How To Keep Healthy as a Diabetic – Simple Tips
Last Updated on December 18th, 2020
Healthy Habits for Diabetics
According to the American Diabetes Association, in 2015, diabetes was the 7th leading cause of death. During that year in America, there were over 250,000 deaths where diabetes was either the cause of death or contributed cause of death.
Although diabetes can be deadly, it is manageable. If you take the time to truly learn about your disease and put in the effort to control it, then diabetes won’t be able to take over your life completely. To keep healthy as a diabetic, you must focus on your diet, fitness, and medication.
A Healthy Diet for a Diabetic
Diet is probably the most important factor in managing your diabetes. Work with your doctor and nutritionist to learn the right foods to keep your blood sugar low—and then stick with their instructions.
Although specific diets differ from person to person who is diabetic, in general it’s a good idea to stick with the following tips:
- Stay within the recommended calorie range for your age and weight
- Limit starchy and sugary food
- Stick to healthy fats
- Watch your salt intake
Everyone snacks from time to time, so make sure you keep healthy, low-carb snacks on hand when cravings hit.
Get regular exercise
Exercise is good for everyone, but it has added benefits for diabetics. Regular exercise may actually help lower your blood sugar and help keep your weight under control. Besides, you just feel better when you get a little exercise.
Try anything you’re comfortable with, but if you’re just getting started with an exercise routine, walking is a great building block. Swimming, water aerobics, and yoga are all low-impact exercises to help you stay in shape. Even gardening and yard work burn calories and work your muscles.
Yoga is another best way that is followed by many and recommended by doctors to tackle diabetes and its effects on your lifestyle. Regular Yoga can help you cope up with diabetes very easily. There are many yoga exercise for diabetes which you can do daily and life a normal life.
A Healthy Daily Routine for Diabetics
When you have diabetes, there are no days off. You have to stick to your diet, your glucose testing schedule, and medication routine every single day. This is especially true if you’re insulin-dependent. It’s a lot of work, but it’s absolutely essential to protect your health.
But there are other things you should do every day to take care of your body:
- Pay attention to any cuts or bruises that are slow to heal.
- Keep your feet clean and dry, and your toenails clipped.
- Brush twice a day and floss after meals.
- Don’t miss scheduled visits with your doctor and nutritionist, and following recommendations for health screenings.
Since diabetes is especially prevalent among seniors, take advantage of your Medicare benefits to manage your diabetes. Medicare pays for most diabetic screening tests, so don’t let your benefits go to waste.
Be in Control
In the end, you’re the most important person when it comes to managing your diabetes. Work with a doctor, dietitian, or physical trainer to create a health plan that keeps you in control of your disease.
Dr. Amanda
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