Diabetes is a complex and challenging condition. It can be hard to know what steps to take to make your journey easier. The good news is that there are lifestyle changes you can make today that can help! In this newsletter we’ll focus on sharing information and tips around nutrition and exercise to help keep your blood glucose levels in check and help you feel healthier and more in control of your condition.
If you have diabetes, staying active is essential! Exercising regularly is an important way to help improve your blood glucose levels, as it can help your body cells to use insulin more effectively.1,2 Physical activity can also improve cholesterol,2 improves blood pressure3 and can lower your weight sustainably.3
If you’re looking for ideas on how to incorporate exercise into your daily life, take a look at the tips below:4
Please speak to your healthcare professional before making changes to your exercise regime, to ensure you understand the impact it could have on your blood glucose levels and any necessary steps you should take to stay safe and healthy.
In addition to staying active, sustaining a healthy and balanced diet is key to taking charge of your diabetes journey! Eating the right foods might help to control your blood glucose levels, maintain your heart health and prevent long-term complications that can be associated with diabetes.
Here are a few tips you can try to help maintain a balanced diet:
Try to build a plate that looks like this:
Be mindful of recommended portion sizes and try not to overeat at mealtimes.
If reducing your portion sizes leaves you feeling hungry, try spacing out your meals to ensure you are eating regularly and are getting enough overall calories.
Counting carbohydrates might sound complicated but it’s actually an easy way to maintain a healthy diet and has been shown to provide long-term health benefits and also helps to maintain your weight.
You can consult your diabetes nurse or healthcare professional to find out the right amount of carbohydrates you should be consuming daily. Additionally, there are several apps that can assist you with recording your carbohydrate intake to make carb counting easier to fit into your daily life.
If you are trying a new diet, measure your blood glucose levels before and after you eat for the first few days to see if the carbohydrate content of your meals is causing you to go above your blood glucose targets.
Check out Diabetes UK’s website for a collection of recipes specifically for people with diabetes. https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/recipes
The path to a healthy lifestyle may not be easy, and some of the suggestions above may work better for you than others. The important thing is to persevere and to keep trying new things until you find the diet and exercise regime that is right for you. Once you do that, you might see great improvements in your physical and mental health, and you might feel more in control of your diabetes!
How are you already staying active in your daily life? Do you have any favourite recipes or diet tips you’d like to share with the diabetes community? We would love to hear from you so please share them with us by emailing diabetessupport@ascensia.com and they could be featured on our social media channels.
The information brought to you by Ascensia Diabetes Care UK provides general information. It is not intended to be used as medical advice, diagnosis or treatment and should not replace the advice of your healthcare professional . Always speak to your healthcare professional prior to making changes to your diet, exercise or treatment.
Stay tuned for our next update, which will be focused on diabetes and mental health!
1. Kirwan JP, del Aguila LF, Hernandes JM, et al. Regular exercise enhances insulin activation of IRS-1-associated P13K in human skeletal tissue. J Appl Physiol. 2000;88:797-803.
2. Physical Activity/Exercise and Diabetes: A Position Statement of the American Diabetes Association. Diabetes Care 2016;39:2065-2079 l DOI:10.2337/dc16-1728.
3. Wing R, The Look AHEAD Research Group. Cardiovascular Effects of Intensive Lifestyle Interventions in Type 2 Diabetes. N Engl J Med 2013;369:145-54. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1212914
4. AADE7 Self-Care Behaviors® BEING ACTIVE. https://www.diabeteseducator.org/docs/default-source/living-with-diabetes/tip-sheets/aade7/aade7_being_active.pdf?sfvrsn=12 accessed January 11th 2021.
5. Center for Disease Control and Prevention https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/managing/eat-well/meal-plan-method.html accessed January 11th 2021
6. Ascensia Diabetes Care. Quick guide to carbohydrate counting, 2017.