Dull but true. If you want to get into shape and maintain a healthy lifestyle, there’s only one sure-fire way to succeed: diet and exercise. No matter how we might wish for a magic pill that would improve our health and figures, nothing else works quite like hard work. This is particularly true for diabetics. Healthy living for those with diabetes is eased considerably through exercise.

For the diabetic, the proper combination of diet and exercise, along with prescribed medication, controls not only weight but also blood sugar levels. Glucose is used up by your muscles during exercise, plus your body utilizes insulin better. The effects last longer with strenuous workouts, but even light activity can assist in lowering your blood sugar level. It is vitally important that a diabetic adheres to the recommendation everyone receives: check with your doctor before beginning a new exercise regimen. Your insulin dose or its timing may need to be adjusted, making sure that your treatment plan for diabetes supports your exercise schedule and vice versa.

One basic rule of beginning an exercise regime applies to everyone: find an activity you enjoy. You’ll be much more likely to develop and then stick with an exercise routine if you’re having fun. Strength training can have a profound impact on helping diabetics manage their disease, but not if you find working out a chore and soon begin discovering all kinds of reasons not to exercise. If you’re a social exerciser, find a buddy to walk with or join a health club with, and then you can harangue each other into keeping fit. If you’re a nurturer, keep in mind how good regular walks are for your dog or what a good example you could be setting for your kids. The kids themselves—whether needing to manage diabetes or simply for general wellness—might enjoy bike riding or jumping on a trampoline or organized sports (provided the sport includes regular enough practices to help structure an exercise routine).

The benefits of establishing such a routine are almost too great to count. Exercise improves your mood, improves your heart, lungs, and joints, improves your sleep—it can even improve your sex life! So maybe the old adage about diet and exercise isn’t so dull after all.