When you have any type of chronic health condition, the trick to managing it and making sure that you can live as normal and fulfilling a life as possible is staying healthy. When you are healthy, you are better able to manage the symptoms of your condition.
For people who have diabetes, this is very much the case, and with type 2 diabetes, in particular, making an effort to stay healthy outside of the issues with your blood sugar levels can help massively.
If you have recently received a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes and are looking for help with staying healthy to boost your chances of living a long and happy life, then you have definitely come to the right place!
Here are some of the best tips from doctors and health care professionals for staying as healthy as possible with type diabetes, starting with a brief description of the condition itself.
What Is Type 2 Diabetes?
Type 2 diabetes is a common health condition that causes a person’s sugar level in the blood (blood glucose) to become too high. It is a lifelong condition that can cause problems in your everyday life if left untreated and unaddressed.
Some of the main symptoms of type 2 diabetes are being excessively thirsty, needing to visit the bathroom to urinate very frequently, and a feeling of increased and unexplained tiredness. In more serious cases, type 2 diabetes can start to cause further, more severe problems with eyesight, nerves, and heart.
Unlike type 1 diabetes which is a congenital or an acquired genetic condition, type 2 diabetes is a problem with blood sugar that is brought on by lifestyle factors. The failure of the body to properly manufacture enough insulin to keep it healthy is often linked to issues like being overweight/obese and inactive. Although it can develop at any age, it occurs most often in middle age.
Health Tips for Type 2 Diabetes
Change Your Diet
A healthy balanced diet is the most essential management tool in the fight against type II diabetes. It is recommended that obese/overweight diabetics reduce weight on a calorie-deficit diet and then follow a healthy, nutritious diet to maintain a good weight. This will decrease your risk of serious problems like heart disease, high cholesterol, imbalanced blood sugar, and high blood pressure.
Junk food and overeating can be very hard habits to break, but meal planning can be very helpful because you have a set plan that you can keep referring back to.
Learn how to build a healthy plate. You need to make sure that every meal you consume features a healthy balance of fruits, vegetables, proteins, fats, and starches. Things to avoid are excess sodium, sugar, fat and refined carbohydrates. A simple way to achieve this is by switching to whole grain and low-fat options. Choose lean cuts of meat, try to eat more fish, and avoid heavily processed foods.
Maintain An Exercise Regime
Alongside a good diet, the best way to improve heart health and reverse type 2 diabetes is to get into good old-fashioned exercise. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommendation is that a person should be doing at least 2 and a half hours’ worth of moderate-intensity exercise every week.
Split across seven days, this kind of exercise is very achievable even for a beginner. Moderate exercise includes things like cycling, brisk walking, and even gardening. Anything that can even slightly get the heart rate elevated above normal levels is appropriate.
When partaking in your chosen exercise, it is important to make sure that you incorporate all of the important muscle groups from arms to legs to hips to the chest to shoulders to abs to back.
Keep An Eye On Your Levels
Type 2 diabetes is generally associated with imbalanced levels of important body factors like cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure. To keep tabs on the state of your condition, it is strongly advised that you monitor these problematic levels closely and regularly.
Of course, it will be your doctor’s job to check these professionally, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t invest in some apparatus that can help you check at home. It is a good idea to have a blood pressure machine at home, along with a gadget that is able to assess your blood sugar levels. You can get apps to perform these functions.
Doing these checks at home means that you can monitor how your body is doing day by day, week by week. It makes it much more challenging to lapse into old bad habits.
Try To Manage Your Stress
When blood pressure is involved, one of the main things that you need to be trying to control is your stress level. High blood pressure is more common in diabetes patients, and it can increase your risk of developing heart disease or even having a stroke.
If you are constantly anxious and stressed out, it might be a good idea to look into various mindfulness techniques that can help reduce those feelings. Things like deep breathing, meditation, and even muscle relaxation exercises can all be really beneficial.
Stop Smoking
You don’t need us to tell you just how unhealthy smoking is, even for somebody who does not have type 2 diabetes. The combination of both, however, can be deadly. The chemicals in nicotine can cause significant damage to your heart and your blood vessels. With diabetes in the mix, too, it can have an even greater negative impact on your kidneys, your nerves, and even your eyesight.
If you had tried to quit smoking before on your own but didn’t manage to succeed, you should consult with your doctor about getting some more professional help. With your diabetes status in mind, your doctor will be able to support and guide you through.
These tips will help you live a much healthier life and may even reverse your type 2 diabetes.