Begin With the Basics

1. Monitor your blood sugar frequently — testing your blood sugar levels and keeping track of the results will inform decisions about diet, activity, and medicine.

2. Have your health care provider check your A1C at least twice a year — A1C tells you what your average blood glucose levels have been for the past 2 to 3 months.

3. Plan your meals — prepare in advance for balanced nutrition and spread your carbohydrate intake throughout the day.

4. Be more active — activity helps manage blood sugar levels.

5. Know when to take medication — when you plan your meals, you can also plan when to take medication ahead of time.

6. Manage your blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol — these three are among the most important to watch to help prevent long-term complications.

7. Lose weight by eating less and being more active than you are right now — for a person who is overweight, even a moderate amount of weight loss can help lower blood sugar levels. For example, at 200 lbs., a 5% weight loss is 10 lbs.

8. If you smoke, get help to quit — smoking can aggravate many problems that people with diabetes already face, such as heart and blood vessel disease.