Role Of Lifestyle Changes In Managing Diabetes!

Keeping the blood sugar level within the accepted level can be a challenging at times. This is because the blood sugar is affected by a range of factors including lifestyle factors. Here is a brief roadmap to manage diabetes by following simple lifestyle changes:

Food:
Healthy eating is an art. It is one of the cornerstones of healthy living with or without high blood sugar. People suffering from blood sugar has more reasons to be specific about food to keep the blood sugar level under control.

1. Portion size and carbohydrate counting: Carbohydrates play a key role in managing diabetes. It is, therefore, necessary to keep a close count of carbohydrates. People consuming insulin need to be more careful in this regard. One good way to ensure that carbohydrates consumption is under control is to ensure that the portion size is controlled.
2. A balanced meal: A good meal should be a mixture of fruits, proteins, fats, starches, and vegetables. Few carbohydrates such as those found in vegetables, starch and whole grains serve a diabetic person better.
3. Track your medication and meal: Too little consumption of food can lead to a sharp fall in blood sugar level. Too much food, on the other hand, can lead to high blood sugar. It makes sense to maintain a balance between food and medication.

Exercise:
Physical activity goes a long way in managing blood sugar level. Regular exercise consumes sugar in the form of energy and helps to maintain diabetes. Daily exercise along with certain household chores such as gardening can help to maintain diabetes:

1. Make an exercise plan: It makes sense to consult the doctor or a healthcare professional before starting to exercise. Depending on the level of blood sugar, an exercise plan should be chosen. One should maintain a minimum of half an hour exercise schedule daily.
2. Be prepared: Sudden change in lifestyle such as starting an exercise regimen can take a toll on the body. It is therefore advised that a person prepares himself by taking short snacks before starting to exercise. Staying hydrated is another crucial thing. Checking the blood sugar level before and after working out is a good habit.

Stress
Stress plays the devil in shooting up the blood sugar level. It becomes extremely difficult to manage diabetes with stress. Here is a list of important things to stay away from stress:

1. Find a pattern: Logging stress within a scale of 1 to 10 can help to find a pattern. If the blood sugar levels are found to be high under stressful days, a person would know what should be skipped to cut down stress.
2. Get help: Getting professional help to cut down stress is a good idea. Consulting a psychiatrist/psychologist can prove to be helpful in cutting down stress. Once the stress levels are down, blood sugar level automatically comes down. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can ask a free question.