The diabetes plan

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

Diabetes must be managed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And the director of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Dr. Griffin Rodgers, notes that this is easier to do when people have a plan:

“Here are some questions to help you: What’s hardest about caring for your diabetes? Why is this important to you? What is your goal? And what gets in the way of you making a change to meet your goal?”

Decide on a realistic and doable goal that is important to you. If you want to move more and haven’t been active, start with 15 minutes of walking a day. If you want to eat a more balanced diet, try swapping a daily treat for a healthy snack. Making a plan can help you manage diabetes for life.

Learn more at healthfinder.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.