Is Cardio Exercise Better Than Resistance When You Have Diabetes? Here’s what dietitians say

You’ve heard it time and time again: regular physical activity helps you stay healthy.

Yet only 1 in 4 US adults meet the recommended guidelines for aerobic and muscle-strengthening exercise. Busy lives often get in the way, making it challenging to prioritize movement. However, the benefits of regular exercise are undeniable. Exercise can improve mood, control weight, and prevent and manage chronic disease.

In addition to dietary changes, exercise can also help control diabetes. But what kind of exercise is better? Should you focus on cardio or resistance training or both? And how can you fit it all into your weekly routine? Here’s what you need to know.

How exercise can help with diabetes

If there’s one lifestyle to maintain, it’s moving your body more. “Exercise is like medicine for people with type 2 diabetes,” says certified diabetes care and education specialist Amy Kimberlain, RDN. She explains that people with diabetes have insulin resistance, or their bodies don’t produce enough insulin. This causes the blood sugar to rise, which cannot enter the cells, causing the blood sugar to rise.

However, exercise improves insulin action and helps glucose enter cells for energy. “Exercise or movement – ​​helps the body use insulin better and lower blood sugar levels. The more you move or exercise, the better your insulin response,” says Kimberline. Exercise can help a person with diabetes manage other risk factors to reduce the risk of health complications — such as being overweight or obese, or high blood pressure, cholesterol or triglyceride levels.

How Can Cardio Exercise Help Diabetes?

Like to walk, run, dance or swim? All of these are considered cardio (aerobic) exercises, and each can be beneficial for people with diabetes.

“Walking a mile and running a marathon require completely different amounts of energy, and there’s enough research to show that cardiovascular exercise is essential in managing diabetes,” says Brianna Butler, master nutritionist and co-owner of Steph & Bri. healing She explains that cardio has the potential to improve both insulin resistance and blood sugar control.

When your muscles work hard during cardio, they absorb glucose (sugar) for energy. This helps regulate blood sugar levels, which is reflected in daily and long-term measurements of blood sugar.

How can resistance training help diabetes?

Lifting free weights, using weight machines, resistance bands, or your own body weight are all forms of resistance (strength) training. Building and maintaining muscle through resistance training is critical to diabetes management.

“The more muscle we have, the more insulin receptors we have, and the better we can use the glucose we take in,” says Kimberlain. Like aerobic exercise, she explains, resistance exercise encourages glucose to be delivered to cells for energy instead of hanging around in our bloodstream.

Muscle tissue is also more metabolically active than fat, meaning it burns more calories at rest. For people with diabetes, building muscle can improve insulin sensitivity, overall blood sugar control, and aid in weight loss and weight loss.

On the other hand, a lack of strength training can lead to a loss of muscle mass and a reduced ability to remove glucose from the bloodstream. This can lead to high blood sugar levels, decreased insulin sensitivity and poor blood sugar control.

Is Cardio Exercise Better Than Resistance When You Have Diabetes?

So, what’s better — cardio or resistance training — when you have diabetes? Our experts conclude both Cardio and resistance training are equally beneficial. “Ideally, you should incorporate both into a consistent routine to maximize the benefits of each exercise,” says Butler.

Combining cardio and resistance training produces the greatest reductions in A1C levels—any exercise compared to exercise alone—and any movement is beneficial. Whether you’re lifting weights or walking, your muscles contract during exercise, enabling muscle cells to efficiently absorb glucose during and after exercise.

So how much of each exercise should you be doing each week? Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous cardio exercise per week and resistance training at least two days per week. Below we share tips on how to deal with both and incorporate them into your weekly routine.

Tips for incorporating exercise into your routine

The first step before starting any type of exercise is to consult with your doctor. Once you get the green light, remember to start slow. We recommend starting with walking, which can significantly improve your health when done often. Grab your shoes and try our 7-day walking plan to lower your blood sugar.

Second, it’s important to understand how your body responds to exercise. Blood sugar levels can vary from person to person and depending on the activity you do. “It’s essential to assess how your body responds to exercise and work with your doctor and dietitian to adjust your meal times, meal content, or medication times accordingly, especially if you’re taking insulin,” Butler says. She recommends regularly checking your blood sugar before, during and after exercise to avoid hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia.

Remember, breaking exercise into shorter sessions can be just as effective. “Some people think it’s not worth it if they can’t get it in 30 minutes. Some studies show that even if you break up 30 minutes into 10-minute increments, it can be beneficial,” says Kimberline. Got 10 minutes? Give our 10-minute equipment-free home workout plan a try to build strength.

Find a workout buddy or join a fitness class for motivation and accountability. Exercising doesn’t just have to be counting miles on the treadmill or minutes on the elliptical. Try new fitness classes like Pilates, HIIT, kettlebell or Zumba. You can find one that you love to do, and if you enjoy it, you’re more likely to stick with it in the long run. And, as always, don’t overlook the benefits of brisk walking.

Finally, schedule exercise blocks into your weekly calendar, just as you would any other important appointment. Once it becomes a habit, it’s easy to stick to creating a weekly routine.

The bottom line

Cardio and resistance training are equally important for managing diabetes. Neither exercise is superior to the other, and combining them gives the best results. Exercise works like free medicine, improving your body’s ability to use insulin and helping control blood sugar levels. Even short bursts of activity throughout the day can add up to big results.