Insulin resistance is a widespread issue today, affecting 1 in 3 Americans who are pre-diabetic, with even more experiencing insulin resistance. The positive aspect is that insulin resistance can be reversed, even if you have developed type II diabetes. However, many people feel overwhelmed by the lifestyle changes needed to reverse insulin resistance, especially if they have struggled with dieting or regular exercise in the past.
If your doctor diagnosed you with insulin resistance, they likely suggested reducing sugars and carbs while increasing your physical activity. While this advice seems straightforward, determining where to start can quickly become overwhelming and stressful. Insulin resistance can be daunting and significantly affects your health and daily life, making it essential to address it promptly.
We often receive questions from our readers about the quickest ways to reverse insulin resistance and whether to prioritize diet, exercise, or both, especially at the beginning. I understand that making healthy lifestyle changes can feel daunting, particularly since common symptoms of insulin resistance include fatigue, brain fog, and intense food cravings. With the vast amount of information from doctors, friends, family, and online sources, it’s easy to feel overloaded.
If you’re feeling stuck or unsure of where to begin, you’re not alone—and you’re in the right place. While we’ve discussed how diet affects insulin sensitivity, we haven’t focused as much on the role of exercise. Exercise is vital for overall health and is often overlooked when addressing insulin resistance. Burning glucose and enhancing cardiovascular health are crucial in combating insulin resistance, possibly even more so than diet.
We’ll explain what happens in your body when you exercise, how it influences your insulin sensitivity, and whether both exercise and diet are necessary to reverse insulin resistance. First, let’s explore why exercise and movement are essential for your health, including insulin sensitivity, and what occurs if you don’t engage in enough physical activity.
We all recognize that exercise is crucial for health and is necessary if you want to feel confident in your swimsuit. However, when it comes to insulin resistance, many people immediately think of diet—eliminating sugary foods and carbs while incorporating fiber and protein. Yet, exercise is equally important in addressing insulin resistance, as the primary function of glucose and insulin is to transport glucose from food into your muscles for energy.
Let’s examine the consequences of insufficient exercise and how simply increasing your activity can affect your insulin resistance. Most of us understand that a lack of movement can lead to weight gain; if you’ve spent too long sitting at a desk or on the couch, you know that prolonged sitting can leave you feeling stiff and sore. However, much more is happening in your body when you skip exercise, especially if you lead a sedentary lifestyle—and none of it is beneficial.
Even just one week of bed rest can temporarily push otherwise healthy, insulin-sensitive individuals into insulin resistance. It’s logical that if you frequently sit for extended periods or don’t move enough throughout the day, you could easily develop insulin resistance. The primary reason for this is that you aren’t burning much of the glucose that enters your bloodstream when you eat, nor are you utilizing the glucose stored in your muscles—leading to full glucose stores in your body.
As your muscles and tissues can’t accommodate more glucose, your body begins to reject additional “inventory” as it arrives. Insulin, the hormone responsible for transporting glucose, is then rejected by your muscles, causing glucose and insulin to circulate in your bloodstream. However, your body is designed to clear glucose from your blood, prompting it to release more insulin, which eventually overwhelms your muscles until they allow some insulin and glucose to enter.
The less you move (and the more you eat), the more glucose accumulates in your bloodstream, until your pancreas can no longer produce enough insulin to manage the glucose buildup, resulting in type II diabetes. Another factor to consider is your body composition—the ratio of fat to muscle mass. Without exercise, you’re likely to have less muscle mass and more excess fat, which, while not a guarantee of developing insulin resistance, is a risk factor that complicates reversing it.
In addition to insulin resistance, a sedentary lifestyle can lead to various other health issues, regardless of whether you are overweight or insulin resistant, including an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, blood clots, nerve damage, and eye damage. Once you develop insulin resistance, your risk of these serious health problems rises significantly.
While being inactive causes numerous issues and can directly lead to insulin resistance, the good news is that addressing these problems may be as simple as moving more. When you exercise, your body converts glucose stores into energy, effectively creating space for more glucose from your bloodstream and immediately reducing insulin resistance. This effect on insulin sensitivity can last from 24 to 72 hours, meaning that regular exercise (ideally daily) can quickly improve or even reverse insulin resistance.
Exercise also lowers your risk of developing health issues related to insulin resistance, such as cardiovascular disease and blood clots, while enhancing other health factors. Regardless of the type of exercise you choose, it will benefit your overall health. However, if you want to reduce insulin resistance quickly, certain workouts have been shown to have a more significant impact on insulin sensitivity.
Believe it or not, you don’t need to spend an hour on the treadmill to improve your insulin resistance rapidly. Yoga is an excellent workout option for reversing insulin resistance, especially for beginners. The slow and controlled movements not only minimize the risk of injury but also help build strength and muscle tone. Recent research indicates that the stretches and movements in many yoga poses can massage and stimulate the pancreas, improving its health and promoting insulin secretion.
If your insulin resistance has progressed to the point where your body doesn’t produce enough insulin, the benefits of yoga can significantly enhance your blood glucose levels. Additionally, yoga improves body awareness, making it easier to engage in healthy habits. Many participants in our yoga weight loss program, The Yoga Fat Loss Bible, have seen improvements in their insulin resistance and significant fat loss.
While weight loss isn’t definitively linked to improved insulin sensitivity, fat loss is—some studies even show that surgical fat removal can have an immediate effect on insulin resistance. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is another fantastic way to burn glucose (and calories) in a short time. If you’ve never tried a HIIT workout, it involves alternating between high-intensity exercise intervals and lower-intensity rest periods.
One of the best aspects of HIIT workouts is that the calorie-burning benefits extend beyond the workout itself, making them an effective way to reduce fat quickly. Moreover, research has shown that HIIT primarily engages fast-twitch muscle fibers, which stimulate greater glucose uptake compared to slow-twitch fibers. Interestingly, this effect occurs regardless of insulin presence, meaning it can also benefit individuals with Type 1 diabetes. Additionally, the adrenaline released during HIIT may aid in fat loss, as muscles utilize glucose from the blood, prompting the body to turn to fat as the main fuel source.
If the idea of high-intensity workouts intimidates you, don’t dismiss them just yet! While many online HIIT workouts cater to advanced athletes, the goal is to alternate between faster movements that elevate your heart rate and slower movements that allow for recovery. There are beginner-friendly HIIT workouts, like the four-minute Nitric Oxide Dump, that can help you break a sweat and gain significant health benefits without exhausting you.
Exercise doesn’t have to be complicated or require special equipment or new skills. Walking is a fantastic way to improve your fitness and insulin resistance without added stress. Aim for 30 minutes a day, as often as you can. A moderate pace is ideal, but the key is simply to get your body moving—especially if you haven’t been active at all. Even better, try walking outside instead of on a treadmill to enjoy the benefits of sunlight and fresh air.
Walking around your neighborhood instead of going to the gym also means you save on gas and reduce your carbon footprint—triple win! While the exercises mentioned above are particularly effective for reversing insulin resistance, they are not an exhaustive list. The main goal is to get your body moving regularly to start burning more glucose and revving up your metabolism.
Starting new habits can be challenging, so here are some tips to help boost your activity level. Technically, yes, you can improve your insulin sensitivity by increasing exercise without changing your diet. That’s why athletes like Michael Phelps can consume large amounts of carbs without facing severe consequences. However, if you’re not prepared to train like an Olympian, you’ll likely need to make some dietary adjustments to see real progress in reversing insulin resistance.
While exercise is crucial for reducing insulin resistance, we understand that many of our readers may not feel comfortable with exercise yet—and that’s perfectly fine. Our 21-Day Fat Loss Challenge is designed for individuals like you who need to reverse insulin resistance and lose weight quickly but aren’t ready for a full workout program. In fact, we recommend that you don’t exercise during the Challenge the first time you try it, especially if you weigh over 200 lbs (though a short daily walk is a good option if you want to incorporate some movement).
The reality is that you have the power to reverse your insulin resistance, but it will require significant dietary changes. If you’re hesitant to start a weight loss program because you feel like you’ve tried everything without success, this program is for you. Many of our clients felt hopeless, exhausted, and frustrated before starting our program, having tried numerous weight loss methods that didn’t work for them.
We created our 21-Day Fat Loss Challenge specifically for individuals who feel like they’ve exhausted all options but still can’t lose weight or maintain their progress. Our challenge offers a step-by-step plan to help you lose up to 21 lbs in just 21 days, with far less effort than you might expect! Many of our clients have turned it into a lifestyle change, losing over 100 pounds with the challenge.
If you’re ready to kickstart your weight loss journey, we have you covered! Our 21-Day Fat Loss Challenge includes a detailed, step-by-step workout program tailored for beginners. The best part? In addition to weight loss, the Challenge is designed to heal your gut, rebalance your hormones, and retrain your taste buds—so you can maintain your weight loss long-term.
The Challenge is ideal for those with insulin resistance, and many of our clients have successfully reversed their insulin resistance through it. If you’re ready to make meaningful changes in your life, this is the perfect starting point. We’ll guide you on how to implement the necessary changes in your diet and lifestyle and how to sustain them beyond the diet.
Take control of your life and begin your 21-Day Fat Loss Challenge TODAY! Feel free to leave a comment below if you enjoyed this article on exercise and insulin resistance or if you have any questions!
