Do you want to manage your diabetes, but you feel overwhelmed or don’t know where to start? Read these three key tips to help you manage your diabetes. From your diet and exercise to your medicine and documentation, build habits to have peace of mind day-to-day.
Diet and Exercise
Your diet directly affects diabetes. The sugar in your blood comes from carbohydrates, so you should eat foods that are high in carbs with caution. However, you don’t have to give up your favorite foods just because you have diabetes. Read food labels, watch portion sizes, and count your carbs. Under this umbrella, you can still enjoy your favorite foods.
Try to keep in mind that you should divide your plate into three different sections. Fill one half with vegetables, like spinach or broccoli. Fill one section of the other half with starchy food, like rice or potatoes. And the last section should be a protein.
Partner these eating habits with exercise for the best results. However, don’t push yourself too far for too long. Attempt three 10-minute walks rather than 30 minutes of walking at once. Regular, moderate workouts will help control your blood sugar and ease stress. Slow and steady wins the race on this front.
Medicine Management
Your medicine management is crucial to help you manage your diabetes. First, make a list of all your medications. Keep this on hand with an additional copy made. You can bring this list with you to doctor appointments or use it to communicate your treatment plan to friends or loved ones.
Find loved ones who support you and your diabetes care and allow them to help if needed. If you take pills or injections, always keep three days extra of your supplies and medicines on hand. You never know when you will need them in the case of an emergency.
Documentation
Find a journal or notebook that you will devote diabetes documentation to. Write down your blood sugar levels, what you ate, your exercise, and the medicine you took. Should an issue arise, you can confidently provide your doctor with the information. It will also remind you to stay on track with healthy habits. Documenting may seem like a chore some days, but stick with it until it becomes a habit. Your body and your doctor may thank you in the future.
Diabetes doesn’t have to take over your life. Build daily habits so that you don’t have to think twice about what your body needs. Keep these three tips to help you manage your diabetes in mind, respect your body, and give it the attention it needs.
Check out our site for other tips on staying healthy.
