Control Your Diabetes

When you have diabetes, a primary goal is to keep it under control. Here are some simple things you can do each day to help achieve that goal.

Exercise

Regular physical activity helps you feel better. It also improves your sensitivity to insulin, which means it works better in your body. Because it does, your blood sugar levels can become more stable.

Exercise can also help ease stress.

If you aren't active now, start slow. Then build up how much exercise you get over time. Shoot for 4 to 7 periods of activity each week. Try to make each period last for at least 30 minutes. And you don't have to work out at the gym to be active. Take the stairs instead of an elevator, or park at the far end of the lot. Both add exercise to your daily routine.

Have a realistic goal and make a plan. What exercises will you do, and when will you do them? For example, you might plan to walk 30 minutes most days on your lunch break.

Change your activities often enough so you don't get bored. You can do aerobic activities like walking or jogging. And resistance exercises like working out with weights offer another option. Whatever you do, don't forget to stretch before and after each workout session.

It's important to realize that exercise lowers your blood sugar. Talk to your doctor about whether you need to adjust your meds or insulin dose to keep your levels high enough.

Eat a Well-Balanced Diet

Having diabetes shouldn't keep you from enjoying a bunch of different foods.

Try to fill half your plate with non-starchy vegetables such as:

Asparagus

Broccoli

Carrot

Cucumber

Salad greens

Squash

Tomato

You can also get protein from vegetarian things like tofu.

Stick to whole-grain foods. If you eat cereals, check the ingredients and make sure whole grain is first on the list.

Examples of whole grains include:

Brown rice

Bulgur (cracked wheat)

Reduce Stress

If you're stressed, you may exercise less, drink more, and not watch your diabetes as closely.

Stress can raise your blood sugar and make you less sensitive to insulin. When you're stressed, your body adopts a "fight or flight" response. That means it will make sure you have enough sugar and fat available for energy.

Studies of people with type 1 diabetes found blood sugar levels go up for most people under mental stress and down for others. If you have type 2 diabetes and you're feeling pressure, your glucose will go up.