Let’s pretend for a moment that blood cells have thoughts and feelings. When a muscle has become insulin resistant, it’s feeling fat and sassy. It thinks, “I’ve already got enough glucose” and it doesn’t want anymore in. This causes high blood sugar which damages the body in many ways. The good news is there’s a powerful strategy that can change the muscle’s attitude and can actually make it friendly toward glucose. It can stop insulin resistance in its tracks.
Did you know that getting regular exercise could prevent 30-50% of all new diabetes cases? Millions of people could stop the disease before it ever gets started by simply becoming more active. Not only can exercise help prevent diabetes, it can also help reverse it. Physical activity turns stubborn fatty muscle cells into what I call “lean mean sugar-burning machine.” Exercise can lower blood sugar levels in the short term and can lower hemoglobin a1c levels in the long run. This dramatically improves diabetic outcomes.
What happens when you exercise?
- Muscle cells naturally require more glucose for energy.
- They become more sensitive to insulin.
- They stabilize blood sugars.
Although many medications try to force insulin into the cell, exercise actually addresses the root cause of the problem. But the health benefits of exercise extends far beyond diabetes or pre-diabetes.
Exercise can also help you in these ways:
- Maintain a healthy weight
- Lower your blood pressure
- Reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke, osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s, cancer, and many other diseases
- Strengthen your bones and muscles
- Prevent falls
- Improve your self-image, mood and mental health
Let’s take a look at how exercise can change your life. Dr. Mario Robinson was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes at the age of 35. “As a physician, this was a major shock for my life,” he says. “I realized that I’d contracted a disease that for many years I’d been treating.” Mario became angry, moody, and ultimately it hurt his marriage. However, after his anger wore off, he was able to make some healthy lifestyle changes, including exercise and a plant-based diet.
“One of the dramatic things I noticed was my blood sugars would fall after exercising,” explains Mario. “All the insulin and all the medication wasn’t able to do what exercise did for me.” At one point, Dr. Robinson watched his blood sugars go from 270 to 150 after an exercise session. After about a month of exercising, he was able to stop taking insulin altogether. And shortly after 3 months, he was able to stop his oral medications. He also lost 60 pounds.
Dr. Robinson is not running half-marathons and triathalons. As a result, his mood and energy levels improved and he noticed, as a physician, something more powerful than a knife or a medication. His new pill is exercise.
“If you’re struggling with diabetes or pre-diabetes,” he says, “I know what you feel like. I’m a physician that treat diabetes but I’m also a previous diabetic. I understand the power of hope. Many times you’re led to believe that your diabetes is something for life. The truth is that with your lifestyle choices, including exercise and plant-based nutrition, you can reverse your diabetes and you can get your life back.”
You can experience the same exercise benefits that Mario did. What you do after eating a meal can make a big difference. It’s one of the most powerful, and yet little known, strategies of reversing diabetes. I still remember the day Michael limped into my class. I was lecturing on after-meal exercises as part of a 12 week diabetes reversal program. Michael was joining the program late. And he slowly entered the room with his walker. I could tell it was painful for him to move. It took several minutes to get to the nearest seat and sit down. As I continued to lecture, I thought to myself, “If anyone has an excuse not to exercise, it’s this guy.” He could barely make it across the room.
But Michael surprised me. Just 3 and a half weeks later, I reviewed his labs. His fasting blood sugar levels had dropped from 279 to 90. His hemoglobin a1c had dropped from 10,8 to 8.2. His cholesterol had been 230 and it was now 157 with no medication. His triglycerides and blood pressure had also come down and he lost 9 pounds.
I told Michael how surprised and proud I was of that he was making such tremendous progress in such a short time. I said, “I’m not sure what you’re doing but it’s working!” And I asked him what he was doing. Michael turned to me in big surprise and replied, “What do you mean? I’m just doing what you told me to do. I’m exercising after my meals.” Michael explained that ever since he was in a car accident, it was painful to walk, but he didn’t let that stop him. He said, “I walked for a few minutes with my walker. Then if my leg or hip gets sore, I stop and do some arm exercises. Then I walk some more. I walk for 30 minutes after every meal.”
I was so impressed by Michael’s dedication. He is a great example of the powerful benefits of exercising after you eat. By why is after-meal exercise so effective? Isn’t exercise healthy at any time of the day? If you struggle with diabetes or pre-diabetes, you probably notice that your blood sugars are highest about 45 minutes to an hour after you eat. That’s when blood sugars tend to spike the most. And those blood sugar spikes cause glycosylation and tissue damage throughout the body.
Blood sugar spikes also result in insulin spikes. This extra insulin can also raise blood pressure, promote fat storage, and contribute to many different diseases. Insulin spikes also set you up to have low blood sugar a few hours after you eat. It’s very important to minimize after-meal blood sugar spikes. That’s where exercise comes in. When you engage in light to moderate exercise right after a meal, your muscles become eager to accept the glucose you just ate.
I found that my patients can reduce their blood sugar spikes from 1 to 3 points for every minute they exercise after a meal. For example, if your after meal blood sugar usually spikes to 200, you could potentially lower that spike to between 140 and 180 by simply taking a 20 minute walk right after eating. It doesn’t take long for the benefits to add up. Many of my patients have discovered significant improvement in their blood sugars and hemoglobin a1c levels. One study from the Mayo Clinic in the magazine Diabetes Care by the American Diabetes Association found that diabetics had significantly lower blood sugars 4 1/2 hours after a meal if they go for a walk right after eating. Several other studies have shown similar results.
After meal walking is powerful. It improves blood sugars, lowers triglycerides, helps control weight, aids in digestion and prevents food coma. It is a valuable tool for battling diabetes and optimizing wellness. So why not start today? Get some light exercise after each meal. You don’t have to change your clothes or work up a sweat. Keep it simple. 15 minutes or more is a great goal. But if you don’t have time for that, even 5-10 minutes will help. Do this as often as you can. I guarantee you’ll notice the difference if you move after your meals.
Written by Dr. Wes Youngberg, nutritionist and lifestyle medicine specialist.
