Diabetes is a disease that cannot be cured. The management of diabetes is focused on controlling and keeping blood sugar levels within a healthy range. Managing diabetes can help prevent long-term complications and improve the quality of life for people with diabetes.

Preventing and Treating Diabetes with Routine Exercise

In addition to a healthy diet and medication, regular exercise is recommended as one of the important steps in preventing and treating diabetes. How can regular exercise prevent and treat diabetes?

Studies have found that regular exercise can help in the management of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes by lowering the body's blood sugar levels and improving insulin sensitivity.

Exercise lowers blood sugar levels

Exercise has significant benefits in lowering high blood sugar levels. During exercise, the body's muscle tissues require energy in the form of glucose. Exercise triggers the uptake of glucose present in the bloodstream and moves it into the working muscle cells. Therefore, exercise can help lower high blood sugar levels.

Exercise builds muscle

Regular exercises such as weight lifting, aerobics, combination training, yoga, and pilates can help build muscle and lower blood sugar levels. Muscle mass is very important. The more muscle mass you have, the greater the body's capacity to take glucose from the bloodstream and use it effectively. This, of course, helps keep sugar levels within a healthy range.

Muscle also has insulin receptors that allow insulin to carry glucose into the muscle cells. This means that the more muscle mass there is, the more insulin receptors there are, making the body more responsive to insulin.

Exercise aids weight loss

Exercise aids healthy weight loss. This weight loss can have a positive impact on blood sugar control, especially in individuals with prediabetes or type 2 diabetes. Weight loss of about 5-10% of body weight can lower HbA1c levels and aid blood sugar control.

Weight loss can also improve insulin sensitivity so that the body is more efficient in using insulin and regulating blood sugar. In some cases, healthy weight loss can reduce the need for medications to regulate blood sugar.

Reduces visceral fat

Visceral fat is the fat located in the abdomen and covers the internal organs of the abdomen. This type of fat is an important risk factor in developing insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Research shows that exercise such as weight lifting can reduce visceral fat and improve insulin sensitivity.

Reduces stress

Regular exercise can reduce the body's response to stress. Stress can negatively affect blood sugar, especially in people with prediabetes and diabetes. When you are stressed, your body releases stress hormones such as cortisol which can increase blood sugar levels by releasing the body's stored sugar reserves.

Excessive stress can also affect eating behavior and physical activity. You can be prone to choosing more unhealthy foods and become reluctant to be active.

Exercise Suitable for People with Prediabetes or Diabetes

The CDC recommends at least 150 minutes of moderately intense physical activity per week for people with prediabetes and diabetes. This activity should be intense enough to make you sweat a little and breathe faster.

Suitable exercises are quite diverse, such as aerobics, weight lifting, fast walking, cycling, and swimming. Most importantly, you should enjoy the exercise you are doing.

You also need to consult your doctor before you start exercising and check your blood sugar levels regularly. If you need medical advice or consultation, you can either visit a doctor or make use of the consultation features that are available in the Ai Care application by downloading the Ai Care application from the App Store or Play Store.

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