Dealing with Diabetes During the Holiday Season: 4 Ways You Can Survive with This New Yuletide Outlook

With the holidays upon us, it's crucial to keep your time-in-range. Not familiar with time-in-range? It’s the percentage of time that a person spends with their blood glucose levels in a target range. It is tempting to indulge in festive delights and holiday fares, but is it worth it?

This year is somewhat easier to manage due to fewer social gatherings. Unfortunately, COVID-19 is still a present danger and increasing daily. This underlying condition puts you at greater risk with COVID-19.

Stress, loss of sleep, food and drink choices, less physical activity are also factors. During the holiday season, you need to keep your diabetes well-managed and in range. How do you achieve this during the most wonderful time of the year?

Make a Promise to Yourself

You work hard all year long to manage your time-in-range. Why ruin it during the last two months of 2020? Make a pact with yourself to avoid anything that can throw off your care management plan. You are worth it. Your health is worth it. Change your perspective when faced with holiday season challenges. Make a promise to use the tools in your toolbox to enjoy this special time of the year. Write that contract to yourself!

Try Your Best to Make the Right Choices

Know that you can make healthy choices and balance your food intake. There will be days when you are not on track. Don't beat yourself up instead build a strategy for success. Make it a practice to check your levels throughout the day every day. Speak to your doctor about time-in-range tools that can make your life easier. If you are using a blood glucose monitor, ask if a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) makes more sense for your condition. Many of these diabetic tools are covered by insurance plans or can be purchased with pay now option.

Get Active

During the holiday season, it is important to keep active. There are many options available even with gyms having limiting hours due to COVID-19. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, getting active makes your body more sensitive to insulin. No excuses - cold or hot weather climates. Get geared up and go for that walk. Make your scheduled exercise class or stream your favorite workout app. Get on your treadmill, exercise bike, or mini stepper. Make this a priority every day and before any holiday gatherings. Feel better about yourself and your health.

Enjoy What The Season Has to Offer

Tis the season to be joyful, but we know it can be difficult with a diabetes condition at hand. Even with COVID-19, we can try to make the best of it. Relish in the celebration with family and friends near and far. Host your first annual Zoom celebration with food and drink that will keep you within your time-in-range goals. Make that healthier holiday recipe that you found and have been holding onto. Make holiday shopping easy and safe with online purchases. Opt for home delivery or curbside pickup. It's a great time to start a new tradition. Enlist family members or friends in social distancing outdoor activities. Here are a few:

• Cut down your own tree
• Go on a holiday lights walk
• Try ice-skating or a winter hike
• Go caroling
• Pay it forward with an outdoor act of kindness

These are a few tactics to keep you in check for the holiday season. It’s so important to keep on top of your diabetes diagnosis this time of the year. With holiday merriment all around, it can be easy to get off track and distracted. Your health is the best gift you can give yourself and your loved ones! In fact, there is no greater gift.