Common Sense Advice For Living With Diabetees
Having a positive and productive mindset about your diabetes will help in controlling the disease and maintaining a good quality of life for you. We all know the mind is very powerful and can affect your life in many ways. Keeping a positive attitude and balanced lifestyle will work wonders. Keeping that in mind, here are a few suggestions to help you manage your diabetes.
Doctors and researchers agree that maintaining a body weight within guidelines will control diabetes in many cases. In fact, many patients who lost a percentage of their body weight have been able to keep their diabetes in check without taking medications.
These days processed foods contain quite a bit of sugars, sodium and unhealthy chemicals which will wreck havoc with blood glucose levels. Diabetics should keep away from processed and junk foods in favor of healthy foods. Whole grain bread, lean meats and fruits and vegetables,in the proper combinations, should makeup most of your diet.
Maintaining a low stress life works great for controlling diabetes. Stress can cause high blood pressure, ulcers and more. This only aggravates your diabetes and impacts your diabetes in a negative way. You can manage stress by learning and practicing stress releasing techniques or meditation. Also, just taking time to participate in activities you enjoy will help alleviate stress.
The importance of regular exercise in controlling diabetes can not be emphasized enough. It has been shown when diabetics engage in a regular exercise program, their blood glucose levels have stabilized and the disease is controlled. You can actually choose aerobic or weight training exercise since both have been proven to work. A program consisting of regular exercise at least three times a week works fine. However, even increasing your physical activity on a daily basis works. Parking further at the mall or taking the stairs instead of the elevator will also help control your weight and diabetes.
Get regular checkups with your doctor. Work with your doctor to fine tune your exercise programs, medications and diet. If you hit a stumbling block your doctor can look at the big picture and see what the problem could be. Sometimes an adjustment of your medication might be the answer. Other times the solution might be found in tweaking your diet or exercise program.
Joining a diabetes support group is an excellent idea. Not only will you be able to learn from mistakes made by others, but also make friends. many support groups are sponsored by hospitals and meeting dates can be obtained by just making a phone call. Besides the benefits mentioned, many groups engage in physical activities together. Training for mini marathons and bicycling are just a few of the activities you'll be enjoying with group members.
For many patients, diabetes is seen as a disease negatively affecting their quality of life due to food restrictions. In reality, common sense, education and moderation can turn that around. The important thing is to apply yourself and take control of your diabetes by implementing painless lifestyle changes.