Column as written for InShape News. This month’s question is asked by reader Don Walker: “Hi, I am a diabetic and I was wondering what type of exercise program I can do? “ See the original article here:

Eight years ago I weighed more than 143kg (315lb) and was on the verge of being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes – if only I’d had the courage to go to the doctor. But then I had a light bulb moment.

It came to me in a blinding flash – that I could take control and change my life. I soon learned I was eating all the wrong foods, doing virtually no exercise and had completely the wrong mindset. And whilst all this may sound ‘familiar’ it was in my 20-month journey to ‘slimville’ that I learned which exercises were safe to do for my undiagnosed condition.

Whilst most will tell you that ‘any exercise is better than nothing’ a study by the combined Universities of Calgary and Ottawa published in 18 September 2007 journal Annals of Internal Medicine found that not all exercise is created equal. It turns out that a combination of cardiovascular or aerobic exercise and resistance or weight training controls blood sugar much better than either exercise alone.

At the time that I started developing my own program I was unaware of this study. But, as it turned out, this is exactly what I ended up doing and it helped me shed more than 70kg and completely reversed my medical conditions including hypertension, high cholesterol and that undiagnosed diabetes.

But, before you can exercise you need to how much, how often and what kind of exercise is enough?

Cardiovascular Exercise

For best results aim to do at least 30-minutes each day at whatever level is safe for your personal circumstances.

If you’re overweight or have joint problems, then look for low-impact activities like walking, swimming, using an orbital trainer or water aerobics. If your joints are fine, then take your pick. Just remember to stretch and warm up beforehand.

In either case, work only as hard as you can without overdoing it. You need to get the blood and oxygen pumping through your body. Remember it will take some time to increase your fitness level, so be patient.

Resistance Training

Again 30 minute sessions are great, but make sure your only doing 3 sessions a week. Alternate upper and lower body workouts and allow time in-between for your body’s muscles to recover.

If you’ve never weight trained before it can be difficult to understand what exercises to do or how to perform them with the correct posture. If unsure then Google and YouTube are your on-line friends, although attending a few sessions at a professional gym and accessing their trainers can well be worth the investment.