Whether you have type 1 diabetes, pre-diabetes, type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, or simply want better blood sugar control – exercise is your best friend.

How Insulin Should Work

Insulin is a hormone that is vital for human survival. It is responsible for allowing glucose (and other nutrients) to pass into the cells of our body to be used for energy. When you eat carbohydrates they are broken down into glucose molecules and enter the bloodstream. The increased blood glucose levels signal the pancreas to release insulin. Insulin binds to a special receptor outside the cell wall which consequently signals a message to be sent inside the cell. This message allows the movement of glucose transporter (GLUT4) to move to the cell wall. At its new location, GLUT4 acts as a gateway to allow glucose to pass from the bloodstream into the cell.

NOTE: Insulin works from outside-in.

VIDEO – How Insulin Gets Glucose Into a Cell

The Problem

What if insulin can’t bind to its receptor?
In people who have insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes, insulin doesn’t bind to its receptor properly which means the message cannot be delivered to relocate GLUT4. With no gateway for glucose to enter the cell – the result is a build-up of toxic glucose levels in the bloodstream. You probably think your only option now is to take more medication and inject more and more insulin, right?… Wrong!

What if there was another way to open the glucose gateway without the need for insulin?

The Solution

The good news is, there is another way! Exercise is a much more effective stimulus to open the glucose gateway to the cell because unlike insulin, it does not require anything to bind to the receptors on the outside of the cell. Put simply, exercise delivers the exact same message that insulin delivers, regardless of how insulin resistant you are, because it works from inside-out!

You can reduce your blood sugar levels without an insulin spike!

NOTE: This is not a replacement for insulin therapy – it is simply something to be added to your daily management.

How Exercise Works

1. Exercise induces non-insulin-mediated glucose uptake (NIMGU)
   Exercise sends a message from within the cell to allow the glucose gateway (GLUT4) to open. This is why exercise is more effective than insulin. When insulin doesn’t work – exercise does! All you need to do is repeatedly contract your muscles.
2. Exercise increases insulin receptor availability
   Not only does exercise allow for NIMGU to occur, it also helps you lose fat from around the cell which makes more insulin receptors available for insulin to bind to.
3. Exercise improves insulin sensitivity
   The insulin receptors that are available become more sensitive to insulin which means you need less insulin to get the job done.
4. Exercise increases muscle mass 
   More muscle mass means a couple of things; more receptor sites for insulin to bind to, and a larger glycogen storage capacity. Think of muscle as a sponge to soak up excess sugar in the bloodstream. The bigger the sponge – the bigger the sugar storing capacity.
5. Exercise reduces body fat
   Reduced body fat means you will be more insulin sensitive. Being more insulin sensitive will help you lose more body fat – it’s a positive cycle!
6. Exercise increases glycogen storage capacity
   Glycogen stores within the muscle are like the air pockets within the sponge. A dry sponge can soak up much more fluid than a wet sponge. Exercise acts as a way to squeeze out the wet sponge in order to make space to soak up new glucose from the blood.
7. Exercise improves nutrient partitioning
   Exercise primes the body to preferentially store carbohydrates as glycogen (the stored form of glucose in the muscles and liver), rather than as body fat. Basically, we have an element of control over the fate of the nutrients that we eat.

The Key Messages

• Insulin is not the only way to regulate blood sugar levels
• If you are insulin resistant – exercise is your solution.
• Exercise is a very effective mechanism to open the glucose gateway to the cell regardless of how insulin resistant you are.
• Exercise is a tool to be added to your daily life.

Related Article: 9 Surprising Health Benefits of Walking