Tips to Living an Active Life with Diabetes

Diabetes is a serious illness that affects the body’s ability to properly process sugar. While diabetes is serious in nature and can be detrimental if not properly managed, it doesn’t mean that you can’t live a normal, active lifestyle. In fact, many doctors will recommend you stay active as a way to manage weight and keep diabetes under control.

If you’ve recently been diagnosed with diabetes, or have been struggling with it for some time now, these tips will help improve the overall quality of your life while maintaining your health.

1. Doctor’s Orders – The number one tip to living an active lifestyle with diabetes is to follow all of the doctor’s orders. Your doctor is aware of the extent of your medical conditions and can best tell you how to maintain your diabetes. Take all prescribed medications, keep all of your appointments, and more importantly discuss any alternative measures for treating diabetes you want to try before starting as a means to prevent further complications.
2. Monitor Your Levels – It is imperative that you monitor your sugar levels to ensure that you’re not in danger. Both high and low blood sugar levels can have adverse effects on your health and cause complications with your diabetes. Keep a journal and take your sugar levels just as your doctor instructed you too. If you notice certain changes that need to be discussed, having this journal and accurate recordings can make getting down to the bottom of the problem a lot easier.
3. Eat Often (Within Portions) – A well-balanced diet for diabetics is essential to their overall well-being. While seeing a diabetic nutritionists is ideal for a specific meal plan and choice of diets, there are some basic staples you can follow when creating meals. Most diabetics might assume they can’t eat things that they enjoy and while it is imperative to monitor your intake of sugar and starch, you can generally eat a well balanced diet. Incorporating fruits, veggies, and lean meats are important. Another dieting tip for diabetics is to eat in moderation. Portion control is essential to keeping your weight and sugar levels under control.
4. Exercise Frequently – Exercise is another important aspect of keeping your diabetes under control. Weight management is another huge factor that must be considered. Keeping your weight under control helps to minimize the effects of diabetes to the body. You don’t necessarily have to join a gym to exercise either. Some ways in which you can get a great workout can include taking a jog around the park, playing a sport, or playing around outside with your kids. As long as you’re burning calories and staying fit, that’s all that really matters.
5. Get a Massage – You’re probably wondering how a massage can effectively help to reduce the effects of diabetes and allow you to live an active life? While most would assume that a massage is something the rich and famous do to pamper themselves, there are many benefits to getting a massage on the regular basis. One of them in particular is the ability to improve blood circulation, which is often a complication for diabetics. If you can’t afford to schedule a massage, why not have your significant other, friend, or family member give you a rub down? All you need is a flat, comfortable surface to lie on, some oil for massage therapy, and a set of hands.

As you can see, minimizing the effects of diabetes or maintaining a normal life does not always have to be difficult or over the top. By making simple changes to your lifestyle you will see significant improvements in your overall health. Keeping up with your doctor’s orders, monitoring your blood sugar levels, eating appropriately, and exercising can all attribute to reduce effects of diabetes. By adapting a healthier lifestyle altogether, you can open up the doors to live a long prosperous, and active life without fear.