Everyone should exercise, yet the National Health Interview Survey tells us that only 30 percent of the U.S. adult population gets the recommended thirty minutes of daily physical activity — and 39 percent aren't active at all. Inactivity is thought to be one of the key reasons for the surge of type 2 diabetes in the United States, because inactivity and obesity promote insulin resistance.

The good news is that it's never too late to get moving, and exercise is one of the easiest ways to start controlling your diabetes. For people with type 2 diabetes in particular, exercise can improve insulin sensitivity, lower the risk of heart disease, and promote weight loss.

Studies have demonstrated that regular exercise can lower A1C levels, reduce cardiovascular risk, and promote weight loss in type 2 diabetes. Regular structured exercise of eight weeks or more lowers A1C values by an average of 0.66 percent in this population.

As of early 2008, there was no clinical data supporting a long-term A1C-lowering effect of exercise in people with type 1 diabetes. But despite the lack of conclusive scientific evidence at this point in time, exercise still has overwhelming benefits for people with type 1 diabetes, including improved blood cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure, better heart health, and the short-term lowering of blood glucose levels.