BlogDiabetesExercise and Semaglutide: What You Need to Know

Exercise and Semaglutide: What You Need to Know

Regular physical activity is one of the best things you can do if you have type 2 diabetes. Here’s why, and how to get started.
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If you’re diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, your doctor will recommend strategies aimed at lowering your blood sugar. These are important because they’ll decrease your risk of complications, and boost your overall health. 

The foundation of a holistic treatment plan, says the American Diabetes Association (ADA), includes diet modifications, exercise, and a medication like semaglutide. (Curious about semaglutide? (Take this short quiz to see find out if you qualify.)

There’s strong research backing up the benefits of exercising if you have type 2 diabetes. In fact, regular physical activity is one of the best things you can do for your health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention points out. 

In addition, there are some special considerations if you’re working out while taking semaglutide. Read on for the know-how you need.

Can you work out on semaglutide?

According to the journal Diabetes Care, the benefits of exercise include: 

  • Lower blood sugar 
  • Better cardiovascular health and a reduced risk of heart disease
  • Weight loss
  • Improved well-being, including a lowered risk of depression and better sleep 

How much exercise should you aim for?

The ADA recommends the following weekly exercise if you have type 2 diabetes:

  • A break from sitting at least every 30 minutes—stand up and move around 
  • 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous intensity exercise—and don’t go more than two consecutive days without activity 
  • Three sessions of resistance training (read: lift weights) on nonconsecutive days
  • Two or three sessions of flexibility training and balance training for older adults 

Tip: If 150 minutes sounds like a lot, work up to it. Aim for 30 minutes of exercise five days a week, or 22 minutes seven days a week. And it’s fine to break the time up—you don’t have to do it all at once!

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What are the best exercises to do on semaglutide?

Any movement is good movement. Of course, if you’re sedentary or relatively inactive, these exercise recommendations might sound overwhelming.

Know that you’re not alone if you’re struggling to incorporate movement into your life. Despite the clear benefits of exercise, nearly a third (31.9%) of people with diabetes in the United States are physically inactive, according to the National Diabetes Statistic Report.

If you haven’t been active, check in with your doctor first and start slowly. The most important thing is to start somewhere. Just setting a timer and standing up every half hour to stretch is a good start. 

Read More: Living With Diabetes? How Semaglutide Can Help Your Health

“Something is better than nothing,” says Shirley Jiang, MD, an internist based in San Diego, California, and Chief Medical Officer of ReflexMD. 

Exercising for even 10 minutes can help, says Evan Sisson, PharmD, a professor at the VCU School of Pharmacy in Richmond, Virginia. The body is very efficient, and exercising muscle, like taking a 10-minute walk after eating, will immediately lower blood glucose.

3 essential tips when you work out on semaglutide 

Here are three smart suggestions from the experts:

Eat intentionally. The ADA recommends that you pay attention to what you eat before and after a workout if you have type 2 diabetes. You don’t necessarily need to eat after low-intensity exercise. But it’s important to have a meal or a protein shake within an hour of a high-intensity workout. 

If you take semaglutide, which decreases appetite, you also may not feel like eating anything before you exercise. But if you skip, you might get dizzy or light-headed, says Dr. Jiang. A snack or a light meal that pairs a carbohydrate with protein, such as an apple with a tablespoon of peanut butter, is a good option before exercise, according to the ADA. 

Related: 7 Best Foods To Eat When Taking Semaglutide For Diabetes

Drink enough water. It’s important to hydrate well before exercise, says Dr. Jiang. For every hour of exercise, you can lose up to 2 quarts of fluid, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.

To help alleviate constipation—a common side effect of semaglutide—drink enough water to at least replace what you lose during physical activity. If you’re exercising more and you also get dehydrated, it’ll worsen the constipation, says Sisson.

Add steps to your day. Walking is a good way to start exercising, says Rachel Goldberg, a therapist and personal trainer based in Studio City, California, who works with clients who have type 2 diabetes and take semaglutide. If you go for a walk, you’ll feel better about yourself, she says. And that feeling of accomplishment may then carry over into other areas of your life, such as choosing healthier foods. 

A healthy diet, physical activity, and semaglutide all support weight loss. Losing weight is often is part of a treatment plan for type 2 diabetes. Losing weight, in turn, makes exercise easier—and that makes it more likely that you’ll exercise, Dr. Jiang says. 

Start with any amount of walking and increase your steps over time. Also aim to up your effort by walking more briskly as you feel up to it. The more you walk, the more you’ll benefit. For example, research shows that walking about 2,500 steps a day reduces your risk of dying from cardiovascular diseases. And about 4,000 steps a day starts to reduce the risk of dying from any cause. Add more steps and you further decrease your risk.

Supportive resources

Barriers will come up, research shows. But you can get inspiration and support in integrating exercise into your daily life via the following resources from the ADA:

If you think a weight loss medication like semaglutide might be right for you, chat with a ReflexMD Wellness Advisor now.

American Diabetes Association Professional Practice Committee. Facilitating Positive Health Behaviors and Well-being to Improve Health Outcomes. Standards of Care in Diabetes—2024. December 11, 2023.

Cannata F et al. Beneficial Effects of Physical Activity in Diabetic Patients. Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology. September 4, 2020.

Diabetes: Get Active. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. May 15, 2024.

Colberg S et al. Physical Activity/Exercise and Diabetes: A Position Statement of the American Diabetes Association. Diabetes Care. October 11, 2016. 

National Diabetes Statistics Report. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. May 15, 2024.

Eating Tips Before and After Exercise. American Diabetes Association.

Nairn R. Sports and Hydration for Athletes: Q&A with a Dietitian. Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Banach M et al. The Association Between Daily Step Count and All-Cause and Cardiovascular Mortality: A Meta-Analysis. European Journal of Preventative Cardiology. December 21, 2023.

Zahalka SJ et al. The Role of Exercise in Diabetes. Endotext. January 6, 2023.

The Benefits of Walking. American Diabetes Association.

Maintain Your Motivation. American Diabetes Association.

Overcome Barriers and Get Moving. American Diabetes Association.

Putting the Fun in Fitness. American Diabetes Association.

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By providing your email, you agree to our Terms and ConditionsPrivacy Policy, and Telehealth Consent. You also consent to receive promotional emails from ReflexMD. This consent is not a condition of purchase. You may unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in our emails.
By providing your mobile number and submitting this form, you agree to receive marketing text messages (e.g. promos, cart/browse reminders) from ReflexMD at the number provided. Your consent is not a requirement for any purchase. Standard Msg & data rates may apply. Msg frequency varies. You can opt out at any time by replying STOP or clicking the unsubscribe link (where available). To learn more visit our Privacy Policy & Terms.

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