How to build healthy habits that last with Type 2 diabetes
How to build healthy habits that last with Type 2 diabetes
I once booked my car in for a service. There was nothing wrong with it. It was running smoothly, but it had gone beyond the recommended kilometres.
It reminded me of how we often approach our own health. We may wait until something isn’t going well before stopping to review what we’re doing.
The new year, the end of the financial year, a birthday or just a quiet Sunday can all be a good prompt to do that.
A person writing in a journal, reflecting on goals and planning healthy eating and lifestyle habits to support Type 2 diabetes management.
Where you are now
Before making changes, take some time to review what you’re currently doing.
You may already have some useful habits in place. Perhaps you’re preparing more meals at home, walking regularly or being more aware of your food choices. There may also be areas that have become harder to manage. Maybe work has become busier, you’ve been less active, or meal planning and shopping have become less organised.
Ask yourself:
What’s working well with your food choices, physical activity and diabetes management?
What habits have been harder to maintain?
Are there particular times of the day or week when things become more difficult?
What is one area you could realistically improve?
It can also help to look at your usual meal patterns, hunger and snacking, glucose results where relevant, and any changes in your health or medications.
You don’t need to overhaul everything. Pick the one area where a change would help most.
Start small and focus on behaviours
Sometimes we think we need to do something monumental with our eating or exercise to make a measurable improvement to our health. However, you may only need to start with something that seems relatively small, doesn’t need much energy, willpower or sacrifice, and practise it consistently.
Set the bar low and get over it.
Examples might include:
Walking for 15 minutes before starting work
Adding another vegetable to your evening meal
Preparing a meal plan and shopping list for the week
Taking lunch to work four days per week
Breaking up long periods of sitting
Planning a couple of easy meals for busy evenings
I also encourage clients to set positive goals. “I’m going to start taking lunch to work” can be more useful than “I’m going to stop buying takeaway.”
Longer-term goals, such as improving your HbA1c, blood glucose levels or cardiovascular health, give you direction. But the daily behaviours are what get you there.
Choose a reasonable approach
One of the things I often discuss with clients is having a reasonable diet and reasonable exercise approach.
Extreme diets and highly restrictive programs are hard to keep up. You may be able to follow a strict plan for a few weeks, but what happens when you’re travelling, eating with family, going out with friends or in a busy patch at work? For some people, too many restrictions lead to hunger, guilt, overeating, or repeated cycles of losing and regaining weight.
A reasonable approach to eating with Type 2 diabetes might include:
Regular, satisfying meals that meet your nutrition needs
High-fibre foods, protein, suitable portions of carbohydrate and healthy fats
Foods you enjoy and can prepare regularly
Awareness of hunger, fullness and eating habits
Flexibility for meals out, celebrations and other occasions
The same applies to physical activity. A daily walk, regular resistance training or another form of exercise that fits your routine is easier to maintain than an ambitious program that leaves you exhausted.
Your eating and activity should also take into account your diabetes medications, glucose levels, health needs and personal preferences. A plan only works if you can keep it going all year, not just the first week or month.
Make it easier on yourself
We often rely on motivation, but motivation varies from one day to the next. If you’ve had a busy day at work, haven’t planned dinner and there’s very little food at home, making a useful food choice becomes much harder.
A shopping list, some easy meal ingredients, lunch made the night before or a couple of backup meals in the freezer can help on those days.
You can also build new habits around things you already do. If you regularly have a lunch break, could you include a short walk afterwards? If you shop on the weekend, could you spend a few minutes planning the meals you’ll need for the week?
Be flexible when life changes
Work schedules change, family commitments arise, holidays happen and sometimes we simply have less time or energy. A habit that works in a quiet week may need adjusting in a busy one.
Say you’ve been taking lunch to work four days a week, but your routine changes. Could you prepare lunch twice a week instead? Keep some convenient options at work? Choose a couple of reliable lunch options when eating out? You can still work towards the same goals while changing how you get there.
If a habit hasn’t gone to plan, consider what got in the way. Was it too ambitious? Did it need more time or preparation than expected? Would a smaller action be easier to maintain? Adjust and try again.
I encourage clients to follow principles rather than rigid rules. It gives you more flexibility when things change and builds confidence in making your own food and lifestyle decisions.
Keep checking in
Some clients find simple checklists, food diaries or habit trackers useful for noticing patterns and seeing where adjustments might help. They don’t need to become another pass-or-fail test. A review with your dietitian, diabetes educator, exercise physiologist or GP can also help you make sense of your progress and decide whether your plan needs changing.
There are other signs of progress beyond the scales or glucose meter. You might feel more confident preparing meals, have less hunger between meals, make better decisions when eating out, or find regular activity easier. Those count too.
Building habits for the long term
Type 2 diabetes is a long-term condition, and for that we need a long-term solution. Some habits will become easier, while others will need reviewing as your circumstances change.
Think about where you’d like to be in 12 months. What habits would you like to have in place? What would make managing your diabetes feel a little easier?
Choose one or two actions you can start practising this week. Keep them manageable, and review how they’re going.
Not sure where to start with Type 2 diabetes?
I've created a free Type 2 Diabetes Guide with 7 simple steps to help guide your food choices and habits.
It covers practical starting points for meal structure, food choices, planning, movement and developing habits that fit into everyday life.
There's also a starter checklist to help you choose a few actions to practise first.
Download the free Type 2 Diabetes Guide
Need personalised support?
If you've been finding it difficult to maintain changes, or would like help reviewing your food choices, glucose patterns and everyday habits, a dietitian can help you develop a plan that suits your needs.
Deconstructing Diabetes provides online consultations Australia-wide for people living with Type 2 diabetes.