Without insulin, glucose cannot enter the body's cells and be converted to energy and heat. The treatment of Type I diabetes consists of daily insulin injections that help make cells receptive to glucose. Type II Diabetes can be well controlled with careful attention to diet and exercise. Exercise for the Diabetic Athlete Because exercise lowers the blood sugar levels and helps improve the body's use of insulin, an athlete often needs to reduce the insulin dose before exercise. Exercise also increases the blood flow to the skin and muscle tissue, and increases the amount of insulin in the blood stream.
Exercise also acts as a stimulant to the liver, which releases glucose to the blood stream.