Exercise is an important and valuable activity for people with diabetes. It can improve blood glucose levels as well as helping to lose weight, reduce hypertension, and improve cardiovascular fitness. But it's important to make sure you don't cause any harm while you're exercising. Here are some tips to make sure:

• Protect your feet:
  • Wear cotton or cotton-polyester blend socks to keep your feet dry and prevent blisters.
  • Consider using silica gel or air midsoles in your shoes.
• Maintain hydration, since dehydration can have bad effects on blood glucose levels and heart function:
  • Drink 17 oz of fluid 2 hours before exercise.
  • Drink fluids during exercise, particularly in hot weather.
• Include a proper warm-up and cool-down period:
  • Warm-up: 5-10 minutes of aerobic activity such as walking or cycling at a low-intensity level. This prepares your skeletal muscles, heart, and lungs for a progressive increase in exercise intensity.
  • Stretch: 5-10 minutes before or after your warm-up.
  • Cool-down: 5-10 minutes, similar to your warm-up. This will gradually bring your heart rate down to its pre-exercise level.
• Participate only in moderate weight training programs, using light weights and high repetitions for maintaining or enhancing upper body strength. High-resistance exercise using weights may be acceptable for young people with diabetes but should be avoided by those who are older or have long-standing diabetes.