Tips For Maintaining a Healthy Lifestyle With Diabetes

Living a healthy lifestyle after being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes is an integral part of managing the condition. Here are some easy tips for making that happen.

Watch Your Diet

Living a healthier lifestyle to help with type 2 diabetes starts with your diet. This is one of the most important things to keep in mind because the wrong diet could raise your blood sugar levels to a  dangerous degree. You want to focus on reducing your sugar intake and lowering your refined carbohydrates. You can still have carbs, but stick to complex carbohydrates like whole wheat, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and non-starchy veggies. You should learn the proper portion sizes of food and not over-indulge on a regular basis.

Get Regular Exercise

The next important part of living a healthier lifestyle for treatment of diabetes is by moving your body more. You will need to get moving and make sure you are exercising regularly. This is important for multiple reasons. First of all, being overweight can affect diabetes, worsening it, and even causing it. Losing weight might start to help with the condition and in many people, causes their blood sugar to lower to a non-diabetes level. Exercise is also important because your muscles can take the sugar you consume and convert it to energy.

See Your Doctor

While it is possible to manage diabetes with lifestyle changes, this does not mean you should try to do it all on your own and never see your doctor again. You need to talk to them about medications and continue having your blood test and other tests to see how your blood sugar levels are doing. It is possible that even with diet and exercise, you still need insulin therapy or need to take medications to control your blood glucose levels. Do not ignore your appointments and make sure you monitor your blood sugar levels if you are given a meter to do so. 

Reduce Your Alcohol Intake

Your doctor has probably told you this about many other medical conditions, and it also applies to diabetes. It is important that you watch how much alcohol you are consuming. This does not mean you necessarily have to quit drinking altogether, but that you should stick to minimal amounts of alcohol. Your doctor can also advise you about ways to quit drinking if you believe you have an addiction to alcohol.
