• Being active throughout the day
Examples: Gardening, taking the stairs instead of
the elevator, or walking around while you talk on the
phone or watch TV. Work up to about 30 minutes
each day.
• Aerobic exercise
Examples: Brisk walking, dancing, rowing, swimming,
or riding a bicycle. Work up to about 30
minutes a day, 5 days a week.
• Strength training
Example: Lifting light weights a few times a week.
Medicines
Some people with diabetes can manage their diabetes
with healthy eating and exercise. However, your doctor
may need to also give you diabetes pills and/or insulin to
help you meet your target blood glucose levels.
Diabetes is a progressive disease—even if you don't
need to treat your diabetes with diabetes pills at first, you
may need to over time. If it’s difficult for you to reach
your target numbers, talk with your health care team
about whether changes to your treatment plan can help.