Do you have to Exercise with Ozempic?
A Comprehensive Guide

So when you’re thinking about losing weight you’re probably thinking about going on a diet and hitting the gym right? Well, with Ozempic and similar medications such as Wegovy and Mounjaro is this still the case?  Let’s get into it and find out….. 

How does Ozempic work for weight loss?

This once-weekly injectable medication works in a number of ways to help us lose weight:

• Lowers blood sugar levels by stimulating insulin production in the pancreas and reducing glucose production in the liver. 
• Slows down the movement of food through our intestines helping us to feel fuller for longer. 
• Increases the amount of energy-burning brown fat in our bodies, which increases our basal metabolic rate.  This effectively increases the number of calories we burn when we’re doing nothing.  
• Enhances the signals in our brain that tell us we are full, meaning that we will want to stop eating sooner. 
• Reduces the signals in our brain that cause cravings 

As you can see, this hard-working medication has a variety of effects which promote weight loss. So, does Ozempic work without exercise?  Great news, the short answer is yes!  All of these effects will happen without exercising.  However exercise is extremely beneficial to those taking Ozempic as it can really enhance its weight loss effect, as well as having all sorts of other positive benefits for our minds and bodies. Let’s explore these in more detail. 

Maximise your success: The benefits of exercise and Ozempic

There is significant benefit in exercising when taking Ozempic or other GLP-1 medications such as Wegovy and Mounjaro.  The key benefits in combining weight loss medication and exercise are:

• Improved insulin sensitivity – we know that Ozempic and other GLP-1 medicines stimulate our pancreas to create more insulin, but did you know that exercise improves our body’s ability to use that insulin?  By increasing insulin sensitivity we can more easily stabilise our blood sugar.  Fewer peaks and troughs in insulin can result in more sustained energy and fewer cravings. 
• Activation of brown fat – brown fat is a highly metabolically active fat deposit in our bodies. Unlike its cousin white fat, the fat beneath our skin which can build and make us overweight, brown fat actually burns calories rather than storing them.  Exercise is a key way that we can boost our brown fat supply and therefore increase our basal metabolic rate.  The higher our basal metabolic rate the more calories we burn at rest. Boosting brown fat – it’s a no brainer!
• Calorie burning – exercise requires energy and therefore increases the amount of calories we burn.  The calorie burning can last for many hours after you finish exercising, and this is known as afterburn.  Think of it as a freebee workout!  The more we can activate this the better.
• Boost dopamine and suppress your appetite – exercise is one of the best ways we have to release the brain’s pleasure and pain-killing chemicals, endorphins and dopamine.  Exercise not only makes you feel good but it suppresses your appetite, both of which boost your weight loss.
• Reduce your cortisol – cortisol is our stress hormone which most of us have in abundance due to busy and at times overwhelming lives. Cortisol increases our appetites and cravings for food, particularly sweet, fatty and salty foods.  Exercise naturally inhibits cortisol and which can help to curb appetite and cravings.
• Reduce your cardiovascular risk – we know that Ozempic and similar medications such as Wegovy and Mounjaro can significantly reduce your cardiovascular risk i.e the risk of coronary artery disease, heart attacks and stroke, as well as the risk of high blood pressure.  Did you know that cardiovascular exercise does this too?  When you combine the medications with regular exercise you can boost the beneficial cardiovascular effects, helping you to live a healthier and longer life
• Sleep better and lose weight – most likely we have all experienced the sugar cravings and appetite increase that being sleep deprived brings.  This is because sleep plays a vital role in regulating the hormones that control appetite and metabolism.  In addition, lack of sleep increases our cortisol, and we’ve just learned what a nightmare that is for weight loss. In short, when we exercise we sleep better, and when we sleep better we can lose weight more easily.

What other positive effects does exercise have on our bodies?

We’ve now learned about the benefits of combining Ozempic and exercise, let’s think now about the other benefits that exercise can bring to our lives:

Stronger bones and muscles

As we get older, we naturally lose bone and muscle mass. Preserving muscular strength/power in middle and older age reduces our risk of dying by any cause i.e. it makes you healthier overall, and it specifically reduces our risk from cardiovascular disease. In addition to this having strong bones and muscles reduces our risk from falls and the serious consequences of fractures, particularly hip fractures.  Women, smokers, heavy drinkers and those with a family history of hip fractures are particularly at risk of having thinning bones (osteoporosis) and exercise is one of the key ways to guard against this risk.  Strength training is especially important for these groups and we will take a look at the best way to do this shortly. 

Better quality sleep:

Good sleep is essential when it comes to having a healthy body and mind. So let’s take a look at some of the physical and cognitive benefits of this vital part of life:

• Restoration and repair – during sleep, the body undergoes crucial processes for repair and restoration. Cells repair themselves, tissues grow and muscles rebuild, contributing to overall physical recovery.
• Immune function – adequate sleep is essential for a healthy immune system. During sleep, the body produces cytokines, proteins that help combat infections and inflammation
• Reduces cardiovascular risk – this is another way that exercise helps to reduce our risk of heart disease, heart attacks and stroke.  Chronic sleep deprivation is a risk factor for all these diseases. Better sleep promotes cardiovascular health. 
• Improved memory, mental health, focus and concentration – during sleep our brains process and store the information that we have taken in during the day.  This is a vital process for memory creation and recall. 
• Emotional regulation and mental health –  I suspect that we have all experienced the short temper and heightened emotions that sleep deprivation brings. In the long term this can lead to an increased risk of depression and anxiety. Good sleep is essential as it helps us to regulate our emotions and keep ourselves well mentally. 
• Focus and concentration – quality sleep is vital for maintaining focus, attention and mental clarity. Our cognitive function and productivity is at its best when we are well rested.

What type of exercise should I do on Ozempic?

So now that we understand just how important sleep is to our physical and mental health, we can turn to thinking about what kind of exercise is best for us.  The good news is that any and all exercise is beneficial for our bodies and minds.  Any activity, however small, is good for us. Whether that’s choosing to take the stairs, running for a bus or parking further away than you need to at the supermarket, it all counts and part of being more active is simply to build small changes into your day to day life.  

Exercise doesn’t have to be all about sports, keep fit classes and the gym.  However, if you want to broaden your horizons it’s worth thinking about the various different types of exercise and how incorporating a variety of workouts into your routine can help you achieve optimal results.

Cardiovascular Exercise:

Cardiovascular exercise, also known as aerobic exercise, focuses on increasing your heart rate which has huge benefits for our cardiovascular system. Cardiovascular exercise includes things like running, aerobics classes, cycling and swimming. This kind of exercise is vital for our heart health and reducing our cardiovascular risk, e.g. the risk of high blood pressure, heart attacks and strokes.  The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that we should do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise, or at least 75 minutes of vigorous intensity exercise each week.  That sounds daunting, but it doesn’t need to be done all in one go.  They suggest spreading it out through the week in sessions lasting at least 10 minutes each.

The benefits of cardiovascular exercise include:

• Improved heart health: Regular cardiovascular exercise strengthens the heart muscle and improves its pumping efficiency, improves blood circulation, and reduces the risk of heart disease.
• Weight management: Cardio workouts are effective for burning calories and aiding in weight loss or maintenance.
• Boosted mood: Aerobic exercise releases endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals, which can help reduce stress, anxiety, and symptoms of depression.

Strength Training:

Strength training involves resistance exercises that target muscle groups to build strength, endurance, and muscle mass. When most people think of strength training they think of lifting free weights or using weight machines at the gym. These are great great ways to do this type of exercise, but don’t appeal to everyone.  Strength training can also be done effectively at home by doing body weight exercises like push-ups and squats or by using resistance bands. 

The WHO recommends that we do strength-based exercises one or two times a week as the benefits to our health are so significant.  Moreover when you are taking a medication such as Ozempic, Wegovy or Mounjaro you need to keep an eye on your muscle mass. The highly effective weight loss power of these medications mean that it’s you need to ensure you build strength training into your week and eat a balanced diet with plenty of protein, or you may lose muscle as well as fat.   We will explore this in more detail in an upcoming blog post. 

The benefits of strength training include:

• Increased muscle mass which means a higher basal metabolic rate i.e. more calories burned at rest.
• Better balance, strength and posture. 
• Increased bone density – weight bearing exercises are essential for building and maintaining strong bones. 

Flexibility and Balance Training:

Flexibility and balance exercises, such as yoga, Pilates, and tai chi, focus on enhancing flexibility, balance, and body awareness. 

• Keeping our bodies flexible is hugely beneficial for our joints and range of movement, especially as we age. 
• Improved coordination and stability.
• Improved posture and body alignment which can reduce the amount of muscle tension and pain in our day to day lives. 
• Mind-body connection is often a focus of this type of exercise and this can improve our wellbeing, reduce anxiety and relieve stress. 

Conclusion

While exercise is not essential for weight loss when taking medications such as Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro, a variety of different types of exercise can boost their power and speed of action, maximising our weight loss ability.  In addition exercise is essential for our wellness and health, so if you’re new to exercise, start small and find something you enjoy; it all adds up.