Weightlifting, running, yoga, spin class? If you’re new to physical activity, trying to keep up with all the different types of exercises out there can become overwhelming. Let’s break down the different types of exercise and the benefits they offer.
Strength Training
Strength training, resistance training, or weightlifting - whatever you want to call it - these exercises that use resistance to induce muscle contraction are essential to optimal health and enhancing insulin resistance. As mentioned in Section 1 of this chapter, since skeletal muscle acts as a glucose storage space, the more muscle we have the easier it becomes for our body to handle carbs by moving them out of our bloodstream and into those storage spaces.
When we think of traditional strength training, we often assume that means going to the gym and lifting heavy weights, but that doesn’t always have to be the case. If you enjoy going to the gym, that’s awesome! But any exercise that involves using free weights, weight machines, resistance bands, or even your body weight falls into this category, and many exercises can be done at home with minimal or no equipment needed.
In addition to helping modulate a glucose response, strength training offers some additional benefits, such as:
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Improved mobility, flexibility, and balance to help you remain healthy and independent for longer as you age
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Decreased risk of injury and protection of joints
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Improvements in body composition (muscle-to-fat ratio)
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Supporting healthy, sustainable weight loss
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Increased bone density (i.e., reduced risk of osteoporosis)
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Improved sleep
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Better confidence and self-esteem
With any sort of resistance training, it’s a good idea to start with a gentle warm up, such as five minutes of light aerobic activity (something like walking) with some dynamic stretching.
Different exercise programs will have different parameters, but some common terms that you may come across include:
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Exercise - The particular movement you’re doing to strengthen a specific muscle (i.e., squat, lunge, push-up).
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Repetition (Reps) - Number of times you continuously repeat each exercise.
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Set - Group of repetitions performed without resting (i.e., three sets of 10 squats would include doing 10 squats, then resting those muscles and repeating for a total of three times).
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Progressive overload principle - This refers to the difficulty of the exercise, and in order to continuously improve, the goal is to complete the activity to the point where it’s hard to do another repetition. This can be done by making regular adjustments to frequency, duration, sets, and reps, and so on.
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Recovery - The time needed for muscles to repair and adapt after a workout. A general guideline is to rest each muscle group for up to 48 hours before working that same muscle group again.
A good rule of thumb is to do strength training about two to three times per week.
Cardio
Cardiovascular exercise, or aerobic exercise, is any sort of rhythmic activity that gets your heart rate up into your target range. A common target is to aim for Zone 2 training, which is moderate exercise at around 60-70% of your maximum heart rate. Another way to think about Zone 2 training is that it is a steady yet moderate activity that you can sustain while still being able to hold a conversation.
To calculate your maximum heart rate, subtract your age from 220. For example, if you’re 35 years old, subtract 35 from 220 to get 185. In this situation, Zone 2 would of 60-70% of that max, or a heart rate of roughly 110 to 130.
Some exercises that you can do at this level include:
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Walking
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Rowing
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Swimming
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Cycling (road bike or stationary bike)
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Using an elliptical machine
This level of physical activity not only helps to reduce the risk of injuries that come along with very intense workouts but also can enhance recovery, optimize metabolic flexibility, potentially decrease blood pressure, and increase insulin sensitivity. The other benefit of Zone 2 over higher zone workouts is that you will primarily be using fat for fuel rather than carbohydrates. If you’d like to read more about Zone 2 training, this article is a great resource.
To get started with cardio, choose whatever duration feels appropriate for you to get started (even 10-15 minutes is great!) and gradually work on increasing this up to 45 minutes as you’re able to. A good rule of thumb is to aim for two to three workouts per week.
Stretching
In addition to helping to warm up for more intense exercise and prevent injuries, there’s some research to suggest that stretching itself can help to support the regulation of blood sugars. When we stretch, particularly passive stretching, we produce heat and increase oxygen consumption in our muscles, which increases metabolic activity and leads to an increase in muscle glucose transporters. That increase in muscle glucose transporters helps to move more glucose into those stretched muscles, thereby reducing blood sugars.
Stretching helps to support your exercise regimen by increasing flexibility and range of motion, improving posture, increasing blood flow to your muscles, optimizing performance, and combating body aches that come along with physical activity.
There are a few different types of stretches:
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Static stretches - Holding a stretch for a period of around 10 to 30 seconds. This is a good exercise to consider post-workout
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Dynamic stretches - Active movements that help to stretch your muscles that aren’t held in any one position. These are great to do at the start of your workout to warm up your muscles
In addition to being done on days when you’re exercising, stretching can be done daily for even five to ten minutes to help with flexibility and muscle tightness and even as a tactic for stress reduction.
If you have injuries or other physical limitations that may impact your ability to stretch or do any sort of exercise, consider reaching out to a physical therapist or personal trainer for individualized guidance.
Next: Daily Movement