The National Diabetes Education Programs offers these tips on living with diabetes:

Tips to Help You Feel Better and Stay Healthy

There are many good reasons to take action now to manage your diabetes.

In the short run, you can: 

• Feel better    
• Stay healthy      
• Have more energy

In the long run, you can:

• Reduce your risk for heart attack and stroke
• Reduce your risk for eye, kidney or nerve disease
• Enjoy life more

Follow this three-part action plan that will help you live a long and healthy life.

1.  Know your diabetes ABC numbers.

Manage your A1C (blood glucose), Blood pressure and Cholesterol. You will lower your chances of having a heart attack, a stroke or other diabetes problems. Ask your health care team:

• What are my A1C (blood glucose), Blood pressure, and Cholesterol numbers? 
• What should my numbers be? 

Here are the ABC goals for most people with diabetes:

• A1C: 7 or less  (A1C shows how your blood glucose has been over the last three months.)
• Blood pressure: 130/80 or less
• Cholesterol: LDL 100 or less

2.  Reach your diabetes ABC goals.

Work with your health care team, friends and family to reach your ABC goals.

• Follow your diabetes food plan. If you do not have one, ask your health care team.
• Eat the right portions of healthy foods: fruits and vegetables (5 to 9 servings a day), fish, lean meats, dry beans, whole grains and low-fat milk and cheese.
• Eat foods that have less salt and fat.
• Get 30 to 60 minutes of activity on most days of the week.
• Stay at a healthy weight – by being active and eating the right amounts of healthy foods.
• Stop smoking – seek help to quit.
• Take medicines the way your doctor tells you. Ask if you need aspirin to prevent a heart attack or stroke.
• Check your feet every day for cuts, blisters, red spots and swelling. Call your health care team right away about any sores that won't heal.
• See your dentist at least twice a year. Tell the dentist you have diabetes.
• Check your blood glucose the way your doctor tells you to.

3.  Keep your diabetes ABCs under control.

Set goals you can reach and break a big goal into small steps.

Start with a 5- to 10-minute walk three times a week. Then, walk longer and more often.

Make changes that you can stick with for the rest of your life. To lose weight and keep it off, eat smaller portions and be more active.

Create a plan to deal with diabetes. Use these tips to keep at it.

• Make a list of all your reasons to control your diabetes for life.
• Set goals you can reach and break a big goal into small steps.
• Make changes that you can stick with.
• Try to figure out what tempts you to slip up in reaching your goals. Decide now how you will handle these events next time.
• Reward yourself for staying in control.
• Spend time with a friend or go to a show.
• Ask for a little help from friends or family when you’re down or need someone to talk to.
• Learn to manage setbacks. Admit that you’ve slipped and learn what you can from it and move on.
• Don’t be too hard on yourself. Work towards a healthy future.

Source: The National Diabetes Education Program (A Joint Program of the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.)