 percent of the maximum. This can be achieved with a variety of exercise types, including brisk walking, cycling, aerobic classes, or even resistance training. If you are planning on using resistance training to accomplish this goal, stick to movements that will tax your cardiovascular system as well as your muscles (thus increasing your heart rate). These movements include large, compound lifts that work multiple muscle groups concurrently such as the squat, deadlift, bench press, pullups, pushups, dips, and rows. Keep your overall rest periods low (and the number of reps per set high, around 12 or more) to keep your heart moving rapidly, and you should see improvements in insulin resistance on par with those who use cardiovascular exercise exclusively.

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