Diabetes mellitus is a condition resulting from deranged carbohydrate metabolism. People living with diabetes need to modify their lifestyle to maintain good health and prevent complications. In fact, lifestyle modification is the cornerstone of management. Here are a few tips which you can incorporate into your daily routine.

1. Dietary modification
A healthy meal plate consists of balanced diet consists of a half portion as vegetables, a quarter portion as whole grains, and a quarter portion comprising of lean proteins and healthy fats. Simple and refined carbohydrates, and saturated fats have to be avoided or minimized to the extent possible. Drink adequate amount of water daily to prevent dehydration, and support kidney function.

2. Regular Exercise
It is important to included both aerobic activities like brisk walking, swimming, cycling; and strength training activities like workouts with weights, calisthenics etc. One should aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercises.

3. Quit Alcohol and smoking consumption
Along with the effects on liver, we should know that alcohol can affect blood sugar levels and interact with diabetes medications. Self control over diet tends to be poor while consuming alcohol. It is important to stop alcohol intake. Smoking cessation helps in reducing the risk for cardiovascular disease, and various cancers, the incidence of which is significantly more in people with diabetes.

4. Adequate sleep and stress management
A quality sleep time of 7-8 hours each night is important for our overall health. Implementing stress reduction techniques such as meditation, deep breathing exercises, yoga, journaling etc help in improving our mood and keep us motivated for tackling the challenge of diabetes mellitus.

5. Maintain a Healthy Weight
If your BMI is over 25, focus on weight loss. Aim for a waist circumference of < 90cm for men and < 80 cm for women. Even a modest weight loss of 5% can significantly improve the glycemic control.

6. Regular monitoring of glucose levels
Regularly check your blood glucose levels to keep them within the desired range, i.e.80-130 mg/dL before meals, and <180 mg/dL after meals. Hba1c is an integrated measure of glycemic control and maintaining a Hba1c <7% reduces the risk of diabetes complications to large extent.

7. Regular Health Check-ups
Diabetes is a chronic condition. You need to have regular appointments with your health care team including the doctors, diabetic specialised nurses, nutritionists, diabetes educators. Regular adjustment of medication or insulin dosing is needed to achieve and maintain the treatment targets.

Additional Tips
Regular vaccinations to prevent lung infections are needed. Good foot care and regular dental checkups are also an important part of holistic care.

Diabetes management is a continuous process and the treatment has to be a personalized plan that works best for you. Regular discussions with your healthcare team help in achieving the treatment goals and improve your quality of life.

Authored by: Dr. Varun Suryadevara, Endocrinologist, MBBS MD Internal Medicine DM Endocrinology, Apollo Hospitals, Bangalore