Control Your Diabetes by Making These 5 Lifestyle Changes (#2 is Must)
When you are suffering from diabetes, it is not easy to engage yourself in physical activity and control Your diabetes. The frequent fluctuation of your blood sugar can be a reason for you not to enjoy exercising. It is indeed very challenging to have diabetes. But there is more to life than this condition. There are different ways how you can still manage to exercise and maintain a healthy lifestyle even if you are suffering from diabetes.
It is still possible for you to enjoy a walk or join a yoga class. You just have to start deciding to change your lifestyle. Controlling diabetes is not an easy task, but with the proper guidance and the proper everyday maintenance, you will surely be able to do it. To help you have a great start, here are some changes you can make to your lifestyle to control diabetes:
1- Try Exercising First Thing in the Morning, on an Empty Stomach
There is a great reason why you should exercise early in the morning on an empty stomach. This is a trick that most bodybuilders are utilizing. When you sleep at night, the body is fasting during those hours, and this can help you prepare your body for the next morning’s activity. This time of the day is the best time for you to move around because your blood sugar is in range. This only means that your body is not ready to turn fats into fuel and not glucose. With this, you expect a balance, and you do not have to experience the consequences of the highs and lows in your blood sugar.
Exercise is very important to everyone, especially for those who are suffering from diabetes. You do not have to go to the gym or run a marathon. There are easy ways for you to consider. Instead of taking the elevator, you can just walk up the stairs. Instead of driving whenever you need to travel a very short distance, you can consider walking. You need 30 minutes of exercise daily.
2- Eat a Well-balanced Diet
Another way to control your diabetes is to have diet plans that are aligned with your goal of maintaining a healthy sugar level. If you are confronted with low blood sugar and you need to do something physically demanding, you should not eat something unhealthy just to treat it. There are healthy foods that contain fats, protein, and carbohydrates that can be useful in sustaining your blood sugar. But you also need to determine if it is necessary for you to eat such food.
Even with all the restrictions in front of you, having diabetes does not necessarily mean that you should be starving yourself. You can still enjoy good food even with this condition. You can eat non-starchy vegetables that are also very good for your overall health. You can add broccoli, asparagus, cucumber, squash, tomatoes, and salad greens to your meal. Nuts, citrus fruits, lean meat, berries, and low-fat dairy products are also great for you. Aside from that, you can also eat cereals. Just make sure that it is made of whole grain. Great examples of this are brown rice, popcorn, quinoa, whole wheat, and whole oats.
3- Reduce Stress to Control Your Diabetes
Studies have proven that stress can worsen diabetes. This is because of its different effects on the body and your health. Firstly, stress can increase the amount of cortical being released in your body. This hormone is primarily responsible for how the body responds in a fight or flight situation. The effect of this increased release of this particular hormone is something that is not good for diabetes patients. When the cortical is at play, the heart rate also increases, and as a result, the glucose and the protein that is stored in the liver are being sent to the blood. This will then result in an increase in the sugar that the body is releasing. Aside from this process, stress can also be a reason for fat cells to be activated.
4- Quit Smoking
If you have diabetes, you need to stop smoking not only because it can worsen the condition but also because of other effects that it can bring. Smoking while you suffer from diabetes can lead to serious complications such as heart and kidney disease. It can also be a reason for poor blood flow that will then result in an increase in the risk of infection. When worsen, it can even be a reason for you to be amputated. Another worse effect is blindness in the long run. Smoking is an activity that you should not start in the first place. If you are already trapped in this unhealthy habit, try to look for ways to cut it.
5- Avoid Alcohol
If you have type 1 diabetes and you are also taking insulin, alcohol can be dangerous to you. Drinking alcohol may result in the dropping of your blood sugar. This may also cause the medicines and insulin not to work for your body’s benefit. With this, you have to avoid alcohol consumption to help control your diabetes.
Aside from the different tips provided above, you should also consider monitoring your sleep. Getting enough sleep will help you control your diabetes. With the changes in your lifestyle, you will certainly be healthier.
