I am 40 yrs old and recently diagnosised as diabetic. How can I keep my self physically and mentally fit .?

Answer 1

Diabetes Lifestyle and Prevention

For people living with diabetes, lifestyle is an important element of their care. It is extremely important that they eat a good balance of foods every day and exercise regularly. They will also have to learn to manage their disease by taking medicine (if necessary) and testing their blood sugar levels every day.

Diet:

The good news is that diabetes does not require special foods. A healthy balanced diet can come from every day foods. However, certain foods are better than others when managing diabetes. A person with diabetes should:


Choose foods that are low in fat and salt

Choose foods that are high in fiber (such as beans, vegetables and fruit)

Remember to eat foods from all food groups: milk and milk products; meat, chicken, turkey, fish, beans, cheese, and eggs; bread, cereal, rice, noodles, and potatoes; and fruits and vegetables.

Lose weight by reducing the amount of food you eat (weight loss will make your diabetes easier to control if you have type 2 diabetes).
Your doctor can refer you to a dietitian who can help you plan meals that include the right foods, and foods that taste great and are good for you.

Alcohol:

If a person's diabetes is under control and they don't have high blood pressure or nerve damage, their doctor may let then drink alcohol. However, they need to understand what happens to them when they drink alcohol. If a person with diabetes drinks alcohol while taking insulin or diabetes pills they risk low blood sugar. The liver won't release glucose until it clears the alcohol first, which the liver treats as a poison in the system.

If you drink alcohol, limit yourself to one drink a day if you're a woman and two drinks a day if you're a man. Remember, never drink alcohol on an empty stomach.

Smoking:

Smoking greatly increases the risk of heart and blood vessel disease, two of the major complications of diabetes. Stopping smoking is the single best thing a person with diabetes can do to decrease their chances of developing heart and blood vessel disease.

Exercise and Activity:

Always see a doctor before starting an exercise program. Your doctor may have good ideas about types of exercise that would be best for you. Exercise is important for people with diabetes because it:


Helps insulin work better to lower blood sugar

Helps keep weight down, which also improves the condition

Is good for the heart, blood vessels, and lungs

Gives you more energy
You won't have to do a special set of exercises because you have diabetes. You should be aware, however, of how exercise affects your body's need for sugar.

When you exercise, be sure to:


Have a snack with you in case you get low blood sugar

Wear a tag or carry a card that says you have diabetes

Eat a snack, such as milk or an apple, if it has been more than an hour since you've eaten

Avoid exercising if your blood sugar is over 240 mg/dL. Try to lower your blood sugar (See section on Treatment Options, "If your blood sugar is high.")
If you have heart disease or risk factors for heart disease such as advanced age, high cholesterol, increased protein (albumin) in your urine, high blood pressure, or poor diabetes control, check with your doctor about whether or not you need a stress test before beginning an exercise regimen.

If you have nerve damage to your feet, be careful to wear well-fitting gym shoes and socks to avoid blisters; you should discuss your exercise regimen with your physician and/or podiatrist.

Managing your condition:

If you have diabetes, you have the responsibility of managing your condition.

If you need to take medicine, be sure to take it as directed. Don't change your own dosage or how often you take your medication unless you have been instructed to do so by your physician. Take it as prescribed and on time every day. Be careful not to skip doses of insulin or other medications.

You will have to test your blood for sugar as directed by your doctor. Some people only test once a day. Those who take insulin or multiple medications might test four times a day. Talk to your doctor about how often you should test your blood sugar.

To test your blood, you will need test strips and a lancet to pierce your finger or forearm for a blood drop. You will simply prick your finger or forearm, get a drop of blood, and place it on the end of the strip. After a short time place the strip in your glucose meter and get an exact number for your blood sugar.

People with type 1 diabetes may also want to buy urine test strips to measure ketone levels (substances that your body forms when you don't have enough insulin and your blood glucose levels are high, usually when you are sick). You may need to test for ketones when you have a blood sugar reading of more than 240 mg/dL before you eat.

If you have ketones when you take a urine test, call your doctor immediately, or take an extra short-acting insulin if you have been instructed to do so by your physician. This may indicate a developing condition called diabetic ketoacidosis, a serious condition that can cause death if left untreated.

Finally, you should see your doctor for a special blood test every three to six months. This is the hemoglobin A1c test, which gives your doctor a picture of your blood sugar over time. (It shows how much sugar is attached to the hemoglobin in your red blood cells.) Ask your doctor if you have questions about your hemoglobin A1c test results. You should have a normal result if most of your blood sugar levels are near 100.

Managing your diabetes may take some planning. Ask your doctor how to best prepare for different situations, which may require extra insulin or even changes to your regular dose of medication:


When you are sick

If you are planning a pregnancy or become pregnant

When you are traveling

When you are at school or at work

When you are exercising
Associated Conditions

People with diabetes of both types commonly develop high blood pressure (hypertension) and high cholesterol levels. These conditions may also require specific medications that are necessary to achieve normal blood pressure and cholesterol levels. When these levels are not controlled, they increase the risk for large blood vessel disease, which can cause heart attacks, strokes, and lead to amputations. Therefore, it is critical to control these associated conditions as well as the diabetes. Many of the lifestyle changes a person makes to control their diabetes, such as diet and exercise, will also be of benefit in controlling their blood pressure and cholesterol. However, additional changes may also be needed, such as lowering the salt and fats in your diet.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

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Answer 4

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
I am 40 yrs old and recently diagnosised as diabetic. How can I keep my self physically and mentally fit .?

Answer 5

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Answer 6

I am in the same boat as you (actually I will be 40 in two months) and I was diagnosed only a few months ago with this dreaded disease.

You do not provide much information, such as your current weight, exercise routine (if any) and state of mind. I will assume for this answer that you are a bit overweight and do not exercise much. I am also going to assume that you are recently diagnosed and beginning to get everything under control.

I was diagnosed a the end of June with a blood glucose level (BG) of 342 weighing in at 224 lbs.(although I had just lost 10 pounds). With a few exceptions, my BG is generally in the 90s 2-3 hours after meals and I am down to 170 lbs will tell you what worked for me (or you can visit my blog at www.ihavediabetes.net), but just remember that everytone is different.

To get yourself more mentally fit, you need to control your weight and your blood sugar. The BG is the more important of the two, but you need to lose weight in order to do it. One your BG gets to a decent level and your body looks better, you will feel better both physicaloly and mentally.

I do three things (1) Diet, (2) Exercise, (3) Monitor myself and (4) Take prescribed drugs, vitamins and asprin.

1. Diet: I began with an 1800 calorie a day ADA substitution diet. I am still on the diet, but probably eat closer to 2000 calories a day now that I want to stabilize my weight. I also eat less carbs and more protiens than the diet recommends.

2. Exercise: I did not diet for years and years until being diagnosed. I started out with walking, then running (up to 1.5 miles). I also bought some weights and began exercising with them - low weights and high reps. Increase the weight gradually. The exercise will make you lose weight, look better and keep down the BG. Also remember that muscle used up more sugar from the body than does fat.

3. Monitoring myself. I take my own BG every evening, my weight every morning and my blood pressure every morning and evening. I also write all this down with my exercises for the day and what I ate for dinner. I want to know exactly what my body is doing and how it reacts to all situations. PS: I am not a person who really likes keeping journals, but this is important.

4. Drugs. I am taking the medications prescribed by my doctor. So far, one of the drugs was reduced in half and another has been eliminated. My goal is to be off all the medications within a year to a year and a half. I also supplement these with a simple multivitamin in the morning and a children's asprin in the evening.

To sum up - once your BG drops, you will feel better mentally (and especially feel less fatigued). Once you get into your exercise routine, you will begin to look and feel better physically. This will ultimately lead to you feeling better mentally as well.

I hope this helps, once again, you can visit my blog (URL above) for more details on what I have done and email me with any further questions you may have.

Answer 7

Since U R recently dignosed as diabetic, so i assume that it is type 2 diabetes. Well it is not the end of life. But U have to B carefull. Diabetes is said to B a silent killer, if not diagnosed and and not controled properly after it is diagnosed. The main reasons for adult type 2 diabetes R: sedentary life, eating food high in calories and trans fat (fast foods one of the source), mental tension etc. Try yoga for relieving mental tension. Do some excersises daily, like walking, yoga, or any other aerobic excersises. Strenous excersises some time in some persons, temporarily tend to raise the blood glucose level. Cut down on heavy calorie foods and eat more of greens and fibre. Cut down on sugar and sweets. Basically reduce the calorie intake. If U R obese then try to reduce your weight. Get a glucometer & check your blood sugar count regularly and try to keep it within exceptable levels - by diet, excersises and medication if required. Uncontroled diabetes can lead to lot of problems - wounds that do not heal, specially on the legs, which may ultimately lead to gangarene, dental problems & eye trouble (retinopathy) Once your blood glucose levels R brought down to normal levels and do some aerobic excersises and eat healthy, U can continue to enjoy life like any other normal person right till the very end. U will B physically & mentally fit.

Answer 8

50% of diabetes improvement is diabetes education. Go and get urself educated at american diabetes association web and take 30 year risk profile of urs absouletely free.

25% of diabetes improvement is from regular excersise


10% of diabetes improvement is from the right kind of food u eat

15% of diabetes can be controlled by regular intake of Medicine be it insulin or oral.

Remember this 15% is so vital that if u miss ur medication u loose heavily and dearly.

So follow what i Have said and visit a diabetes spcialist regularly atleast once in 3 months and check ur A-1c report and Lipid profile once in 6 months. But know first what is what and set targets to acheive the desired levels..

All the best.

Answer 9

I'm sorry this has happened, but rest assured it is possible to live a good life with diabetes. You have the right idea about staying mentally and physically fit. I was diagnosed myself 4 years ago with Type 2 Diabetes. I found that the single most important change I made was what I was drinking. I cut out sugary pop completely and switched to diet. I reduced the amount of juice I drink, and now water down what I have. I experimented with artificial sweetners until I found a couple I like. Another important thing to do is to meet with a good nutritionist or dietician. Your doctor should be able to refer you. They will be able to help you modify your diet without sacrificing taste. Sometimes people drastically change their diet and start eating things they hate and doing exercise they abhor. That probably wouldn't last, and trust me, you'll be miserable. Modify things. Find a sport or an active pasttime you like that you'll be likely to keep doing. Buddy up with it if that helps. Try to find ways of making your new diet delicious. One of the things about diabetes is that it forces you take care of yourself. Since stress does not help the condition, find ways of de-stressing that you like. Ideas include massage, hiking, playing with kids, going on outings...Add your favourites! I wish you all the best!

Answer 10

1. D on't throw in the towel
2. I nsulin - appropriate dosage.
3. A wareness about the malady
4. B elieve in yourself
5. E liminate sugar and bad eating/drinking habits.
6. T ake a good Doctor's advice
7. E xercise under advice and guidance
8. S weet life inspite of Diabetes.

Goodluck and cheers!

Answer 11

Cut down on spirits, smoking, eat plenty of fibres & fruits with low sugar content or eat sweeten food. Try yoga for good physical & mental balance