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• Ginger Vieira | Exercise With Type 1 Diabetes: How to Exercise Without Scary Lows or Frustrating Highs by Ginger Vieira, self-published, 80 pages, $9.99.

For many of us, starting an exercise regimen can be a daunting proposition. But what if joining that new CrossFit class or a pickleball league is potentially life-threatening?

That's the reality for millions of people living with type 1 diabetes, a chronic condition in which the body doesn't produce enough, or any, insulin. Insulin is a hormone used to regulate sugar levels throughout the body. Without it, sugar builds up in the bloodstream, which can lead to serious and sometimes fatal complications. That's why people with type 1 diabetes typically take daily insulin shots and, because diet factors heavily into blood sugar levels, must carefully manage meals.

Depending on the activity, physical exertion can raise blood sugar, causing hyperglycemia, or lower it, which causes hypoglycemia. Both can be dangerous for people with diabetes — think diabetic coma, or worse — making exercise a complicated endeavor.

"Many people with type 1 are terrified to exercise, or they'll try it and feel very defeated very quickly, because we are constantly trying to balance the amount of this hormone in our body that should be really heavily micromanaged by our body," Ginger Vieira said. "Like, you have to eat a whole bunch of calories just to survive your workout — literally."

Vieira, 37, is a South Burlington-based physical trainer, author and speaker who has written about living with type 1 diabetes, including books on pregnancy, emotional eating, burnout and two children's books.

The former powerlifting champ was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when she was 13. As she writes in the intro to her latest self-published book, Exercise With Type 1 Diabetes: How to Exercise Without Scary Lows or Frustrating Highs, exercise didn't come easily. It took years of trial, error and neglect before she finally dedicated herself to figuring out fitness in college.

In her new book, Vieira shares what she's learned about developing a healthy relationship to exercise as someone with type 1 diabetes. She recently offered some tips to Seven Days.

Especially when you're starting out, take notes.

It's critical to understand all the variables in play when exercising with type 1 diabetes. And there are a lot of them, including when you exercise, what and when you ate, how much rapid-acting insulin you have in your system, and the type of exercise.

To make sense of it all, Vieira recommends keeping detailed notes for every workout. "What was your blood sugar before, during and after?" she said.

If you get discouraged by the results, don't give up, she said. Instead, ask yourself what you can try next time.

"What happens to your blood sugar is not random — you just have to take the time to learn some of the deeper science that's going on," she said.

The best exercise is the one you'll actually do.

"There's no one perfect type of exercise," Vieira said, adding that your body's fitness needs may change over time.

"There were times in my life when I was [weight] lifting that my goal every day was to grow as much muscle as possible," she said. "That's not my life today, and my body wants more cardio, and I feel better doing it."

The key: Get moving, in whatever way is best for you.

"If you're nervous about going to a gym, or you don't have the money for a gym membership, turn on 10 songs you love and dance it out in your kitchen," Vieira said. "Just get moving and be consistent."

Daily exercise can help prevent weight gain and reduce insulin dependence.

When you aren't getting daily exercise, Vieira noted, your body needs more insulin to manage your blood sugar — and it takes excess sugar and stores it as body fat, which is true for people without diabetes, too.

"Before I started going to the gym world, when I was in college and I was not taking care of myself, I needed three times the amount of insulin that I need today," she said.

But you don't need to be an ultramarathoner to achieve results.

"I walk my dog and I jog every day," Vieira said.

Correction, Wednesday, January 17: The story has been corrected to refer to rapid-acting insulin.