IF YOU DO ONLY ONE THING …

… Exercise, say two experts, both with type 1 diabetes. The sooner you start, the sooner you’ll get blood sugars under control and avoid complications, says Sheri Colberg-Ochs, PhD., professor of exercise science at Old Dominion University in Virginia. “Exercise has the ability to make your insulin work better, meaning you can get by with less, and to lower your blood sugar and blood fat levels. Being regularly active has also been linked to a lower risk for almost every potential diabetes-related health problem,” she says.

“Even if you can only exercise for a few minutes, that’s okay,” says Gary Scheiner, who is an exercise physiologist. “Try to do a little more each day.”