If diet is a cornerstone of controlling diabetes, exercise is the brick on top of the cornerstone. Many people can control their diabetes with diet and exercise alone. Diabetes does not constitute a contraindication to competitive sport . Regular exercise helps improve the circulation and improve the way the body responds to insulin, either injected insulin or natural. A diabetic using insulin who starts a program of regular exercise may be able to lower the amounts he or she needs.
Exercise also burns calories, which is one way to lose weight.
The reason for this is that muscles which are working use more glucose than those that are resting. Muscle movement leads to greater sugar uptake by muscle cells and lower blood sugar levels. Exercise can lower the blood sugar and improve the body's ability to use glucose. With regular exercise, the amount of insulin needed decreases. Exercise can also help reverse the resistance to insulin that occurs as a result of being overweight.