Make Self-Care Part of Your Diabetes Routine
Diabetes can be part of a happy, healthy and enjoyable lifestyle. While it may feel difficult to stay on top of diabetes at times, you can manage your condition and learn to love living a healthy lifestyle—one that helps keep your blood sugar balanced and your diabetes symptoms under control.
It can be as simple as making sure your take time to rest and relax every day. But don’t stop there! You can also find active hobbies that you enjoy, discover the joys of cooking, begin a daily meditation routine and so much more. As you add healthy activities to your routine, it can help you improve your well-being and even help you feel happier and more fulfilled with your life.
Looking for more ways to show yourself some self-love this year? Follow our recommendations below for finding health and happiness in your everyday life.
Make life easier with Pip
Pip Lancets make checking your blood sugar quick, easy and pain-free. They come in a disposable, all-in-one device, so there’s no lancing device required when you use them. Simply twist off the cap, press the needle against your finger and dispose of the lancet when you’re done.
For added convenience, you can order Pip Lancets as part of a personalized subscription plan. When you start a subscription, you’ll get the exact blood sugar testing supplies you need, delivered to your door regularly. It’s a simple way to make living with diabetes a little easier.
Start enjoying exercise
You don’t have to go to the gym to get your daily exercise. Instead, find active hobbies that you’ll enjoy and want to continue! Try martial arts, tennis, playing with the kids or any activity you think you might like. By getting regular exercise, you can help lower your blood sugar levels and boost your body’s sensitivity to insulin, countering insulin resistance. Not sure where to get started? Try these tips:
- Hit the trail – Hike in a nearby wilderness area or a local park. Not only is it a great way to stay active, but time in nature can also help you feel happier, have better concentration and even heal faster from injury.
- Find your flow – Yoga is a low impact exercise that can help boost your well-being, whether you’re a beginner or an advanced yogi. Plus, starting a yoga routine can help you improve your strength, balance, flexibility, mental health and much more.
- Grow a garden – Not only does starting a garden provide fresh, wholesome fruits and veggies—it can also help you improve your strength, endurance, mobility and flexibility. It’s also rewarding and a great way to spend time outdoors!
Rest and relax
Diabetes burnout is a real thing. It’s when you become overwhelmed with tracking your blood sugar levels, dosing insulin, planning your meals and getting exercise. That’s why you should take time to enjoy yourself and order easy-to-use Pip diabetes lancets. Here are some other tips to help you live a low-stress lifestyle:
- Meditate daily – Regular meditation can boost your mental health and even help reduce high blood pressure, prevent disease, improve sleep and more. The best part, it only takes a few minutes, it doesn’t require any equipment and it can be done anywhere.
- Stay social – Keeping close connections with friends and family can help you stay healthy and in control of your stress. Reach out to loved ones and share your feelings and problems when you need to. Or, simply spend time talking and laughing together!
- Take care of yourself – Living a healthy lifestyle can help you cope better during stressful times. To help ensure your body is prepared to fight stress, try to always eat healthy, exercise, get plenty of sleep and give yourself breaks when you need them.
Make time for healthy meals
Eating a healthy diet helps to keep your blood sugar healthy and your well-being at its best. You may be wondering, “what can I eat with diabetes?” But there isn’t one answer to that question. You can eat many of the foods you’ve always loved! But, it’s important to be mindful of portion size and cooking method. Follow these tips to help you enjoy a healthy diet:
- Follow the plate method – The plate method makes it easy to eat a healthy, balanced meal. Simply fill half your plate with non-starchy vegetables, a quarter with healthy whole-grains and a quarter with lean protein like salmon. To get started, try these recipes that follow the plate method from the American Diabetes Association.
- Eat colorfully – Eat fruits and vegetables of all colors, types and varieties to help ensure you’re getting all the right nutrients. From roasts to smoothies, salads and soups, there are plenty of ways to get your veggies in. Looking for ideas? Check out this selection of diabetic-friendly recipes.
- Find healthy snacks – Having healthy snacks on hand can help prevent you from turning to unhealthy foods when you’re hungry or need to eat something on-the-go. Nuts, popcorn, cheese, hummus or chips with guacamole are all healthy options for diabetics! Like to cook? Get creative with these healthy snack recipes.
Check your blood sugar often
Your life doesn’t have to be all finger pokes and dietary restrictions! But, it’s important to check your blood sugar regularly to make sure you’re managing your diabetes and keeping your health at its best. To make checking your blood sugar as simple as possible, we recommend Pip Lancets. They’re compact and disposable, so you can easily toss them after each finger poke. Even better, they use a thinner needle than most diabetes lancets that most people can’t even feel.
Ready to try Pip? Tell us your exact blood sugar testing needs and we’ll help you order a custom subscription that is personalized to you.
SOURCES
Harvard Health Publishing: “Healthy lifestyle can prevent diabetes (and even reverse it)”
Harvard Health Publishing: “The importance of exercise when you have diabetes”
Harvard Health Publishing: “A prescription for better health: go alfresco”
John Hopkins Medicine: “9 Benefits of Yoga”
American Diabetes Association: “Understanding diabetes and mental health”
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: “Coping With Stress”
Mayo Clinic: “Meditation: A simple, fast way to reduce stress”
American Diabetes Association: “Eating right doesn’t have to be boring”
