Experts often recommend that children with diabetes, if cleared by their physician, engage in some form of cardiovascular (aerobic) exercise for 30 to 60 minutes a day to achieve maximum benefits. Inactive children should begin with just a few minutes of exercise each day, and work their way up to 30 to 60 minutes of daily exercise. People who can talk during exercise, but are breathing too heavily to sing, are generally exercising at the right intensity level.

Cardiovascular exercise, often called aerobic exercise because it signals the body to take in additional air, increases a child’s heartbeat and breathing rate. Examples of child-friendly cardiovascular activities include:

• Bicycling
• Walking, running or hiking
• Skating or hockey
• Dancing
• Swimming or surfing
• Basketball, tennis, volleyball, football, baseball, softball
• Gymnastics
• Horseback riding
• Jumping rope
• Playing tag
• Martial arts

Children with diabetes also benefit from anaerobic exercise, which involves short periods of intense exertion followed by rest periods. Anaerobic exercise does not help burn fat. Instead, it helps to build muscle, which allows the body to burn more calories while performing cardiovascular activities. Anaerobic activities include:

• Sit-ups
• Push-ups
• Pull-ups
• Lifting weights

Recent research indicates that regular strengthening exercises can, like cardiovascular activity, help teens prevent type 2 diabetes.

To reduce the risk of injury, children should not exercise cold muscles. Rather they should first warm up their muscles by engaging in a low-intensity activity such as walking at a leisurely pace for about 10 minutes, followed by a brief period of gentle stretching to promote flexibility. Children should end their workout with another stretching session followed by a brief cool-down period, which generally consists of a similar low-intensity activity. The cool-down period helps prevent muscle strains and fluctuations in blood pressure.

People with diabetes should always consult their physician before beginning a new sport or exercise program.