8 neighbourhood activities to get you moving

Exercising regularly is important when you have diabetes. Physical activity enhances the action of insulin (the hormone that lowers your blood sugar), which often results in better blood sugar control. Get moving with these simple activities.

Dog owners walk more than people without dogs. According to a study by Michigan State University, they are more likely to reach physical activity benchmarks.

• If you don't own a dog, offer to take the neighbour's dog for a walk, or join your neighbour in his or her daily jaunt.

Most shelters will let you participate with a little bit of training.

• Have a favourite breed? You can find rescue shelters for labs, retrievers or even Schnoodles (Schnauzer/poodle mixes) by asking at your local humane society, animal shelter or veterinary hospital.

Making a habit of keeping a tidy path in front of your house will make it more inviting to others and give you a chance to say hello to your fellow citizens while you're weeding.

You can pick up a beginning birding book at a local bookstore. Look for one that includes birds in your region.

• It's a great way to enjoy nature and connect with wildlife right in your own community.
• Observing the beauty of birds and discussing them with friends, neighbours or your children can be a fun and stimulating experience.

Interacting with nature tends to slow the heart rate, reduce blood pressure and help people relax.

Whether you have kids, grandkids, nieces or nephews, this fun activity never fails.

• Jot a list that includes items such as five red cars, three houses with yellow daisies, two cats, four stop signs and so on.
• After you've compiled several "treasures" for the kids to find, head out around the neighbourhood until you've found all the items on the list.
• You can make several lists and have friendly competitions. The first one to complete the list wins.

This is a list of active, fun-filled things you can do right in your community. Hang the list on your fridge, and when you're out of ideas for a weekend activity, look to your list.

• For example, you could bike to a local park for a picnic, hoof it to the library or plan to meet friends at a halfway location to which you can both walk.

Grab a shopping bag and head out around your block for 20 minutes. Rope in a few neighbours to join you.

• Every time you bend to pick up an article, turn the move into a squat by extending your buttocks behind you and pretending you're about to sit in an invisible chair until your upper legs are almost parallel to the ground.
• You'll build leg muscles and sculpt your rear. Building muscle helps the body become more insulin-sensitive, and it boosts your metabolism.

Instead of taking your folding chair and a crossword puzzle to your child's game, wear comfortable shoes and take a jaunt around the field during soccer or baseball games when your child isn't on the field. You can still cheer while in motion.

Or take your walk before the game starts, when the kids are warming up.

Here's a good rule of thumb — on a scale of one to 10, 10 being running as fast as you can, and 1 being sitting on the couch, you want to aim for about a six or seven.

• When exercising at that intensity, you should be breathing harder than normal but still able to carry on a conversation.