Take a seat; it might be beneficial. Going for a stroll or a run may not be the best way to reduce your blood sugar and prevent type 2 diabetes. According to Marc Hamilton, Ph.D., a professor of Health and Human Performance at the University of Houston, you can improve your metabolic health by completing a certain sort of exercise employing a muscle in your lower thigh. You're curious? If so, read on for more information on this straightforward sitting exercise that helps reduce blood sugar and burn fat.

The "soleus pushup" is done while sitting, so don't expect to work up a sweat.

According to a recent study in the journal iScience, this specific leg exercise improves blood sugar management more effectively than conventional techniques. This covers diet, weight loss, and the daily 30-minutes of low- to moderate-intensity exercise advised reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes. Although Hamilton refers to the metabolism-boosting exercise as the "soleus pushup," don't anticipate working up a sweat while performing it. This "pushup" is actually something you do while seated. And that's what makes the exercise so enjoyable! According to the University of Houston, Americans spend 10 hours a day sitting down while engaging in physical activity during only a small portion of their waking hours.

The Soleus muscle plays a key role in walking, running, and standing.

Your leg's lower back is where the soleus muscle is located. According to Verywell Health, this powerful muscle helps with running and walking, but its main function is preventing you from falling forward while you're standing. The soleus muscle, in contrast to most others, does not entirely rely on intramuscular glycogen for energy. Instead, it makes use of a combination of blood components, including glucose and a type of fat termed lipoprotein. The soleus muscle may elevate local oxidative metabolism to high levels for hours, not just minutes, as Hamilton states in a report from the University of Houston. It does this by utilizing a distinct fuel mixture.

The soleus pushup was conducted on inactive individuals who had consumed a glucose drink before performing the exercise. Hamilton's research indicates that a single session of soleus muscle contractions can reduce a person's blood glucose level by roughly 52%. The study also demonstrates that exercise reduced pancreatic insulin release by 60%.

Hamilton says in a University of Houston video that "the magnitude rivals what you would witness in the hours after exercise or any other sort of therapy." Even the most potent medications, according to our knowledge, cannot raise metabolic rate by more than stimulating 1% of your body weight by prolonged soleus contractions.

The study also showed that maintaining soleus muscle activation doubled the normal rate of fat metabolism, lowering blood triglyceride levels.

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How to perform a soleus pushup is shown here.

Your body should be at ease when you sit on a chair with your feet flat on the ground. Raise your heels to their highest point while keeping the front of your foot firmly planted on the ground. Release to let your heels touch the ground once more. Keep going.

There's a warning before you start raising your heels at your workstation. "Outside, the soleus pushup appears straightforward, but sometimes what our eyes can see isn't the complete picture. To maximize the health benefits of this very particular exercise, wearable technology and experience are currently needed "Hamilton clarifies.

The researchers are developing manuals to instruct the correct procedure without the need for specialist tools. Hamilton thinks that his research will highlight the underutilized potential of using contractions to target small, highly oxidative muscles as a strategy for enhancing blood sugar control in a sedentary population.

Hamilton says in the video, "It's like we've found a new organ. We knew it was there and that we had seen it, but we didn't know how to use it effectively to improve our health.