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Compared with not exercising at all, modest physical activity just a day per week reduces the risk of diabetes significantly. Exercise must challenge the lungs moderately but not strenuously. Moderate exercise could include brisk walking, jogging, swimming and cycling at a moderate pace. It is important to exercise at least five days a week. Your doctor will help you decide what exercises would be the most suitable for you, taking into consideration factors like your age, type of diabetes, whether there are complication contra-indicating any particular type of exercise.

Benefits of Exercise

1. Exercise helps you lose weight. Being overweight makes you more likely to develop diabetes (if you don't have it already). If you have diabetes, excess weight makes it harder for you to control your glucose level.

2. Exercise can reduce your blood glucose level and keep it low for several hours. If you take medicines for diabetes, exercise may help reduce the dose.

3. Exercise can reduce cholesterol level and blood pressure. High cholesterol and high blood pressure can lead to a heart attack or stroke, which is common in people with diabetes.

4. Exercise helps reduce stress significantly. It is a well-known fact that stress can raise glucose levels.

Lastly, exercise makes the tissues in your body more sensitive to the effects of insulin. This allows insulin to push more glucose out of the blood stream into your cells, which will reduce the level of glucose in your blood.