October 18, 2021

Diabetes Daily Routine: Healthy Diabetes Management Tips

Routines create habits. And when it comes to diabetes, a healthy routine can lead to better quality of life and more time in range. In this piece, we'll share an example daily routine and tips to turn healthy choices into


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Manage Diabetes Through Routine

Home / Living with Diabetes / Diabetes Daily Routine: Healthy Diabetes Management Tips

A Healthy Daily Routine for Diabetes

When you’ve just been diagnosed with diabetes, your world can feel more chaotic than ever. Like any chronic disease, diabetes can disrupt your life in ways both big and small. With that in mind, it’s understandable if you feel like things will never go back to normal.

However, it’s essential to find some sense of stability while managing this disease. Creating a new, diabetes-friendly daily routine can play a crucial role in helping you keep your blood sugar under control. In this article, we’ll share some advice on how you can establish and stick with a routine that can make living with diabetes easier.

Monitoring Your Blood Sugar

When you have diabetes, keeping a close eye on your blood glucose level every day is almost always imperative. This information will guide you in taking smart steps to manage this condition. Because of that, you’ll want to stay informed throughout the day.

Your schedule for checking blood sugar will depend on several factors. As part of this, you’ll need to take the type of diabetes you have into account:

  • For type one diabetes, you will likely need to test blood sugar 4-10 times each day. This schedule includes tests before and after meals/snacks, before and after workouts, and before bed. Always follow your healthcare provider’s recommendations. If you have type two diabetes and use insulin, you should test your blood glucose multiple times each day. Ask your healthcare team for assistance while creating a testing schedule that fits your needs.
  • If you have type two diabetes and do not use insulin, you may not have to test your blood sugar level every day.

Handling the Diabetes Dietinclude-healthy-meals-in-your-diabetes-routine

Starting a new diet can sound imposing, but it’s not as tough as it sounds. A diabetes diet doesn’t have to be as restrictive as “fad diets” like keto. Instead, it’s simply a healthy diet with some adjustments made to help keep your blood sugar under control.

Your diabetes diet should include a balanced mix of produce, proteins, healthy fats, and starches (complex carbohydrates). Emphasize whole grains and lean and plant-based protein sources while avoiding sweetened beverages and other sources of sugar and unhealthy fats. The times you eat matter, too. A hearty breakfast will lower your risk of blood sugar crashes later on, and eat nutritious snacks between meals.

Sticking to Your Medication Plan

Medication scheduling isn’t something you can afford to ignore if you have diabetes. Your doctor will let you know when you should take your medications and the dosage you should take them in. Follow this advice closely, and let your healthcare team know if you have any questions or concerns.

You should be sure to create a medication storage strategy, as well. Insulin is highly sensitive to temperature – make sure to store it properly, and don’t use expired insulin. Meanwhile, other medications can be stored in a daily pill box to ensure you don’t take too much or skip a dose.

Managing Diabetes with Exercise

walking-is-a-great-way-to-exercise-for-health

Working out can be extremely helpful for diabetes, but it’s not as simple as hitting the gym without a plan. Before starting a new exercise regimen, discuss your plans with your healthcare team. They’ll help you determine how much exercise you should plan on getting and what types of activities you should do.

With these fundamentals in place, you can start putting together an exercise plan. Your doctor can help you figure out what time of day you should exercise and where your blood sugar level should be before, during, and after a workout.

If you’ve been inactive for a while, an excellent place to start is aerobic exercise. Consider activities like walking, dancing, swimming, biking, and running.

Living with Diabetes: Putting It All Together

Now, you should have a better picture of the daily steps you should take to manage diabetes. It’s time to see how a person with diabetes might manage this condition on an average day. We’ve put together a sample routine below:

Morning

When you wake up, check your blood glucose level to make sure you’re in range. Take your insulin as directed by your doctor. Once that’s done, enjoy a balanced breakfast offering lean proteins and whole grains. 1-2 hours later, check your blood sugar once again.

Afternoon

Around noon, check your glucose, take your daily insulin injection as directed by your doctor. Have a , healthy lunch, and go for a half-hour walk afterward. Check with your healthcare provider if this is a good time of the day for your walk. When you get back, treat yourself to a diabetes-friendly snack.

Evening

When it’s dinnertime, find a delicious dish in US MED’s collection of recipes crafted with diabetes in mind. Check your sugar and administer your insulin as directed by your doctor. Enjoy your healthy dinner. Then, before turning in for the night, check your blood sugar one more time.

Make Diabetes Management a Cinch with US MED

Diabetes management is far from a one-size-fits-all process, so the routine described here may not be suitable for your own needs. However, we hope it’s motivated you to find a routine that can help make living with diabetes easier!

Another great way to simplify everyday life with diabetes is to make buying diabetes supplies less of a hassle. US MED can help – the American Diabetes Association has formally recognized our company. We provide automatic reorder notifications and free shipping to our customers. Take a look at the large selection of diabetes supplies we have to offer!

Shirley DeLeon Certified Diabetes Care & Education Specialist

Medical Review by Shirley DeLeon, Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist

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