Lifestyle Tips for Diabetes

Anyone who has diabetes know that it requires constant monitoring. This meaning taking blood sugar medications regularly, as well as improving your lifestyle. Changing your lifestyle is often harder than it seems and may feel somewhat impossible. However, there are many benefits that come with living a healthier lifestyle such as your blood sugar levels being more stable. So, here are a few tips to get you on the right track for better diabetes management.

Exercising Regularly

According to the American Diabetes Association, exercising regularly can help lower your blood sugar and lose weight. This can make it easier to manage your diabetes, and maybe even lessen the need of medication.

When people think of exercising, they think of hardcore muscle and cardio training. These are, of course, types of exercising but they are not for everyone. Instead you can build your own workout regimen at your own pace. You can become more physically active by giving yourself realistic exercise goals. Start by giving yourself 10 minutes a day for your favorite fitness activity and eventually move up to an hour. Even if it is just walking your dog or hiking, it can help manage your diabetes.

Eating a Better Diet

A healthier diet can also help manage your diabetes along with regular exercise. It can help reduce your blood sugar and help you maintain a healthy weight. It is also something you cannot rush into since your diet affects your whole body.

Eating a better diet requires the same slow shift as becoming more physically active. You do not have to do drastic changes all at once but you can start slow. You can start by switching to whole grains, replacing sugary sweets with fruits, and eating non-fat dairy instead of regular dairy. Make sure to talk with a certified diabetes educators to help you make a healthy diet.

Managing Stress

Stress is a little-known factor that can make your diabetes hard to maintain. When you become stressed, your liver produces an abundance of glucose due to stress hormones. It can make your blood sugar spike and become hard to manage.

Managing your stress can help you keep your diabetes under control and help you center yourself in troubling times. Yoga is one of the many stress relievers, along with tai chi, that can also help you exercise. It involves techniques that can be done anywhere like deep breathing and meditation.So whenever, or wherever, you feel stressed you can relax yourself to prevent glucose from being released.

Creating a Support Network

Changing your lifestyle to better manage your diabetes can be a hard journey to take on your own. There will likely be times where you will lose your motivation and feel discouraged.

However, creating a support network for your lifestyle change can help. Regardless of whether the group is physical or online, it can help motivate you to continue switching to healthier alternatives. The journey will be hard but preventing complication caused by diabetes will be well worth the effort.

"Be More Active Throughout the Day." American Diabetes Association. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Sept. 2017.