How Cardiovascular and strength training exercise help prevent diabetes

Exercise is essential in the prevention of diabetes. Both Cardiovascular and strength training exercise are important but for different reasons.

Both types of exercise help the body to burn fat. A high level of body fat, in particular abdominal body fat, decreases the body’s sensitivity to insulin. This decreased sensitivity to insulin is one of the major causes of type 2 diabetes. Cardiovascular exercise helps to burn the fat directly. The increased muscle mass from strength training also help to burn fat, since muscles need energy. You don’t need huge body builder type muscles to get this effect. A slight increase in muscle mass helps a lot.

Exercise increases the body’s sensitivity to insulin, thus helping you prevent the onset of diabetes. Muscle cells help keep blood sugar levels in check because they pull the sugar out of the blood with the help of insulin. The better trained your muscles are, the better they are at doing this job. This is one reason that sedentary people are in the high risk group for diabetes.

Exercise helps to lower stress levels, control anxiety, and relieve depression. People with low stress levels and who have a positive outlook on life are less likely to get diabetes. The stress hormones trigger the body’s “fight or flight” response. These hormones cause the liver to release sugar into the blood for the anticipated need for energy.

An exercise program helps to keep your good to bad cholesterol high. This helps not only with diabetes but also with pretty much every other disease.

Talk to your doctor before you start an exercise program, especially if you have been sedentary for years and/or have heart problems.

Diabetes Prevention Diet