It's more than likely, one of the first things your health care provider told you to do when he confirmed your diagnosis of type 2 diabetes, was to "lose weight".
And maybe what followed was "get some exercise".
The truth is physical exercise can make the difference between:

• losing weight and not losing weight
• blood sugar control and out of control blood sugar levels
• requiring insulin injections and not requiring insulin injections

What actually is the importance of exercise in type 2 diabetes? Physical exercise is effective medicine against:

• insulin resistance (this is the inability of insulin to escort sugar into your cells)
• being overweight
• type 2 diabetes because it builds muscles, increases the percentage of muscle in your body and decreases body fat

The more you build up your muscles, the more effective is your body's response to insulin and insulin's ability to keep your blood sugar levels within a normal range.
Research shows that even if you are out of shape, stepping up your physical exercise program, even a little, will improve your body's ability to process carbohydrates.
Let's look at how to get started:

• visit your health care provider just to make sure you can kick off with your exercise plan
• work out what your exercise needs are
• what time of day would be the most likely for you to stick with? Write it in your daily schedule, make it a habit
• what do you like doing? Even if it's watching TV you can work that into your exercise plan

Walking is one of the best forms of regular physical activity.
Now it may be frowned on by fitness fanatics but it is always available.
You can walk at low, moderate or high intensity levels depending on what works for you.
Why not:

• start your day with a walk around the block
• take a stroll during your meal break
• park your car a block further back from your work or where you shop and walk the extra distance
• walk up stairs rather than take the elevator

Gardening, bicycling, dancing and swimming can all be included in your physical activity program.
The bottom line is to incorporate it into your daily living plan.
If you decide to follow a formal fitness program:

• always warm up before, and cool down after you exercise
• to prevent a drastic change in your blood sugar level, it is wise to monitor your levels before, during and after exercise to prevent hypoglycemia, especially if you are taking insulin

Any time during your exercise program your feel weak, stop and check your blood sugar levels.
Eat or drink a carbohydrate snack if your blood sugar goes way below the normal level.
63 mg/dl (3.
5 mmol/)l or less is associated with signs and symptoms of hypoglycemia in most people.
The Mayo Clinic recommends:

• at a level of 100/mg/dl (5.
  6 mmol) ...
  exercise may be dangerous and you would need to eat some carbohydrates
• 100 to 250 mg/dl (5.
  6 to 13.
  9 mmol/l) is the ideal range for when exercise is the most beneficial.