Diabetic Living Australia — July-August 2017

diabetic living JULY/AUGUST 2017 111

LIVING well

● Adopt a movement schedule

Set an alarm to remind you to

move every 20 minutes (or hour

if you’re super busy). Walk the

stairs or do star jumps, skip rope

or do exercises such as 10 heel

raises and 10 chair squats.

Celebrations

“Navigating sweet,

high-fat and high-

kilojoule foods at celebration

morning teas and meetings is

an ongoing work challenge,”

says Aloysa Hourigan, senior

nutritionist with Nutrition

Australia. “If you indulge at

work, make sure it’s not also

happening at home.”

WISE UP

● Serve a taste “Choose the one

or two foods you would most

● Think small Stick to standard

100ml serves of wine or order a

spritzer (wine plus mineral water).

● Avoid spirits and cocktails

The alcohol content is usually

higher than for wine or beer.

Rush hour

Work stress is a risk

factor for developing

heart disease and type 2 diabetes,

shows research from University

College London. Eat in a wired

state and you will also have

trouble reducing your BGLs,

according to a study from the

University Hospital of Zurich.

WISE UP

● Ease into workdays Enjoy

an early bath or walk the dog –

avoiding the stress of a morning

rush can help keep BGLs stable.

● Take a lunch break This can

boost energy and effectiveness,

shows a study in the Psychology,

Health & Medicine Journal.

● Breathe Take a five-minute

break now and again at your desk.

Focus on a positive word as you

breathe out and release tension.

● Set boundaries Doing the job

of two people? Think up solutions

to discuss with your boss.

● Prioritise BGL tests If your

BGLs drop or go high you won’t

be able to work effectively.

“Discuss with your employer

a plan to help you manage your

diabetes at work,” says Suzanne

Leahy, a diabetes educator at

Diabetes NSW & ACT. “It should

include provision for regular

meal times and breaks to test

BGLs, a private place for testing

and/or injecting insulin and

agreement about where to store

sharps and hypo treatment.”

For healthy recipes to inspire

your work lunches go to

diabeticliving.com.au Q

enjoy and have a very small

serve,” Hourigan suggests. “Or

why not cut a large serve in half

• someone else will probably be
  looking for ways to eat less.”
  ● Opt for BYO To look like a
  team player and ensure you have
  healthy food choices, pack your
  own party food – nutritious dips
  and vegie sticks, sushi, finger
  sandwiches or a fruit and cheese
  platter suggests Hourigan.

Too tired?

Long hours, a taxing job

and outside work

commitments make it hard to

schedule time for exercise. But,

for people with diabetes, it’s a

‘must do’ not a ‘to do’.

WISE UP

● Engage in short exercise

bursts Do four 10- or 15-minute

mini workouts over the day or

kick a ball around with the kids.

Studies show that accumulated

activity brings health benefits.

● HIIT it Do two to three High

Intensity Interval Training

(HIIT) workouts of 10 minutes

several times a week: 20- to

30-second intervals of jogging

on the spot, with 10- to

20-second rests in between.

● Schedule exercise Cycle to

work or go to the gym on the

way home to get movement in.

● Walk whenever possible

Suggest walking meetings or a

lunchtime walking group at work.

Work tipples

Socialising with

colleagues is nice, but

alcohol can cause BGLs in type 1s

to plummet overnight and also

contributes to weight gain.

WISE UP

● Empty your glass Avoid

WORDS topping up partly full glasses.

STEPHANIE OSFIELD

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