Not just diet! What type of exercise is optimal for people with insulin resistance?

Insulin resistance is promoted by a sedentary lifestyle and overweight and obesity. Women with insulin resistance may find it difficult to exercise and reduce weight due to, among other things, the effect of insulin resistance on their body's ability to use glucose as energy. However, despite the weight loss problems that usually accompany insulin resistance - regular exercise is crucial for women with insulin resistance.

Exercise helps improve tissue insulin sensitivity, allowing our bodies to use glucose more efficiently. Research studies have found that moderate to intense aerobic training improves insulin sensitivity, although unfortunately only for a short time. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) has also been shown to effectively improve insulin sensitivity. Strength training can also (contrary to what was previously thought about it) improve insulin sensitivity by increasing muscle mass and reducing body fat. Examples of optimal exercise for women with insulin resistance include brisk walking, cycling, swimming and dancing. HIIT workouts, such as sprint intervals, can also be effective. It is important to consult with a health care practitioner and a qualified, experienced personal trainer before starting any exercise program. Our decisions to implement exercise, we should also consult with our nutritionist, this is especially true for women with insulin resistance and comorbidities such as food intolerances or celiac disease.

Regular exercise, combined with a healthy and properly planned diet with an appropriate glycemic index (hence, I always recommend consulting a good nutritionist or experienced dietitian) can effectively help deal with insulin resistance faster and can improve our overall health and well-being.

The types of exercise that are optimal for women with insulin resistance are aerobic exercises, such as walking, running, swimming or cycling. It is believed that as little as a week of aerobic training can significantly improve insulin sensitivity in people with type 2 diabetes. In addition, water activities (e.g., swimming), such as swimming, aerobics and jogging in water, can provide a workout that does not stress the joints - even ideal for women who have joint problems, such as degenerative changes, or who suffer from joint pain from other diseases.

Walking, or walking, is a great option for people who are new to exercise, as it's a low-impact activity that many people enjoy, however, who are less inclined to do more intense, or demanding of our efforts. Incorporating aerobic exercise into your daily routine can help improve not only insulin sensitivity. but also overall health. Resistance training is another type of exercise that can be beneficial for women with insulin resistance. Weight-bearing exercises, such as the squats and push-ups mentioned earlier, but also squats and pull-ups on a bar, can help increase muscle mass ora effectively improve insulin sensitivity. In turn, a well-planned combination of aerobic exercise and weight training can provide an optimal exercise program for many women. By holding low-impact dumbbell weights during aerobic exercise, for example, it is easy to combine the two types of exercise and reap the benefits of both simultaneously. High-intensity interval training (HIIT), which I mentioned earlier, is a type of exercise that involves short bursts of intense activity followed by periods of rest or low-intensity activity. HIIT has been found to be particularly beneficial for people who have been advised by a leading diabetologist or endocrinologist to lower blood glucose levels and reduce insulin resistance. In principle, HIIT can be performed with any exercise, such as cycling, running, weight lifting or swimming. This type of exercise can be modified accordingly to suit a woman's fitness level. Therefore, at least at the beginning of the implementation of the effort, it is advisable to take the help of professionals such as qualified personal trainers or doctors - specializing in sports medicine or rehabilitation. HIIT is considered a complete workout that combines both aerobic and strength (resistance) training, making it a great option for ladies who want to improve their insulin sensitivity and overall health.

According to a study by Colberg et al. published in 2010, already moderate exercise, such as brisk walking, reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes. Walking at a moderate to brisk pace on level terrain or slower walking on steep hills can help improve insulin sensitivity. In addition, walking is an activity that can be easily incorporated into your daily life. Remember, you must never make excuses for not having enough time to walk, which I hear all too often as an explanation from my patients in the office. After all, a simple but regular walk is a small activity that has really great benefits, including improving cardiovascular health and making it easier to control weight . Some of you ask about exercises not only with weight lifting but also with resistance bands. Yes, they too are good for women with insulin resistance. It has been proven quite recently that weight training, also known as resistance training also works favorably in isnulino resistance. Training, which I have already mentioned in the text, and which was by nutritionists, but also by us doctors, after all, until quite recently not even recommended in insulin resistance. However, it has turned out that it can also help us make better use of insulin, lower glucose levels, and improve receptor sensitivity to insulin. Examples of strength exercises include, in addition to the previously mentioned push-ups, squats, pull-ups on a bar, also deadlifts, lunges, planks, as well as proper biceps flexion and triceps stretching. Remember that by increasing muscle mass, strength training can also help improve metabolism and help control body weight. Circuit training, on the other hand, which involves performing a series of exercises in a specific order with little or no rest in between, can also be an effective way to improve tissue insulin sensitivity and can be useful in improving overall fitness. What many of you were once told, that only aerobic training is recommended in insulin resistance, is no longer true in light of the latest research. Remember, in the fight against insulin resistance, or the obesity that often accompanies it, any type of exercise is better than none.

Probably ladies concerned about their partners will ask, is the recommended physical activity for women with insulin resistance different from that recommended for men with insulin resistance? Yes recommended physical activity may vary by gender, but in both cases physical activity is crucial to our health, both physical and mental. For women with insulin resistance, both aerobic exercise and strength training, interval training and cardio training are recommended to increase insulin sensitivity, while for men with insulin resistance, it is acceptable to focus on strength training to help build muscle mass. The bottom line, however, is that for both men and women, physical activity is one of the most important factors in preventing the development of many diseases and disorders, such as being a true pandemic of the 21st century: obesity, or cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

Use the above advice. Good luck!

* References with the author.