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Does Working Out at AFAC Gym Lower My Risk of Type 2 Diabetes?

Graphic showing how type 2 diabetes is a metabolic disorder that causes sugar (glucose) to accumulate in the blood

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 34 million U.S. adults are now living with diabetes. Another 88 million adults have prediabetes, a condition that, if not treated, can lead to type 2 diabetes.

These are grim statistics, but several studies have found that exercise can prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes by a large margin. But what kinds of workouts work best? Read on to learn more about what type 2 diabetes is and the exercises you can do at our gym in Thornton, Colorado to fight against this serious condition.

What Is Type 2 Diabetes?

Before we discuss exercises that can lower the risk of type 2 diabetes, it helps to understand what type 2 diabetes is.

If a person has type 2 diabetes, it means their body doesn’t regulate and use sugar (glucose) as fuel properly. It’s a chronic condition that typically develops over time, resulting in too much sugar circulating in the blood. Eventually, that high blood sugar can lead to several complications like heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, nerve damage in the limbs, kidney disease, and eye damage.

What’s the difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes?

Diabetes is categorized into two types – type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes. While it might sound like type 1 and type 2 diabetes are the same, they’re quite different diseases with unique causes.

About 5%-10% of all diabetes cases are type 1. The vast majority of diabetes cases — 90%-95% – are type 2.

The main similarity between type 1 and type 2 diabetes is that, in both conditions, the body’s access to insulin is impaired. Insulin is a vital hormone in your body that you can’t live without because it regulates your blood sugar. Insulin plays a key role in breaking down blood sugar so your body can use it as energy, as well as store blood sugar for future use.

Type 1 diabetes is thought to be caused by an autoimmune dysfunction. This type of diabetes usually happens in children and young adults. In people with type 1 diabetes, the immune system attacks and destroys insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. After those cells are destroyed, the body can’t produce insulin anymore.

People with type 2 diabetes still produce insulin, but their bodies can’t use it effectively. That means they have insulin resistance — their cells respond poorly to insulin and can’t take in as much sugar in the blood. Researchers don’t know why some people become insulin resistant and others don’t, but lifestyle factors may have something to do with it, such as carrying excess weight and being inactive.

Type 2 diabetes is often called adult-onset diabetes, but it can begin during childhood or adulthood. It’s more common in older adults, but the increase in childhood obesity has led to more cases of type 2 diabetes in younger people.

Is there a cure for type 1 and type 2 diabetes?

There is no way to cure or prevent type 1 diabetes. Since people with type 1 diabetes don’t make insulin, they must take it regularly through injections. They also must check their blood sugar levels regularly.

Type 2 diabetes, on the other hand, can be managed or even prevented through exercise and diet. If those lifestyle changes aren’t enough to manage blood sugar, then a doctor may prescribe medications to help the body use insulin more effectively. People with type 2 diabetes also must monitor their blood sugar levels to make sure they’re within a healthy range.

The Impact of Gym Exercise on Type 2 Diabetes

If you’ve been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, exercise will be an important part of your treatment plan. Several studies have even found that exercise can prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes. A combination of physical activity and weight loss has been shown to lower type 2 diabetes risk by as much as 58%.

We all know that exercising at the gym provides many benefits such as lowering your blood pressure, controlling your weight, giving you stronger bones and muscles, boosting your energy, and improving your mood and mental health.

In addition, one of the most critical benefits of exercising at the gym is that it makes it easier for your body to control the amount of sugar (glucose) in your blood. That’s because, when you exercise, your muscles can use blood sugar without insulin. So, it doesn’t matter as much if you’re insulin resistant or don’t have enough insulin in your body. When you work out at the gym, your muscles will use up the glucose they need, and your blood glucose levels will go down.

Plus, if you’re insulin resistant, exercising at the gym can make your insulin more effective. That means when you work out, your insulin resistance goes down and your cells can use glucose more effectively.

Most people with type 2 diabetes are overweight and don’t exercise regularly. Therefore, before you get started on an exercise program, talk to your doctors. They’ll be able to check your heart health and consider any type 2 diabetes complications like nerve damage. Your doctor can also refer you to a diabetes educator who can advise you on the best exercise program for your fitness level.

You’ll also want to set realistic fitness goals. Start slow and gradually increase your exercise intensity. It’s better for your body in the long run to work up to a challenging exercise routine.

Once you have medical clearance, you should aim to have a good mix of strength training and cardiovascular (aerobic) exercise at the gym to treat or lower your risk of type 2 diabetes.

Strength Training at the Gym and Type 2 Diabetes

Several studies have found that regular strength training lowers type 2 diabetes risk and helps people manage their type 2 diabetes.

One study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings found that building muscle strength resulted in a 32% lowered risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Authors of the study believe that resistance training improves blood sugar levels by increasing people’s muscle mass and reducing waist circumference. There is a strong association between abdominal obesity (belly fat) and the development of type 2 diabetes, so reducing waist circumference may reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Plus, the study showed that it’s not necessary to do complicated lifts to prevent type 2 diabetes. Body weight resistance exercises like squats, pullups, and planks can provide benefit, too.

Regardless of which strength training exercises you do, these types of workouts help you build lean, efficient muscles. When you build more muscle and lose fat, you change your body composition for the better. Muscles use the most glucose so the more muscle tissue you have, the more effective your body will be at controlling your blood sugar levels.

When you start a strength training program at the gym, make sure you speak to a personal trainer to learn how to use the equipment and find the best exercises for your fitness level.

As a general rule, lifting weights that target all your muscle groups 2-3 times per week is sufficient to get the full benefits of strength training for type 2 diabetes.

While strength training has been proven to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, you don’t want to ignore or abandon your cardiovascular workouts.

A 2018 study that followed more than 35,000 healthy women for 14 years found that those who incorporated strength training into their workouts experienced a 30% lower risk of type 2 diabetes compared to those who did no strength training. But, women who participated in both strength training and cardiovascular workouts enjoyed an even greater type 2 diabetes risk reduction.

Aerobic Exercises at the Gym and Type 2 Diabetes

To help control and prevent type 2 diabetes, you should aim to get 150 minutes of moderate intensity cardiovascular (aerobic) exercise per week. That equals at least 30 minutes of cardio on most days of the week. If 30 minutes sounds too difficult, you can break up your cardio into shorter periods, like 10 minutes at a time, as long as you aim for 30 minutes by the end of the day.

There is an abundance of cardiovascular exercises you can do inside or outside the gym. Some examples include:

Join the Fight Against Type 2 Diabetes at AFAC Gym

Our mission at Adventure Fitness Athletic Club is to help people achieve greater health and wellbeing, and this includes supporting those who are trying to win the struggle against chronic conditions like type 2 diabetes.

If you’re searching for a gym with the equipment, classes, and personal trainers you need to support your goal of better health, then we hope you’ll consider joining us at AFAC gym. The staff at AFAC gym will be happy to give you a tour and show you why we’re the best gym in Thornton, Colorado. We can assist you with tailoring a strength training and cardio program that will provide you with results!

If you’re not a member of AFAC gym but would like more information, please stop by and speak to our team. For more information and assistance, you can also contact our gym owner, Susan, at 720-849-0245 or susan@adventurefitness.club.

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