The Kick Diabetes Lifestyle

Appears in
The Kick Diabetes Cookbook
The Kick Diabetes Cookbook

By Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina

Published 2018

  • About
Where lifestyle is concerned in kicking diabetes, physical activity is key, but every choice matters. Incorporate the following strategies for implementing a lifestyle that will support your dietary changes:
  • Set goals and be sure to measure your progress. Write down your goals in life and what it’s going to take to achieve them. Spell out a plan that will allow for incremental progress that’s realistic. Then keep track of what you’re eating, how much activity you’re participating in, and what your blood glucose levels are.
  • Get a support team. Get your family and friends on board with the changes you need to make. Work with your health-care providers and let them know about your plan.
  • Get rid of foods that aren’t nutritious, and buy the foods that support health and healing. Don’t risk temptation by having foods in your house that will derail your success. Give them away. Replace them with nutritious whole foods.
  • Be prepared for challenges. Not everyone around you may support your efforts; even your physician might be skeptical. Your friends and coworkers may encourage you to be in social settings that will sabotage your results. You could get discouraged about doing things that are new to you or be tempted to eat foods you shouldn’t, especially when you’re under stress. Don’t let challenges stop you! Continue on, keep your goals in mind, and know that the more you improve, the better your health will be.
  • Make physical activity a part of your daily life—just like eating and sleeping. Walk or engage in other physical activity for ten to fifteen minutes (or longer) after every meal. Once that comes easily, add thirty minutes of activity each day, and then work up to forty-five to sixty minutes of activity each day.
  • Make adequate sleep a priority in your life; an average of eight hours per night is appropriate for most people. Practice a relaxing bedtime routine, and go to bed and get up at about the same time each day, even on weekends.
  • Identify your sources of significant stress and develop strategies to effectively manage them. Take at least thirty minutes a day to do something you love and look forward to. Learn and practice stress-management techniques.
  • Establish and maintain strong social ties. Studies report a 50 percent increase in the longevity of individuals with the most-active social lives. Socialize daily and spend time with good friends.