M.D. Diabetes is a self-care disease, and no other disease requires the patient to be so involved with his or her care. A healthy lifestyle is both more important and more beneficial to people with diabetes than to people without it. Thus, good nutrition and exercise form the foundation for all diabetes treatments. Self-monitoring blood glucose and education about the disease will also improve a patient's overall health and help prevent complications by allowing better blood glucose control.
Exercise helps to lower the blood glucose level by causing the muscles to burn more sugar.
Exercise also helps control weight, maintain muscle mass and cardiovascular health, and generally helps an individual feel better both physically and emotionally. Therefore, a regular exercise routine is a very important part of treating diabetes. An exercise regimen should include an activity that the person enjoys. Set realistic goals and create plans for achieving them. A typical recommendation is 30 continuous minutes of exercise daily, making an effort, but not straining.