Exercises to Control Diabetes After a Pre-Diabetes Diagnosis

By Dr. Sanjay Sanadhya in Diabetes & Endocrinology Internal Medicine

Nov 12, 2022

Are Diabetes and Pre-Diabetes the Same?

Diabetes and pre-diabetes are conditions related to insulin – your body’s natural hormone, which helps sugar or glucose flow out of your blood and into your cells. When your body does not produce enough insulin, the glucose level in your blood rises, leading to diabetes and pre-diabetes. However, the major differences are listed below:

• In pre-diabetes, the glucose level in the blood is higher than in diabetes.
• Insulin levels are higher in pre-diabetes but are often low in diabetes.
• People with pre-diabetes do not show symptoms, while people with diabetes show signs such as – sudden weight loss, fatigue, frequent urination, excess hunger, etc.
• People with pre-diabetes take metformin, while people with diabetes take insulin, metformin, and sulfonylurea. 
• People with pre-diabetes get their blood tested once or twice a year. On the other hand, people with diabetes need to monitor their blood sugar levels more often. 

Why Do People With Diabetes Need to Exercise After a Pre-Diabetes Diagnosis

Exercise does more than improve your fitness and lifestyle. According to the Cleveland Clinical Journal of Medicine, physical exercises can help and benefit the liver, skeleton muscle, pancreas, blood sugar level, cholesterol level, and many more.
180 minutes of physical activities, meal replacement, and other regular checkups and tests can help reverse pre-diabetes. Doctors say that when the insulin level in our body exceeds, the chances of gaining weight are high. Hence, if we exercise regularly, the complication of weight gain can be curbed. 

Best Exercises to Control/Prevent Diabetes After a Pre-Diabetes Diagnosis

The best types of exercises for pre-diabetic people are Aerobics and Strength Training. However, the WHO recommends accumulating:

• Around 150 minutes of aerobic activity at a moderate intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activities every week. 
• Resistance training for 2 hours at moderate intensity. 

Below are a few exercises recommended for people with pre-diabetes:

Walking Exercise

Walking is the best way to exercise, as you do not require to hustle much. Walk for 30 minutes daily at a moderate pace and slowly increase the number by walking twice a day which means – walking for 30 minutes 2 times daily. Also, try incorporating walking on high & low steeps or hills.

Step Aerobics, Cycling, and Jogging

Another great group of exercises is aerobics which can help in regulating the body’s hormones. You can include daily cycling in your lifestyle routine for 15–30 minutes, and increase with time. Many individuals who think walking is not helping them can resort to jogging for 15-30 daily.

Strength Training for Pre-Diabetes

Start preparing for strength training at least twice a week once you’ve mastered walking, cycling, and jogging. Work out every other day to allow your muscles to grow and recover. The more muscle targeted, the more glucose can be used as a form of energy. You can always start with simple resistance training to train the upper and lower part of your body.

The following exercises are considered best to start with:

• Biceps Curl
• Backrow
• Squats
• Chest Press
• Lat PullDown
• Deadlift
• Tricep Kickback
• Lunge
• Seated Shoulder Press

Try doing three sets of 15-20 reps each and rest for 30-40 seconds in between. If you want to do weight training, do it under the guidance of a trainer. 

Does Yoga Help with Pre-Diabetes?

Yoga is a spiritual exercise that helps calm your body and mind. But it helps with pre-diabetes as well. Hence, it is an all-around wellness method. Yoga can help reverse pre-diabetes, as it is known for balancing and harmonizing your mind, body, and emotions. 
It is usually seen that people with pre-diabetes, along with obesity, high blood pressure, and cholesterol, cannot work out vigorously. So, doctors or trainers usually recommend yoga, as these activities include kriya and a yoga diet to cleanse your body. Yoga poses improvise the body and mind while focusing on your breathing rhythm and movements. 

A few benefits of yoga therapy are

• It helps improve stability, perseverance, strength, and flexibility.
• The twisted pose in yoga massages the intestine, which results in a cleaner gut.
• Yoga helps improve blood supply to muscles which augments insulin function to improve glucose uptake.
• If performed regularly, yoga helps reverse pre-diabetes by improving the performance of the pancreas and insulin. 

Conclusion

Regular exercises combined with a proper diet can help reverse pre-diabetes. In addition, a lifestyle change is much needed with consistency. Along with this, seek out medical help to recover quickly.