Change Your Habits, Change Your Life

Sometimes it seems like diabetes has you, not the other way around. Don’t be defined by your type 2 diabetes. Help keep it in check with a little planning. You have the opportunity to optimize your time, money, and energy, all while creating a healthier, happier lifestyle you can sustain.

Plan to eat healthy

Eating healthy is such a generic phrase, and it’s difficult to decipher what’s in or what’s out on any given day. Stay on the offensive with a solid strategy.

• Stock up on snack-sized bags, and fill them with on-the-go goodness. These perfectly sized plastic bags allow you to prepackage healthy snacks for the whole week. Some great options: one serving of almonds (23 to be exact); one serving of cherry tomatoes (20); ½ cup of grapes, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, or beets; one cup of carrots or celery.
• Plan a week’s worth of dinners before grocery shopping. Here are five chicken recipes that are sure to please you all week:
  • Chicken Kebabs
  • Quinoa Crusted Chicken
  • Grilled Caesar Salad Wrap
  • Grilled Chicken Ratatouille
  • Roast Chicken and Sweet Potatoes

Make a detailed list, then go grocery shopping. Freeze half your meal for another time or save it for lunch the following day.

Save time by buying your diabetes supplies over the counter

Dealing with insurance companies and prescriptions for test strips may be an unnecessary hassle. It can also take time away from important activities like eating healthy and exercising.

• Consider buying test strips over the counter. It’s more convenient than waiting for a prescription—and in some cases it may be cheaper, too. The FreeStyle Precision Neo blood glucose monitoring system offers quality from a trusted brand at a low over-the-counter price of under $25 for 50 test strips. You’ll be able to accurately and conveniently test your blood glucose levels and stay on track with your treatment plan—no prescription or insurance needed.
• One-stop shopping. While you’re picking up your test strips, grab any other supplies you might need at the same location. Retailers who carry over-the-counter monitoring equipment also have other great resources, including nutrition drinks like Glucerna, lancets, and even diabetic socks.

Schedule your weekly workouts

Sure, you plan on working out Monday through Friday, but then your schedule fills up and all of a sudden a whole week has gone by without a single sweat session. Not anymore.

• Put it on your calendar. Block out your workout time on your phone’s calendar, and look at each day individually. Already have plans after work? Set an alarm and get it in before work. Not an early riser? Take a 30-minute walk at lunch with a friend. Don’t allow yourself to make excuses. This is for your health—it should be more important than almost anything else.
• Entertain yourself. Exercise is only boring if you allow it to be. Download some podcasts to listen to, get pumped with music from a popular artist you have yet to discover, or explore a new part of town or a park you’ve never been to and keep your mind as active as your body.

Ready, set, start planning. A little foresight will go a long way in helping you manage your diabetes successfully so you can get back to the activities you enjoy most.