Managing diabetes can be a huge pain, from controlling your taste buds to managing your diet to checking your sugar levels, it is all a big trouble.
Creating and following a game plan to tackle diabetes was never easy, but Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US) has come up seven behavior steps that help control blood sugar level and improve quality of life.
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The seven behaviors, namely, healthy eating, physical activity, monitoring blood sugar, taking medications as prescribed, good problem-solving skills, healthy coping skills and risk-reduction behaviors, result in reduced complications and improved quality of life.
The right plan that caters to an individuals unique needs, not necessarily asking them to quit things they like, the best way is to write the plan down and make sure its visible as a reminder.
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But creating a plan needs planning, from how one will take forward the set plan, to what one wants to eat and how much they want to eat.
The goals should be clear and attainable to make sure the plan succeeds.
The plan works much better in a team as every member of the team works with you on areas they have received extensive training in, diabetes self-management is a continuous learning process.
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Certain steps should always be kept in mind to make sure the plan succeeds: first learn, then apply what you learned, then evaluate effectiveness, then make changes as needed and repeat.
A diabetic person is better off surrounded with people who will motivate, encourage and want to help them succeed and be actively involved.
If your plan isn’t working, if you don’t understand something or if you can’t or won’t do something, sharing it with your team and keeping communication open, and make decisions together will help overcome the hurdle.
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