You’re not imagining it: GLP-1 receptor agonist drugs–like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Zepbound—actually are that ubiquitous. Almost one in 5 American adults has taken one of these drug in some unspecified time in the future, and one in eight are presently on it, based on a November 2025 ballot by KFF Well being.
Many individuals use GLP-1s to drop a few pounds, deal with sort 2 diabetes, and/or handle different long-term well being situations. And whereas these medication are fairly dang efficient for weight reduction and continual illness administration, they aren’t a cure-all.
“Basically, they’re a device,” Yuval Pinto, MD, an weight problems medication specialist with the Johns Hopkins Healthful Consuming, Exercise, and Weight Program, tells SELF. About 98% of Dr. Pinto’s sufferers are on GLP-1s, and he emphasizes to all of them the significance of pairing the drug with sure life-style habits to maximise the advantages. One core element of these life-style habits? Common motion.
Learn on to study why bodily exercise is so essential if you’re taking GLP-1s, what particular sorts are finest, and knowledgeable ideas for weaving this steerage into your routine.
Why common motion is essential for anybody on GLP-1s
First off, train and common motion are “important to our existence and longevity,” Dr. Pinto says. And that is true whether or not or not you’re taking a GLP-1. Common train is linked with a bunch of health-promoting advantages, together with improved cardiovascular well being, sleep, digestion, and temper, Dr. Pinto says.
However the cause it’s so helpful for folk on GLP-1s is that weight reduction is a very frequent aspect impact of those medication. And if you’re losing a few pounds in any capability–whether or not from a drugs, bariatric surgical procedure, or weight-reduction plan and train program–a few of the weight comes from fats mass…and a few comes from muscle mass and bones, Dr. Pinto says.
Should you lose too a lot muscle and bone mass, you face elevated threat of afterward growing situations comparable to sarcopenia (low muscle mass and frailty), osteopenia (low bone density), and osteoporosis (weak, brittle bones), he explains. That is particularly regarding for ladies, who already face elevated threat of low muscle and bone mass in center age and later life as a consequence of hormonal adjustments throughout perimenopause and menopause, Dr. Pinto explains.
Now for the excellent news: Power coaching is a good way to fight a few of this. That’s as a result of when mixed with correct diet and sleep, it may assist protect (and in some instances, even improve) your bone and muscle mass, Dr. Pinto says. One other means to consider it: Taking GLP-1s can facilitate weight reduction, however pairing the drug with train tells your physique the place the load loss comes from, Kelyssa Corridor, an train physiologist and authorized energy and conditioning specialist at Hospital for Particular Surgical procedure, tells SELF.
