Is exercise good for diabetic patients

[snawaz]

I am type 2 diabetic patient please suggest what type of exercise we can go for..?
Is bodybuilding exercise good for diabetic patients like me ..?

 

[Fenn]

Hi, all exercise is good for everyone unless they have a medical or physical condition that could make it dangerous, type two is not that on its own, if you take blood glucose lowering meds then finger prick test, before, during and after. But if you have prediabetes and no other issues, go for it!

I believe muscle burns fat so it’s great if you are overweight. (Don’t quote me on that)

 

[Trevor vP]

I am type 2 diabetic patient please suggest what type of exercise we can go for..?
Is bodybuilding exercise good for diabetic patients like me ..?

Exercise is good for everyone, the NHS recommends 150 minutes minimum per week. Weight lifting can sometimes raise your blood sugar short term. Walking is a great exercise to start with. The real question is what exercise are you doing now and what do you want to change. T2 diabetes is considered insulin resistance and exercise is known to improve insulin resistance.

 

[searley]

As a T2 there is no real limit to what exercise you can do.. exercise is good for every one.. even a few arm lifts whilst making coffee could be classed as exercise

You may well find exercise helps control you BG levels along with a good diet

Even T1 can do pretty much what they want so long as they monitor glucose levels

It's upto the individual to decide what exercise they can do

Me I prefer long walks... but during the winter I may stay in and do 2 to 3 hundred press ups whilst watching a film

 

[Mbaker]

I would say exercise can change diabetic control to the point of full optimisation for the individual alongside a well formulated low carb / ketogentic or carnivore diet. Personally I would tweak bodybuilding and the norm, which is it get on a bike or run, by matching progression to where the person is at. For example a walking protocol after each meal with traditional body weight exercises, such as push-ups, lunges, squats and stretching. The walks can progress to double and triple speed. The body weight exercises can focus on perfect form, and might have started with say push-ups against a wall or on knees.

If someone's mobility level allows, or is progressing from body weight exercises, I would recommend a power building protocol, which for those who do not know, mixes body building and power lifting. The power lifting side would focus on the big lifts - deadlift, bench press, squat and overhead press (start small) and the body building side would assist with similar exercises to power lifting with a focus on fatiging the muscles and isolating smaller muscle groups. The results for a good program could be exquisite glucose control and multiple other physical benefits. If a sport can be done in conjunction such as badminton, football, martial arts, yoga, all the better to work this into a program

My method at this stage is to never just walk. I do push-ups 4 x 25, squats (jump, pulse), Karate blocks and punches (whilst walking 100's). I will mix in the power building protocol at the gym and my home gym. In terms of effort I would place the biggest effort into the resistance training side. With practice it is possible to compress a routine into minutes per day.

 

[bulkbiker]

I am type 2 diabetic patient please suggest what type of exercise we can go for..?
Is bodybuilding exercise good for diabetic patients like me ..?

What do you hope to achieve with exercise?

Dietary changes are far more likely to help control blood glucose levels and when allied ith exercise can bring even greater benefits but dietary changes are key.

 

[Antje77]

please suggest what type of exercise we can go for..?

The best exercise is exercise you enjoy!
So for some this may be bodybuilding, others might prefer football or swimming, running, riding a bike or even simply physical work like building a shed in the yard,

If you like what you're doing you're much more likely to keep doing it.

 

[LaoDan]

I am type 2 diabetic patient please suggest what type of exercise we can go for..?
Is bodybuilding exercise good for diabetic patients like me ..?

I do weight training, cardio and try to eat healthy. It’s helped me get my health under control

 

[Mr_Pot]

Whenever exercise is mentioned there always seems to be suggestions of weightlifting or body building. I think these are more like hobbies than exercise. Keeping active and flexible is good for your health. Walking or cycling, enjoying the countryside, getting some fresh air, with pleasant company or a dog seems more beneficial than spending time in a sweaty gym or on your own, lifting weights just to be able to admire yourself in a mirror.
I have never done any exercises, I haven't been in a gym since my school days, I have never lifted any weights I didn't need to. However I have always been active, and at 74 I am still fit and healthy.
To answer the original question, getting some exercise is good for everyone including diabetics. If you are thinking to defeat diabetes with exercise then that is going to be much more difficult if not impossible compared with changing your diet.

 

[LaoDan]

Whenever exercise is mentioned there always seems to be suggestions of weightlifting or body building. I think these are more like hobbies than exercise. Keeping active and flexible is good for your health. Walking or cycling, enjoying the countryside, getting some fresh air, with pleasant company or a dog seems more beneficial than spending time in a sweaty gym or on your own, lifting weights just to be able to admire yourself in a mirror.
I have never done any exercises, I haven't been in a gym since my school days, I have never lifted any weights I didn't need to. However I have always been active, and at 74 I am still fit and healthy.
To answer the original question, getting some exercise is good for everyone including diabetics. If you are thinking to defeat diabetes with exercise then that is going to be much more difficult if not impossible compared with changing your diet.

I totally disagree, resistance training has done wonders for me. I had lost most of my muscle mass from being fat and lazy , then I had to put my body in a catabolic state to lose a 100 pounds of fat. Without resistance training I probably would have been skinnier, but not in a great metabolic state. Walking the dog and getting fresh air was not going to work where I was coming from. I needed to put in the hours getting sweaty.

You don’t have to hit the gym to do resistance training, body weight training is awesome. But if you’re able to lift iron, I highly recommend it.

 

[Ronancastled]

My magic weapon was walking the dog, nothing more.
I saw on my CGM I could flatline after a high carb meal if I went for a simple 30 min walk after.
So . . . Chinese Takeaway . . . Beef Szechuan Fried Rice . . . Doggie . . . 3km Walk . . . Happy Days

The other thing which helps is housework or DIY, something simple like folding & putting away clothes can knock 1mmol/L off my PP.
In my defence I was completely sedentary, worse than a sloth pre-diagnosis so my body is probably still in shock that I actually move now & again.

 

[LaoDan]

I just want to avoid this

 

[Trevor vP]

I just want to avoid this
View attachment 50812

70 Year old triathlete
https://enprocal.com.au/sarcopenia/

 

[Fenn]

This reminds me we are just meat.

I’ll take my diabetic medium rare please.

 

[Dark Horse]

You might like to read the position statement from the American Diabetic Association which includes this extract:-

"Diabetes is an independent risk factor for low muscular strength (20) and accelerated decline in muscle strength and functional status (21). The health benefits of resistance training for all adults include improvements in muscle mass, body composition, strength, physical function, mental health, bone mineral density, insulin sensitivity, blood pressure, lipid profiles, and cardiovascular health" https://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/39/11/2065

 

[Mbaker]

I totally disagree, resistance training has done wonders for me. I had lost most of my muscle mass from being fat and lazy , then I had to put my body in a catabolic state to lose a 100 pounds of fat. Without resistance training I probably would have been skinnier, but not in a great metabolic state. Walking the dog and getting fresh air was not going to work where I was coming from. I needed to put in the hours getting sweaty.

You don’t have to hit the gym to do resistance training, body weight training is awesome. But if you’re able to lift iron, I highly recommend it.

I think weight training/ bodybuilding has the default view of the mass monster Arnold like. This is the wrong vision in the context of health improvement; in fact some of the worse metabolic numbers are from the body builders who take PEDs (and it is scary that teens are taking SARMS and TREN).

What has been great over the last few years in my gym, is that in the weights section has a 50 / 50 split of men and women. This is important as ordinarly natural lifers (being natty) cannot become the bulky "poser" type. At best the look might be like a male or female sprinter, middle weight boxer, it is 1 in 1000's who have the genetics to train naturally and get bulky.

Activity such as dog or social walking is great ,is proven scientifically and practically to drive down post prandisl rises. Muscle building provides glucose lowering over a sustained period of time, and has indications for cognition, bone density, fat burning when at rest, and age related issues. What @LaoDan pictures Dr Gabrielle Lyon is a specialist in and has practical experience of the detrimental results of being under muscled in the elderly. Tim Noakes relatively recently has incorporated weight training and improved his glycemic control.

Personally I have found that I enjoy weights more than steady state cardio, and I like developing the skill side, so for example on my leg curl machine for each rep I am bracing more core and including a half situp, whilst at the top of the curl contracting my quads - more bang for the buck.

I would recommend the audio book The Resistance Training Revolution for the full breakdown of why some of us do this.

 

[zand]

I think weight training/ bodybuilding has the default view of the mass monster Arnold like. This is the wrong vision in the context of health improvement; in fact some of the worse metabolic numbers are from the body builders who take PEDs (and it is scary that teens are taking SARMS and TREN).

What has been great over the last few years in my gym, is that in the weights section has a 50 / 50 split of men and women. This is important as ordinarly natural lifers (being natty) cannot become the bulky "poser" type. At best the look might be like a male or female sprinter, middle weight boxer, it is 1 in 1000's who have the genetics to train naturally and get bulky.

Activity such as dog or social walking is great ,is proven scientifically and practically to drive down post prandisl rises. Muscle building provides glucose lowering over a sustained period of time, and has indications for cognition, bone density, fat burning when at rest, and age related issues. What @LaoDan pictures Dr Gabrielle Lyon is a specialist in and has practical experience of the detrimental results of being under muscled in the elderly. Tim Noakes relatively recently has incorporated weight training and improved his glycemic control.

Personally I have found that I enjoy weights more than steady state cardio, and I like developing the skill side, so for example on my leg curl machine for each rep I am bracing more core and including a half situp, whilst at the top of the curl contracting my quads - more bang for the buck.

I would recommend the audio book The Resistance Training Revolution for the full breakdown of why some of us do this.

So where does an obese 63 year old woman with a lot of insulin resistance and weak muscles start? I want to improve things but keep hitting a brick wall when I try.

 

[LaoDan]

@zand I needed some accountability so I forced myself to join a gym. I felt really awkward as I assumed everyone there would be fit and I looked like a marshmallow. But that was short lived as there were others just like me. I just set the machined to zero weight and started working up,

I think we have an actual personal trainer here that can give better advice than me .. @NicoleC1971

 

[Mbaker]

So where does an obese 63 year old woman with a lot of insulin resistance and weak muscles start? I want to improve things but keep hitting a brick wall when I try.

I watch my 600 lb life to see real world super obese and what gets them going. What I notice is that they have small dumb bells may 1.5 kgs and do shoulder presses and bicep curls in moderation as a start along with short walks. Small wins. So important not to over do things. Another getting started method is punching, just controlled straight alternate arm, without locking the elbows straight - see how 20 goes and add 5 each day.

The big bucks are squats and lunges. Again depending on where you are this may need to be under guidance or seeing where you are by holding on to a rail, or mimicking by sitting to a chair and standing several times. Slow and steady over months if necessary. Push ups can be started standing, by pushing against a wall, this can be progressed to knee based push ups on an incline, knee to floor and then full.

I would recommend a physio based band rehab routine, as these are specifically designed to increase the resistance on muscle, this might be prescribable via your GP.

It is amazing the progress that can be made.

 

[zand]

I watch my 600 lb life to see real world super obese and what gets them going. What I notice is that they have small dumb bells may 1.5 kgs and do shoulder presses and bicep curls in moderation as a start along with short walks. Small wins. So important not to over do things. Another getting started method is punching, just controlled straight alternate arm, without locking the elbows straight - see how 20 goes and add 5 each day.

The big bucks are squats and lunges. Again depending on where you are this may need to be under guidance or seeing where you are by holding on to a rail, or mimicking by sitting to a chair and standing several times. Slow and steady over months if necessary. Push ups can be started standing, by pushing against a wall, this can be progressed to knee based push ups on an incline, knee to floor and then full.

I would recommend a physio based band rehab routine, as these are specifically designed to increase the resistance on muscle, this might be prescribable via your GP.

It is amazing the progress that can be made.

Thank you. Well I have the resistance bands and dumb bells already, having started to try to exercise many times before. I am fine with walking, as long as I am not having a Long Covid/ME episode. My arms and lower legs are my weakest muscles. At the moment I have a bad back so am only doing the exercises my chiropractor gave me. I am just fed up of never getting past the starting point before problems set in.

The punching sounds good, that's not something I have ever tried before.

I have a Pilates DVD, but have never got past the breathing exercises lol. However, I recently noticed that whereas I never used to be able to breathe through my nose, I am often doing this whilst resting without realising it, so I thought I was getting nowhere with that, but have in fact made some progress.

Onwards and upwards then. Thank you for this.