Spring Cleaning!
By: Jessica Cook MS, RD, LD, CDE
Spring is all about change and new beginnings. Whether you are planning for vacations, creating new plans for outdoor physical activities or trying fresh spring produce, spring is a great time for cleaning out old unnecessary habits! Although changing behaviors may be very challenging, it can also become very rewarding and you can create new healthy behaviors that stick with you for a lifetime. Behaviors such as snacking, exercise as well as regular blood glucose monitoring greatly impacts diabetes control and can become healthy habits with some practice. Below we have included helpful ideas to help you create positive change in your life for not only better diabetes control, but an overall better quality of life.
Changing your attitude can change your life!
By: Gail Starr LCSW, CDE
May is a month of beauty, a time when spring gets a foothold, when sunshine fills the heart with hope and warmth, and when flowers spread their petals for us to enjoy. Here in Florida there are always flowers blooming, but May is when the flowers change. It’s too hot for some, just right for others. We pick and choose what would be right for the season. And then we get to reap the benefits.
“How does this relate to Diabetes?” Perhaps this is the month that you can really look at your life, your health, your place in the world and say to yourself, “it is a time when there is renewed hope. I can choose to make a difference in my life.”
Where would you start? How would you start? The first decision to make is to accept that you have an issue with the sugars in your blood. Having diabetes may be challenging and no one wants this disease, but by ignoring it and not doing anything to take care of it can make life even more challenging.
The second decision involves looking at your life. Seriously consider that one behavior change could possibly make a vast difference in your blood sugar levels, and think that you can succeed at that goal. Look at the positive outcomes of that change. It is as if you were making the decision of what flowers to pick for the season. Perhaps it is eating ½ of the carbohydrates you are eating now or perhaps to walk with a neighbor three mornings per week, or practice meditation one time per day. It is knowing that the choice you are making is going to improve your life that makes the change easier to do.
It is that decision, that positive attitude that can make it happen. As
Psychologist William James said, “The greatest discovery of my generation
is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitude
of mind.” ‘You cannot always control circumstances, but you
can control you own thoughts,” stated by Charles Popplestown. He
says very simply that our thoughts, our minds, our attitudes help create
who we are and how we live our lives. So perhaps it is the time to pick
and choose what to change in your lifestyle that will help
you reap the benefits of a long, healthy life. Your
positive attitude can make all difference.
Need a Refresher?
Has it been a while since you have attended diabetes education? Maybe a few months or even years? Well why not participate in our diabetes refresher course to review new information regarding diabetes medications, food labels, carbohydrate counting, blood glucose monitoring, weight loss, exercise and more! Our refresher class is held twice a month at two of our convenient locations in West Palm Beach or Jupiter. Please feel free to bring a guest with you to the course and any questions you have current regarding diabetes care.
To reserve your seat in our refresher course today, please call our scheduling department at (561) 513-5100. We look forward to seeing you soon!
At Healthy Living with Diabetes, we want to ensure that you are satisfied with all services received. We also would like your input on educational workshops that you would like us to offer, informa the ion you would like to read about in our Healthy Living with Diabetes Monthly or feedback on any workshop that you may have attended.
You can contact the director of education personally by email: jcook@PBDES.COM or leave a message at (561) 513-5100. We would love to hear from you!