Lifestyle Intervention to Reduce the Risk of Sarcopenia in Adults With Diabetes & Obesity Treated With Semaglutide

Participants will participate in a 26-week, tri-weekly, exercise program. One 45-minute exercise session will be provided via a virtual meeting platform each week and recorded. The participants will be asked to independently repeat each recorded session twice on separate, non-consecutive days of the week without supervision. The program will focus on progressive resistance exercises using body weight, a resistance band and various household items. A weekly follow-up call will be conducted to gather feedback and monitor adherence along with a personal exercise diary that each participant will fill out and bring to each on-site visit. Each exercise session will be performed in small groups and will be administered by a fitness specialist. In addition, participants will receive personal individualized nutritional counseling which will be administered every 2-4 weeks online via ZOOM. A certified dietitian will conduct all diet sessions.

Participants will receive dietary guidance as customary among patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and obesity monitored in a diabetes clinic. Additionally, general recommendations for physical activity (PA) according to the medical guidelines for PA for T2D will be given. Guidelines recommend 150 minutes or more of moderate to vigorous-intensity aerobic activity per week, spread over at least 3 days/week, with no more than 2 consecutive days without activity, or engage in 75 minutes/week of vigorous-intensity or interval training (for more physically fit individuals). Incorporate 2-3 sessions/week of resistance exercise on nonconsecutive days, decrease sedentary behavior and add flexibility and balance training 2-3 times/week. Participants in the GHRG will be requested to fill out an exercise diary (report on unsupervised training days) and a 2-day food diary for periodic monitoring which they will bring with them to each on-site visit.