The three cornerstones in the treatment of diabetes are food, medications, and activity. Of these three, activity is often a first choice for the person who has diabetes. Moving toward a more physically active life is generally inexpensive, convenient, and easy and usually produces great rewards in terms of blood glucose control and a general feeling of well-being.

Whenever you use your muscles,  your body burns blood glucose, which is ideal for diabetics.

Whenever you actively use a muscle, you burn both fatty acids and glucose. During and after periods of activity, your falling glucose level is sensed by the beta cells in your pancreas, and they relax their output of insulin.

This gives your beta cells a break from excessive insulin production. In addition, the lower insulin levels signal your liver to empty its glucose reserves (glycogen) into the blood to supply the muscles with needed energy.

As physical activity continues, the liver converts amino acids, lactic acid, and fats into glucose to supply the muscles. If the activity continues long enough, even the body's fat cells get in the game. They compensate for the reduced fatty acid levels in your blood by converting their stored triglycerides into fatty acids.

When all of these steps are considered, it's easy to see why using your muscles is the perfect treatment for diabetes. It lowers blood glucose, lowers fatty acid levels in your blood, and reduces the workload of your pancreas. And, unless you are on a medication that can cause hypoglycemia, physical activity won't cause your blood glucose level to fall below normal the way some other diabetes treatments may.

To get started incorporating exercising into your diabetes treatment, see the links below:

Starting a Diabetes Exercise Program
In this article, you will find the motivation you need to get off the couch and hit the gym. We will also show you the precautions you and your doctor should take before you start exercising.

How to Exercise With Diabetes
Here you will learn everything you should know when exercising with diabetes, including what your target heart rate should be and how hard you should push yourself.

Diabetes Exercise Warnings
On this page, you will learn about some additional precautions you should take when exercising with diabetes. For instance, diabetics can be at an elevated risk for hypoglycemia while exercising.

For more information on diabetes in general, try the following links:

• To learn more about diabetes in general, including diagnosis, causes, symptoms, and treatment, visit our main Diabetes page.
• Our main Type 1 Diabetes page will tell you more about this form of diabetes, commonly called, "juvenile diabetes."
  
• To find out more about type 2 diabetes, which has reached the level of national health epidemic, go to our main Type 2 Diabetes page.
  

Suggestions for a Diabetic DietOne of the most important aspects of treating and controlling diabetes is monitoring the food you take into your body. However, there may be more wiggle room than you think. To learn more about proper nutrition and diabetes, try the following links: Our main Diabetic Diet page will show you which food groups are diabetes-friendly and which ones you should avoid.   Visit our Diabetic Recipes page to find simple, delicious meals you can make that won't send our blood sugar into a tailspin.

This information is solely for informational purposes. IT IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. Neither the Editors of Consumer Guide (R), Publications International, Ltd., the author nor publisher take responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, procedure, exercise, dietary modification, action or application of medication which results from reading or following the information contained in this information. The publication of this information does not constitute the practice of medicine, and this information does not replace the advice of your physician or other health care provider. Before undertaking any course of treatment, the reader must seek the advice of their physician or other health care provider.