. In the worst-case scenario, diabetes can even be life-threatening. Being a chronic illness, diabetes doesn't have any "cure". However, you shouldn't let this dishearten you; diabetes may not be curable, but it can be managed. People who successfully manage their diabetes can live a relatively normal life.
The key to managing diabetes is to keep your blood sugar levels under check. In order to do this, you need to make certain changes in your lifestyle and stick to them religiously. Everyone's approach to managing diabetes is different since everyone's body functions differently. It is recommended to consult a doctor and keep them in the loop throughout your treatment. A good doctor, like Ascot Medical Centre (Hamilton Harbour) can make your diabetes management much more effective.
There are a few key points that every diabetes patient should follow. You should use these as the basis of your diabetes management regiment.
Managing Your Diabetes
Food
Your diet plays a huge role in determining whether your diabetes will get worse or better with time. The food you eat has a direct impact on your blood sugar levels, meaning that controlling your food consumption is a great way to control your blood sugar levels. Your goal should be to eat healthy and in a controlled manner.
- Read up on portion sizes and carbs intake. Carbohydrates have a huge impact on your blood sugar levels. If you can regulate your carbs, you can keep your blood sugar levels at a desirable level. The amount of carbs you take also has an impact on the effectiveness of your insulin shots.
Meal planning is a superb way to manage the amount of carbs and nutrients you take in per meal. You can consult a nutritionist with meal portion sizing.
- Along with portion control, you need to make your meals balanced as well. Each meal should provide you with a good amount of nutrients.
- You should never starve yourself in order to manage diabetes. Too little food intake can end up adversely affecting the effectiveness of your medication. Medication and meal coordination are a crucial part of managing diabetes. It is recommended to consult your doctor thoroughly when planning your food regiment.
- Stay away from sugar. It goes without saying that sugar is to be avoided by diabetic people. Sugar can upset your blood sugar levels really quickly and it has next to zero nutritional value.
Exercise
Exercise is just as important as maintaining your diet. Regular exercise helps your body maintain its blood sugar levels more efficiently. It also improves your body's ability to use insulin.
A good diet and a good exercise routine really help bring your sugar levels under control.
- In order to develop a safe and effective exercise routine, you should consult your doctor. They will be able to guide you in formulating an exercise routine that suits your body the most. For people who aren't physically fit or are old, they shouldn't consider working out without their doctor's guidance.
- An exercise schedule is only effective when it is followed regularly. For diabetic patients, their exercise routine should coordinate with their meals and their medication as well. Make sure that all three routines complement one another.
- Keeping a check on your body is important. You should be familiar with your body's sugar levels and your overall health. Your exercise routine should be designed while keeping your numbers in mind.
- Your exercise routine shouldn't be too strenuous. If you feel light headed or nauseous during your workouts, you should stop and discuss it with your doctor.
- While working out, you should make sure to keep your body well-hydrated. Being dehydrated can have a negative impact on your sugar levels.
- You should keep a quick snack or glucose tabs nearby when working out. These can help regulate your sugar levels if they plummet during your exercise.
It's important to remember that you should monitor your health on a regular basis. Your diabetes treatment plan needs to be dynamic to ensure that it keeps your body in shape. What this means is that you should regularly visit your doctor and assess your health. As your health goes up and down, your doctor will have to constantly adjust your diet, exercise routine, and your medication to ensure that your diabetes remains under control.
What Else to Look Out For?
Your diet and physical activities aren't the only things that have an impact on diabetes. There are loads of other factors that come together to determine how well will your diabetes treatment work for you. A few other things that you should look out for include your intake of alcohol and your stress levels. You should reduce the amount of alcohol your drink to regulate your blood sugar and improve your overall health. Alcohol has a number of negative effects that weaken your body.
Stress is dangerous for diabetic patients as well. Just like alcohol, it has the potential to harm your body and weaken your immune system. A weakened or unhealthy body has a much harder time managing diabetes.
Conclusion
Just because diabetes is a chronic disease, it does not mean that it can rule over your life. There are plenty of ways through which you can regulate this illness and prevent it from getting worse. With proper care, you can actually reverse the negative impacts of diabetes on your body.
The key to fighting diabetes is to maintain your health. The healthier your body is, the less toll diabetes will be able to place on it. Managing your diet by eating healthy and in controlled portions is a great way to keep your health up. Regular exercise improves your body's overall strength. It also helps improve your body's ability to use sugar and insulin.
Lastly, you should keep a doctor in the loop at all times. Professional help really goes a long way.