If you’re like me and are excited about Summer 2021, well you’re in luck. I compiled a list of tips to help you have a great and healthy summer if you are living with Diabetes (particularly type 1, but the suggestions can help those with type 2 as well).
Get Lots of Exercise
It feels like summer passes quicker every year. Once the weather turns nice, you got to make the most of it. Exercise has a lot of benefits for those with Diabetes. It makes managing blood sugars easier, decreases blood sugar spikes, and makes you more insulin sensitive. Make sure to develop a regular exercise routine throughout summer.
Summer Exercise Routine
The exercise routine should include both cardio and resistance training.
For cardio I recommend biking, jogging, or rollerblading.
For resistance training what I usually do is weight lifting – I bought the following items for my home gym to use during the pandemic:
This is what I do personally and I notice the following benefits:
- Better sleep at night
- Lower resting heart rate
- Increased Insulin Sensitivity
- More Stable Blood Sugars
- Better Mood
- Better Decision Making Abilities
Spend Time Outdoors and In Nature
Spending time in the sun and in nature is very good for the mind and soul. It decreases stress, which in turn decreases cortisol levels, which have a positive effect on blood sugar levels.
Also spending time outdoors give us a chance to ‘step away’ from our lives and gives us much needed time to reflect on the state of our lives. Some of my best ideas and clearest thoughts have come to me while being in nature in a relaxed state.
It also might be a good idea to meditate outside. Meditation has many, many benefits which I think can also show themselves in the way you handle your diabetes.
Invest In Quality Diabetes Gear
I’m a big proponent on ‘you get what you pay for’. I really recommend investing in quality Diabetes gear that you can use to improve your quality of life. Here are some of my personal recommendations of items I consider ‘must haves’:
- Insulin Cooler – Whether you are spending the day at the beach, or just outside, if you carry your insulin with you, you can spoil it in just hours. You don’t want to find yourself in a position where your insulin has gone bad and your blood sugar is sky high.
- If you are going to be exercising outside, make sure to get a sport pouch. This is where you are going to store your glucose tablets, phone, and other essentials while out for a run. If you use a CGM, I highly recommend to get extra adhesives, to prevent your Dexcom sensor from ripping off while you are running or biking. If I don’t put an extra adhesive, even just for a few hours after putting a new sensor on, it always falls off and I have to apply a new sensor ($70 down the drain – unfortunately).
This are the absolute must have Diabetes gear you should invest in, at the very least if you want to have a comfortable summer.
Improve Your Cooking
A big part of managing your Diabetes well has to do with the food you eat. Avoiding processed food and eating cooking whole food is key. Processed, oily, food will skyrocket your blood sugar and make managing it a nightmare. It will mess up your insulin sensitivity, and make it very very difficult to get things back under control. Try to avoid eating out, or if you do enjoy eating out at restaurants, make sure you order clean food (Salad and Chicken is my go to).
When at home, spend some time learning to cook nutritious meals. I’ve been spending the past several months going through this book:
Many think that cooking quality food takes a lot of time, but the honest truth is that it can be quite quick and efficient after some practice. Believe me, if I can do it, so can you!
Hope you found these tips helpful to have a great summer with your Diabetes. It’s been a challenging year for many of us with the pandemic, so let’s make the most of summer.
Do you have any tips or ideas to make the most of summer with Diabetes? If yes, leave them in the comment section below.
Disclaimer: The content is purely informative and educational in nature and should not be construed as medical advice. Please use the content only in consultation with an appropriate certified medical or healthcare professional. The writer is not a licensed medical doctor.
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