Exercise is an important part of a diabetes management plan. Activity and exercise help insulin work better and:

• usually lower blood sugar
  
  
• make you feel better
  
  
• can help you lose weight
  
  
• improve your physical condition
  
  
• improve your general health
  
  
• relieve stress

Activity and exercise can be light, moderate or vigorous depending on how much work the body does. Once you know how active you are you can try to increase your activity level.

Light - All regular activities like gardening, walking the dog and cleaning house can be part of your exercise plan. In addition, walking is one of the best regular exercise habits you can develop. If you have difficulty with these activities, exercise programs like armchair exercise and water therapy may be better.

Moderate - Activities like brisk walking, bowling, golf, swimming, dancing, water and other low-impact exercise programs provide a few more benefits than light exercise.

Vigorous - Biking, power walking, running and lap swimming are some of the most beneficial activities. If you are already at this level, congratulations - keep it up!

It is important that you like the activities you choose to do regularly so you will develop the exercise habit. It is best to start exercising slowly, 10-20 minutes at a time. Later, you can work up to 20-45 minutes, 3-5 times a week. It is also beneficial if you exercise several times during the day for 10 minutes at a time and add up the minutes at the end of the day to see if you can do 30 minutes.

Remember: check with your doctor before you begin a new activity, when you start to work out harder or longer, or if you have a change in medication type or schedule.

When you exercise or are physically active, always:

• Test your blood sugar before and after you exercise to help you learn how your body responds to activity.
  
  
• Carry food with simple carbohydrates in case your blood sugar goes low. Example: jelly beans, sugar candies, fruit juice, raisins or glucose tabs
  
  
• Wear identification that says you have diabetes in case you need help. Example: necklace or bracelet medical identification
  
  
• Drink extra liquids like water before, during and after exercise Example: water, sugar-free punch, Kool-aid, or Crystal Light

• Depending on your pre-exercise blood sugar reading, you may need to eat some carbohydrate based on both the level of activity (light, moderate, vigorous) and the length of time (duration) you plan to be active.
  
  
• Ask your health care provider to help you determine safe blood sugar ranges (what is too high or too low) for exercising.
  
  
• If you are very active or have had problems with your blood sugar when you exercise, work with your diabetes educator to develop specific guidelines.
  
  
• Ask for appropriate snack guidelines.
  
  
• If you take insulin, avoid exercising when your insulin is working the strongest (peaking).

• If you have not exercised in a long time, have never exercised regularly, or are over age 35, make sure your doctor has given you a recent check-up and that he agrees with your activity selection.
  
  
• Keep in mind that exercise can make your blood sugar go low (hypoglycemia) during or after your activity - even up to 24 hours later.
  
  
• If you have type 1 diabetes, exercise can cause your blood sugar to go up immediately, but it should come down over time.