Kickstart your healthy lifestyle with these five good-for-you habits.

Men aren’t just more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes, they’re more likely to suffer complications and to die from the condition. 

Factors like uncontrolled blood sugar, high blood pressure, chronic smoking, heavy drinking and obesity can increase the risk of diabetes and its complications. (Not to mention other serious illnesses!)

Choosing to adopt a healthy lifestyle can be simple… if you know where to start. Remember that all change takes time. Start slow and remember to celebrate your progress every step of the way.

Here are five good-for-you habits to help you live a healthier life:

Wash, rinse, repeat.

This one may seem like a no-brainer, but it’s very important for people with diabetes or pre-diabetes to practise good personal hygiene. Keep your teeth brushed, hands washed (under the fingernails too!) and always make sure your feet are clean and dry.

Keep your gut happy.

Gut health plays a chief role in diabetes management and overall health. Focus on getting plenty of fresh produce, whole grains and healthy fats. Limit your intake of fatty red meat, animal fat, dairy and alcohol. Some patients benefit from working with a Nutritionist that specialises in diabetes. 

Engage in regular exercise.

Maintaining a healthy body weight reduces your risk for many health conditions like diabetes, heart disease and hypertension. Exercise doesn’t have to mean spending a fortune on a gym membership and hours lifting weights. Many low impact exercises can be just as effective, such as: yoga, walking, pilates, biking and swimming. An easy way to get started is to track your steps! Use your phone or fitness device/watch and get to steppin’… 10,000 steps each day!  

Learn how to deal with your emotions.

Existing can be stressful, not to mention existing with diabetes. Learn how to manage your stress, anger, shame, or whatever you may be feeling in a healthy way. Expressing yourself through art, cooking, listening to music, reading or talking with a loved one or therapist are all great ways to cope. Using drugs and binge drinking are not.

Don’t ghost your doctor.

Whether you’re living with a chronic illness or not, the one person you should never ghost is your doctor. Stay up-to-date on visits, follow prescription notes and always take medication as prescribed. It’s common for many deadly cancers and conditions to be asymptomatic (which means they show no symptoms), so if it’s been a while since you’ve seen the doctor, be sure to schedule your annual physical.

Connect with a Diabetes Educator. You don’t have to go it alone. Get the help you need to manage your diet, lose weight or stay on top of diabetes. Call (242) 702-9310 or click here.