Whether it is due to dietary habits, lack of sleep, or sedentary lifestyles, certain health issues, like insulin resistance — which happens when the pancreas pumps out more insulin to get blood sugar into the cells — have become extremely common. But these can be managed, and in certain cases even ‘reversed’, and all one needs to do is adopt some easy and extremely effective habits.
According to a social media page called HealthHatch, if you are someone who craves sugar, is constantly feeling tired, or has dark pigmentation on the skin, or skin tags, then you might be prone to insulin resistance, which is a call for concern. Insulin resistance, which is also known as low insulin sensitivity, contributes to low glucose absorption which impacts one’s energy levels and predisposes one to type 2 diabetes.
But it also went on to suggest a simple remedy — including walks in one’s day-to-day activities which it noted can help “reverse insulin resistance’. It also listed some easy ways to include walking in one’s routine.
*Choose stairs instead of the lift
*Park your car away from your destination
*Engage yourself in household activities
*Stand up every hour and stretch
*Walk and talk
Does walking actually help?
The most common symptoms faced by those who are insulin sensitive are extreme thirst, feeling hungry after every meal, frequent urination, hands and feet having tingling sensations, more fatigue, frequent infections etc.
“Research has proven that leading a sedentary lifestyle has an impact on insulin. As such, being active will definitely make a huge difference,” Garima Goyal, a registered dietitian, said.
A 12-week walking programme increased insulin sensitivity in persons with type 2 diabetes, noted a study published in the Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology. Every day for five days a week, the trial participants walked for 30 minutes. “Walking can increase insulin sensitivity and help control blood sugar levels because it is a low-impact workout. Exercise can help lower blood glucose levels since it burns glucose for energy in your muscles,” said Dr Anurag Saxena, HOD- Internal Medicine, Primus Super Speciality Hospital, New Delhi.
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Walking, especially brisk walking, for at least for 45 min a day for five days a week activates AMP-activated protein kinase which sensitise cells to insulin and control glucose metabolism, thereby reducing requirement of anti-diabetic medicines, Dr Mukul Gupta, consultant – diabetology and endocrinology, Narayana Multispeciality Hospital Jaipur, told indianexpress.com.
Additionally, exercise also helps in reducing body fat, which is linked to insulin resistance, Dr Gupta added.
How to ensure you walk more?
For increasing your standing time, practice increasing your daily step count, Goyal suggested. “You can do so by getting involved in household chores, standing and taking a short stroll every hour, stretching more, walking and talking, and choosing stairs over escalators or elevators. Losing belly fat is also a great technique to improve insulin sensitivity. The activities that reduce stress such as yoga and meditation and getting an adequate sleep at night also improves the functioning of insulin in the body,” said Goyal.
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She stressed that one should stay away from sedentary lifestyle to keep blood sugar levels in check.
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