Session 3

Move Those Muscles

Getting active can help you prevent or delay type 2 diabetes, lose weight, improve your cardiovascular health, physical fitness and well-being.

happy mature woman using a walker while in the park with her smiling mature husband

Session 3-1

We know exercise is good for us. Here’s why:

Lowers your risk for diabetes

Reduces insulin resistance

Improves handling of sugar and fat by the body

Lower blood sugar

Helps reduce weight & improve metabolism

Burns calories & reduces fat stores

Reducing weight improves insulin resistance

Reducing weight improves cardiovascular health

Reduces chronic inflammation

Improves your cardiovascular health

Raises HDL cholesterol (the “good” kind)

Lowers triglycerides (one of the fats in the blood)

Lowers blood pressure

Improves blood flow

Improves your physical fitness

Improves muscle tone & body shape

Lowers risk for back pain & injuries

Strengthens heart, lungs, bones & muscles

Makes daily activities easier (such as climbing stairs)

Gives more energy

Improves your cognitive wellbeing

Reduces risk of dementia (including Alzheimer’s disease)

Helps with depression & anxiety

Reduces stress

Perks up your mood & self-esteem

Improves sleep

Paul’s Story

Let’s assess your physical activity profile and your readiness to get active by responding to a few questions.

“Paul is at risk for type 2 diabetes. His doctor urges him to lose 20 pounds and work up to at least 150 minutes of activity each week.

Paul and his wife have three children. The kids all play sports, and he spends a lot of time driving them to events.

Paul works full time. On weekends, he works a second, part-time job. When he has some free time, he likes to watch basketball on TV, but he rarely plays it. He spends a lot of time sitting.”

If you were Paul, what could you do to become more active?

Getting Started

Each of us will start being active at different levels. Your current activity level does not matter. We will begin slowly.

Just as you are keeping track of your food intake, you will also keep track of your physical activity.

Before you start any activity, think about how active you are now and how active you were in the past. Also think about what you like and dislike when it comes to being active or inactive.

Thinking about all these questions will help you decide what you want to do and how much physical activity is best for you.

Let’s assess your readiness to get active by responding to a few questions in your UHealth chart. Please press the “Back” button to fill in the questionnaire and complete the session.