Know the Diabetes ABC’s. Managing the Diabetes ABC’s will lower your chances of having a heart attack, stroke, or other diabetes complications.
A is for A1C. Your A1C shows how your average blood glucose (sugar) over the last three months. It is the best way to know how you’ve been managing your overall blood glucose during this period of time. For most people with diabetes, the A1C goal is less than 7. Always check with your doctor to find out what your personalized A1C goal should be.
B is for blood pressure. High blood pressure puts extra strain on the heart, forcing it to work harder. Try to keep blood pressure 130/80 or less.
C is for cholesterol. Your cholesterol numbers show the amount of fat in your blood. HDL cholesterol helps protect your heart and should be above 45 for men and above 55 for women. On the other hand, LDL cholesterol can clog your arteries and high triglycerides raise your risk for heart attack and stroke. Strive to keep LDL cholesterol below 100 and triglycerides below 150.
How to reach your diabetes ABC goals? The key to reaching your goals is learning to manage your diabetes and getting routine care from qualified health care professionals.
Managing Diabetes Day to Day
Healthy eating A registered dietitian can help you come up with a healthy eating plan that works best for you. Having diabetes doesn’t mean that you have to give up your favorite foods, it simply requires you to make choices each meal to manage carbohydrate intake. It can be as easy as eating the right portions of healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean meats and fish, beans and legumes and low-fat dairy products.
Physical activity Living a physically active lifestyle helps manage diabetes in several ways. If your doctor wants you to lose weight, getting regular physical activity is the best way to start burning extra calories. Secondly, physical activity and exercise lowers your blood sugar levels naturally, so you may not need as much insulin or medication. It also helps your body more effectively use the insulin you produce (or inject) to lower blood sugar. Finally, physical activity reduces stress and lowers blood pressure and your risk of heart disease and high cholesterol. Try to get 10,000 steps a day or 30-60 minutes of MVPA (moderate-to-vigorous physical activity) a day in a way you enjoy! You may want to check out our WALK AWAY FROM DIABETES COMPLICATIONS™ kit which contains a pedometer and special materials to help keep you motivated to stay physically active. If you've had trouble being regularly physically active in the past, you may want to seek the help of a certified exercise specialist. He/she can help you work physical activity into your everyday routine.
Monitoring blood glucose (sugar)
Your blood glucose meter is your new best friend and the only way to know day to day if you are keeping good blood glucose control. Your doctor will help you set specific blood glucose goals and target ranges before and after meals and before bedtime.
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Taking prescribed medications Your doctor may prescribe oral medications, injections of insulin, or both. The treatment regimen prescribed by your doctor will help you to better manage your diabetes—it’s important to follow his/her advice!
Finding helpful health care providers and scheduling regular doctor’s appointments. Finding health care providers and a doctor’s office environment in which you feel comfortable is very important. They will become a vital part of your new diabetes lifestyle. Seek out providers who have had experience working with diabetes. You may need to take some time to find the right health care providers for you and your family. The first one may not be the right one.
How do you find a doctor? Talk to someone else with diabetes. Ask for referrals from your primary care provider, or call your local hospital to ask about the diabetes services they provide and the doctors who provide those services. An endocrinologist is a doctor who specializes in diabetes care.
NEW-LIFESTYLES’ favorite diabetes resources:
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation www.jdrf.org
Children with Diabetes www.childrenwithdiabetes.com
American Diabetes Association www.diabetes.org
Diabetes Exercise and Sports Association http://www.diabetes-exercise.org
Diabetes123 www.diabetes123.com
Centers for Disease Control & Prevention http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/
Joslin Diabetes Center www.joslin.org
American Dietetic Association www.eatright.org
National Diabetes Education Program www.ndep.nih.gov
Type 1 Diabetes Fact Sheet
Type 2 Diabetes Fact Sheet
NEW-LIFESTYLES low blood sugar card
Walk Away From Diabetes Complications™ Kit
Empower your clients to take the necessary steps to increase their physical activity with NEW LIFESTYLES' WALK AWAY FROM DIABETES COMPLICATIONS™ kit, and take advantage of our special coupon below:
Have a friend or loved one diagnosed with diabetes? Here are a few things they’d like you to know.
Support the New Lifestyle
Consider how difficult it is to make multiple, major lifestyle changes (new dietary and physical activity priorities) all at once. Serve a sugar-free option at celebrations and gatherings. With new sugar-free sweeteners available that taste great and easy-to-adapt dessert recipes, those without diabetes will never know the difference! (check out www.splenda.com for tasty recipes). Why not encourage the entire household to adopt the same healthy behaviors as the person with diabetes? It’s much easier to stick with diabetes-related diet changes if everyone is on board and supporting the new diabetes lifestyle.
Learn to Just Listen
Being diagnosed with a chronic disease condition is a hard thing to accept. Expect both the person diagnosed and you (their support system) to go through a grieving process to deal with this news. Feelings of shock, denial, anger, guilt, fear, sadness, bargaining, and eventually acceptance are not unusual. The best thing you can do as a friend is to listen. It is not always easy to listen without feeling the natural need to comment and offer advice. However, it is best to try and just listen. Someone newly diagnosed often feels alone and that no one can understand how they feel or what they are going through.
Don’t Say “Diabetic”
People do not want to be described by their disease. Diabetes is a condition people have, not who they are as individuals. With that in mind, try to remember to say that a person “has diabetes” instead of saying someone is “diabetic.” This small consideration means a lot to someone living with a chronic disease.
Think of diabetes as a condition, not as an illness.
People with diabetes are not necessarily sick as a result. In fact, with well-managed blood glucose resulting from good care, a healthy diet and lots of physical activity, many with diabetes are as healthy, if not healthier, than their peers who do not have diabetes.
