Janice Hidalgo: Hello! I'm Janice Hidalgo, Project Manager at IPRO. We're talking about how to self manage your diabetes by being active. Exercise is not just about losing weight, it has many health benefits like, lowering cholesterol, improving blood-pressure, lowering stress and anxiety, and improving your mood.

In conjunction with healthy eating being active is a powerful tool to help manage your diabetes. It can be difficult to find the time or motivation to start an exercise program. Choose the best ways to fit physical activity into your daily life, whether it's walking to work, doing chair exercise, or working out at the gym.

The important thing to remember is to choose activities that you enjoy and to set goals that are realistic. Your healthcare professional can help you design an activity plan that works for you. The best way to start is by making a F.

I.

T.

T. plan for your psychical activity.

'F' stands for frequency, how often will you do this activity? You can start with exercise in two or three days a week and work up to 5 or more days. 'I' stands for intensity. How hard should you be working? Remember, you should be able to talk during an exercise activity.

'T' stands for the time. How long will you do it? Be realistic, start with 5 or 10 minutes and work up to 30 minutes.

'T' stands for type of activity. What will you be doing? Do something you enjoy, get creative. Partner with a friend to find the ways to be more physically active. .

Jane Giordano, RD: Any type of physical activity that someone can incorporate in their daily living is important, but of course, the duration of the physical activity is equally as important. So if you can do at least 30 minutes of some kind of aerobic activity, whether it be something as simple as walking or climbing stairs or swimming. Those are all good things that you can incorporate in your daily exercise plan.

Janice Hidalgo: Any amount of physical activity is better than none at all. Making physical activity part of your daily life-style brings calories, even if it's not part of the structured plan. Even if you're inactive and out of shape now, you can improve your health by moving just a little more. Remember to check your sugar before and after physical activity to learn how your body responds. Take small steps to add more movement into your daily life-style. In time, you'll find that you're stronger and will be able to move even more. If you like to learn more about Diabetes Self-Management, check out our videos in these series, including the importance of Self Monitoring.