How to Become Insulin Sensitive (again)
Insulin sensitivity is an important subject for us all to understand as we get older. But first, what is Insulin? Insulin acts as a transport protein, shuttling glucose to your cells, but not quite inside of them. That is the role of something called GLUT4 (perhaps a story for another time).
Insulin resistance occurs slowly over time as we spike our blood sugar. I had a professor who loved to say that the best cure for health related problems is to stop them before they happen. Rule number 1: PREVENTION. How can we avoid blood sugar spikes? How can we re-train our bodies to utilize insulin again? The easiest answer? Lots of exercise. Post-prandial (post-meal) walks for even just 10 minutes can help to reduce the spike in blood sugar, and create a more gradual, sustained curve.
You see, the biggest problem with people who become insulin resistant, is that they allow massive spikes in blood sugar, by eating lots of certain foods at once. This soon after encourages a massive drop in blood sugar, where it feels like you need more food, as you start to experience the other symptoms of low blood sugar. This creates a constant cycle of picking up the fork. Back to solutions, weight training is another important consideration, as body recomposition and growing muscle mass can help to increase insulin sensitivity.
When it comes to supplementation, Vitamin D plays an important role with immune function, cardiovascular benefits, diabetes onset reduction, and more. Since losing weight is a common goal with those who want to decrease insulin resistance, being in a caloric deficit is extremely beneficial, since that is the only way to actually lose weight. On that note, your food choices and macronutrient breakdown also play its own role. Protein is a key consideration, as it has many functions in the body. It helps to grow muscle, aids in the immune function, helps bone and ligament health and more. A dosage of at least 0.6-0.8g/lb is a great place to start, and some may even choose to eat up to 1.5g/lb of body weight. Choosing the right fats is something to keep an eye on as well. Sources like fish, egg yolks, avocados, and some nuts will provide healthy sources of omegas, and be better for you than other processed foods. Finally, introducing better sleep hygiene will aid in sleep quality, which can also result in body functions that encourage energy production, stress reduction, muscle building/recovery and fat loss too!
Your body will thank you for finally taking care it. Start with small change and improve upon it over time!
If you enjoyed reading this, please feel free to share with a friend or co-worker and have a good night!
~Kyle
