Diabetes: How to build good habits and break bad ones

Build the right habits and fight diabetes

It is possible to reverse type 2 diabetes naturally. A type 2 diabetes diagnosis can, in many cases, be revocable, and even if not, you can still dramatically change the severity of your diabetes. A lot of the factors that influence the development of the disease is modifiable.

The best way to fight diabetes is to build healthy habits in your life and let go of behaviours that will cause diabetes. But changing your lifestyle can be an uphill battle – it is hard to change your behaviour and stick to new habits. This article will give you practical tips on how to build healthy habits and how to stop doing things that will fast-track the development of diabetes.

What habits should I have and what should I stop doing?

Build the following healthy habits:

Follow a low GI diet.
Include lots of whole foods in your diet.

Do aerobic exercise, like walking, running, and dancing for 30 minutes every day.
Studies have shown that taking a brisk walk for about 30 minutes each day reduces the risk of developing diabetes by 30%.

Check your blood sugar levels regularly.
Keep tabs on your blood sugar levels so that you can treat it effectively.

Get enough sleep.
Not getting enough sleep is a risk factor for diabetes.

Follow a weight loss plan if you are overweight.
Being overweight raises your chances of developing diabetes sevenfold.

Incorporate stress management habits.
Studies have shown that both physical and emotional stress contributes to the development of diabetes.

Break the following bad habits:

Eating foods high on the GI scale.
High-processed foods, with lots of carbohydrates and sugar, will cause your blood sugar levels to spike.

Smoking.
Smoking cigarettes increases your chances of developing diabetes by 50%.

Sitting still for long stretches.
Spending too much time in front of a screen can be detrimental. Every two hours you spend watching TV instead of pursuing something more active increases the chances of developing diabetes by 20%.

How do I change my habits?

Here are some of his tips for building good habits:

Make your intentions crystal clear

James Clear, the writer of the best-selling book Atomic Habits, says that if you are clear on what good habit you want to start and when, and where you’ll execute your habit, you’ll be more likely to follow through with your new habit. Don’t leave any wiggle room to talk yourself out of doing your new tasks or postponing it.

James Clear suggests following this framework:

I will (new habit) at (time) in (location).

For example, I will go for a run at 17:00 in the park.

Building habits successively

It is easier to implement good habits if you build them on top of each other. You can add new habits after finishing a well-established habit. If you dutifully reply to emails from 09:00 – 10:00 every day, you can decide to add a healthful habit after your well-established habit. You can, for example, build the habit of doing 10 push-ups after writing your emails.

Make your habits fun

Did you know that your brain remembers pleasurable experiences? You will be more inclined to build behaviours around things that make you happy. If you like dancing, make it your main form of exercise rather than trying to do exercise that you hate.

You should also enjoy what you eat. Experiment with different flavours and textures whilst cooking – make dishes with whole foods that you will enjoy eating.

If you struggle to keep a habit, try coupling it with something you enjoy. Get on your spinning bike in front of the television – do some light exercise while watching your favourite series.

Don’t go at it alone

It is much easier to keep a good habit going if you have a community of people who are also interested in keeping the same habit. Surround yourself with people who will support and encourage you.

Make it easy

Doing your new habit should not be difficult to execute. Set up your environment so that it is easy for you to keep your new habits. For example, don’t put your running shoes in the back of your closet, rather put them at the door so that you can easily put them on and hit the road. Don’t make it difficult to execute your habits because if it is cumbersome to do, your chances of sustaining the habit will drop significantly.

You can also use technology to make it easy to keep good habits going. If you struggle to remember to check your blood sugar levels continuously, talk to your doctor about a continuous glucose monitor, or CGM. These devices measure your blood sugar levels in real-time. Some of these devices can connect to a smartphone app – meaning you can check your glucose levels easily.

Track your habits

Make a note of all the tasks you want to complete each day. Check off your tasks as you complete them – you will feel a sense of achievement. Completing a task and checking it off will release more of the hormone dopamine. Dopamine is the motivation molecule that drives you to seek rewards in achieving goals and enables you to take the effort it requires to be successful. The more dopamine you have, the more motivated you will be to stick to your habits.

Here are some tips for breaking bad habits:

Remove temptations

If you can remove temptations, it will be easier to kick a bad habit. If you want to, for example, reduce your carbohydrate and sugar intake, don’t fill your cupboards with sweet treats and highly processed foods – you will most likely be lured to the cupboards and eat foods that will cause your blood sugar levels to spike.

In this modern age, it is also important to remove digital temptations. If you order lots of unhealthy food online, you can, for example, silent notifications from fast food apps or remove these apps altogether.

Ponder on the negative impacts of your habits

When you are tempted to do something that will speed up the development of diabetes, think about the serious health complications.

When you feel tempted to smoke a cigarette, think about the negative impact that smoking has on your health. A review of studies in the 2019 issue of Diabetology & Metabolic Syndrome suggests that cigarette smoking was the main cause of the development of diabetes in at least 25 million cases worldwide.

Smoking is a big risk factor for diabetes and the health complications of diabetes are severe. Over time diabetes will affect your eyes, kidneys, nerves, and heart. This can lead to blindness, kidney disease, amputation, and heart disease.

Stay accountable

Get some help to stop bad habits. You are more likely to change your unhealthy ways if there is someone who watches what you do. You can, for example, write a letter to a friend or loved one stating how you intend to change and ask them to hold you to it.

Takeaway

Changing your habits is no easy task. If you’re able to let go of unhealthy habits and implement good ones, you can slow down the development of diabetes and improve your quality of life significantly.

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