Things to lift your spirits about living with diabetes

Living with diabetes brings a world of challenges, it’s true. But there are also some real benefits to enjoy about the diabetes lifestyle.

Check out this list of things to lift your spirits about living with diabetes, and make sure you’re taking full advantage of them. Start to celebrate the good things that come along with the diabetes lifestyle!

When you live with diabetes, you learn to eat healthily

The diabetes diet is actually very similar to the eating guidelines recommended in Canada’s Food Guide for the general population. People without diabetes don’t get any special help to follow these guidelines, but people with diabetes do!

The dietitian on your diabetes health care team will sit down with you and help develop a customized meal plan to meet your health and lifestyle needs. You can take advantage of ideas for planning, shopping and preparing healthy meals, complete with recipes and cooking tips.

If you need to lose weight, your dietitian will even incorporate this into your meal plan. Special needs like gluten intolerance or a need to limit sodium will also be taken into consideration.

Best of all, your dietitian will be there to support and motivate you along the road as part of your diabetes support team. You don’t get that kind of support if you don’t have diabetes!

If you don’t already have a dietitian on hand, ask your doctor for a referral. You will also find lots of tips to get you started in the Healthy Eating section of this site.

When you live with diabetes, you learn to stay fit through exercise

Just like the food guidelines, the Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines for the general population are very similar to the guidelines for people with diabetes. People without diabetes have to struggle by themselves to get off the couch, but people with diabetes get constant motivation, tips and support from the diabetes team to get moving.

The benefits from your increased level of physical activity go far beyond just diabetes. You are helping to protect yourself from a host of other diseases including cancer and heart disease and stroke. And just think about it...if you hadn’t been diagnosed with diabetes, you might never have left the couch!

Want some ideas right now to help you get moving? Check out the Physical Activity section of this site.

When you live with diabetes, you get regular health check-ups

Most people without diabetes only get health check-ups about once a year. People with diabetes are much luckier and get health check-ups on a regular basis, along with lab testing.

In addition to overall health monitoring every six months or more often, you are also likely to be referred to an eye specialist and a chiropodist for annual vision and foot checking.

All this careful monitoring makes it much more likely that health issues will be picked up fast, in time for speedy treatment before serious problems arise.

To make sure you’re getting all the available health check-ups and lab tests, see our expert blogger’s article Diabetes tests...what do they mean? When are they done? 

When you live with diabetes, you’re part of a strong community

The diabetes community gives you access to a strong network of likeminded people, together with a world of resources.

Get started by checking out your regional Diabetes Education Centre (DEC) for information sessions, educational materials and support from diabetes professionals.  Ask your diabetes healthcare professional to refer you to a DEC.

You may also find it helpful to read our article Tips to get community help with diabetes.

When you live with diabetes, you can gain strong advocacy skills

Many people with diabetes build strong presentation and advocacy skills by working with the Canadian Diabetes Association’s thriving National Advocacy Council.

Volunteers are trained to engage with politicians and the media in targeted campaigns with the goal of getting more support for people with diabetes. These are skills that can help you in every aspect of life.

Contact the Canadian Diabetes Association’s advocacy team for more information.