Type 2 Diabetes has become an epidemic in our society. Hereditary and poor lifestyle habits are frequently to blame. The good news about Type 2 Diabetes, which is different from the autoimmune disease Type 1 Diabetes, is that lifestyle changes can dramatically improve your diabetes control.
Top Three Tips to Better Blood Sugars
1. Know your medications and take them correctly!
Talk with your doctor, health care team, and pharmacist about your medications. Learn what the purpose of the medicine is and why it was prescribed. Learn what effect the medicine is to provide. And most importantly, learn how you are supposed to take it and remember to take each day as prescribed.
This is especially important if you are taking insulin. There are different types of insulins, from short-acting to long-acting. It is very important to know how your insulin works. Lantus, for example, works for 24 hours and is used as a “basal” insulin, which keeps your blood sugars steady over the day. It is not used for when you suddenly have a high blood sugar reading that you need to correct. I recently had a patient who had a high number and decided she must need to take some insulin. Instead of taking her corrective dose of 6 units of short-acting insulin Humalog, she took her long-acting Lantus and gave herself 60 units! She did not understand the readings on her insulin syringe. Insulin can be dangerous when not taken correctly so make sure you understand how to take it, and ask questions at the doctor’s office and let them know you need more education.
2. Lose Weight if you are overweight and Control Your Carbohydrates!
Even a small 10% drop in your weight can dramatically improve your blood sugars. Rather than going on a fad diet, ditch the dieting concept and instead start taking small steps each day to cut back on calories and make long-term lifestyle changes. Learn to stop eating when full, not skip meals, balance the amount of carbohydrates at each meal, and pay attention and become aware of why you are eating.
Carbohydrates cause your blood sugars to rise, but they are still needed by your body for energy and other functions. Learning to limit your carbohydrate intake, but not eliminate it, and choose healthier carbs can improve your blood sugars and help with weight loss. Typical carbohydrate intake for females at each meal is 30-60 grams, while men is 45-75 grams, depending on your weight and weight loss goals.
3. Incorporate Exercise and extra steps into your day!
Not only can exercise help with weight loss, it helps lower blood sugars. Most people hate exercise and do not take time for it. Instead of thinking of exercise as a chore, think of the benefits exercise provides. Exercise helps with stress relief and gives you more energy. Think about what benefits you get from exercise to remind yourself to keep doing it. Choose activities you enjoy and start building them into your routine. Start slowly and aim to move more. You could park further away from the store and walk, get up and change the tv rather than use the remote, take the stairs, etc. Pedometers are great at helping you keep track of your steps. The ultimate goal is to work up to 10,000 steps a day.
Start today with one goal.
You do not have to change everything at once. In fact, people who choose small steps usually do better long-term. How many times have you started a new diet and then quit? It was probably too overwhelming. Instead, choose one thing you are willing to do that would make a difference, such as take my medicine each day, learn about my medicine this week, walk for 10 minutes after dinner twice this week, cut my carb intake or portions in fourth or half at lunch, etc. Write down your goal and put a checklist in a prominent place. Those checked off days are great motivators and a great start to changing your habits!