If you've been diagnosed with type two diabetes you may have heard your doctor say things like "you need to make some lifestyle changes" or "you really ought to exercise more often."
And you probably thought to yourself, "thanks, captain obvious."
Everyone knows they should exercise more, but what kind of exercise? And how do you stick with it when you aren't used to going to the gym?
In this article we're going to be discussing the best type of exercise you can do if you have type two diabetes, and we're going to give you the ultimate trick to help you stick with it and get great results.
What is the best kind of exercise for diabetics?
When it comes to exercise and fitness, a natural first question to ask yourself is, "what kind of exercise should I be doing?"
Walking into a gym filled with equipment can feel intimidating, and having a plan will help you feel more comfortable getting started.
So what is the right kind of exercise?
Should you focus on cardio and aerobic activities like jogging, swimming, or cycling, or should you spend you time doing resistance training and weight lifting?
Studies have shown that both aerobic exercise (jogging, swimming, yoga, cycling) as well as anaerobic exercise (things like weight lifting, sprinting, and calisthenics) have a profoundly positive impact on blood sugar levels and diabetes.
This means that when it comes to exercise, any choice is a good choice.
How to pick the best exercise for you.
If any kind of exercise will work, then what should you choose?
The answer to this question is very simple, but it's also very important:
You should choose the type of exercise that you enjoy the most.
Why is this?
The only way to get results from your exercise routine is to be consistent.
If you only exercise once every week or two, you aren't going to get nearly the same results as if you were exercising 5 days a week.
If you love hiking, go hiking!
If you hate hiking, find something else to do!
You don't want to feel like you are forcing yourself to exercise. You want to be excited to exercise.
If you're having trouble thinking of exercise that you would enjoy, we wrote an article called: One Simple Trick To Exercise More... And Enjoy It
In it we list a bunch of different kinds of exercise that you can do without access to a gym.
Any exercise is better than none at all
The fact of the matter is that any kind of exercise you do is going to be beneficial for your health.
It could be tennis, riding a bike, or walking your dog around the neighborhood.
The most important thing is that it's fun.
If you aren't enjoying it, you aren't likely to stick with it.
If you feel excited about going out and exercising, you know you've found the right activity for you.