5 One-Minute Habits That Will Lower Your A1c

In this video, I’ll give you 5 simple one-minute habits that can help lower your A1c levels and improve your overall health.
These habits are quick and easy to incorporate into your daily routine and can make a significant impact on managing your blood sugar levels.
Watch this video to learn more about how you can take control of your A1c and live a healthier life. Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more helpful tips on managing diabetes.
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0:00 Intro
0:00 How do you know what to eat to keep your A1c low?
0:00 What to drink to lower your A1c
3:56 How to calculate A1c
5:04 Lower your fat intake to reduce your A1c
6:28 How sleep habits and stress impact your A1c
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DISCLAIMER: I’m not a medical professional, never stop your current treatment without consulting with your doctor

[@RandyFricke]

I think people make this way too complicated. I don't take any doctor prescribed medication. I was diagnosed in November of 2022 at 10.4 A1C. I weighed 250 pounds. This was during my 13 day hospitalization for viral pneumonia (a.k.a. COVID 19) at that time. I'm currently (May 30, 2024) at 6.8 A1C and 221 pounds. Yes I take a fistful of supplements which you can research on KZbin. The "hacks" I've found that are working for me are intermittent fasting, no snacking during the fast, and walking immediately after your main "break fast" meal. Walking kills two birds with one stone. Walking for just 10 minutes (minimum) immediately lowers your glucose by 20%. Longer walks can result in even lower glucose levels. But walk also builds muscle mass. You don't have to lose weight quickly because weight is not necessarily the issue. Turning fat into muscle is fart more important than obsessing over your weight. He's how I know this is working for me. On days that I don't walk after my meal I will sit in my chair and fall right to sleep. When I awaken I feel like crap for the rest of the evening and I don't sleep so good on those nights. Sometimes when I don't get out right away I can be sitting in my chair on the verge of dozing off and I get my ass up and get out the door. I'm amazed at how good I feel after having burned some of that glucose down, getting my muscles moving, and getting some air in my lungs. You don't need to count calories. Just stop eating the crap that's making you sick and overweight (and we all know what they are) and get your ass up off the couch and go walk 3500 steps. Stay at it and you will see results.

[@lindaa2437]

I'm a type2 diabetic and can vouch for her advice. I tested my glucose levels after every meal. I learned that I needed to dial my low carb diet even lower. Once I did that I started to lose weight, stopped being hungry all the time, and started eating less often. I've been able to lose over 85lbs, take less medication for my osteo & rheumatoid arthritis, and no longer need insulin injections. The key is paying attention to how YOUR body responds to what you eat. Her advice to stay active, reduce stress, and get proper sleep are all spot on.

[@Mauseeqi]

Since Chapters are NOT made according to 6 Habits so am listing it below to save your time.. You can say thanx later 🙂 1. Assess what you are eating (write or use an app) 2. Hydration.. Drink Water 4-6 cups a day min. 3. Reduce High Fat Diet intake even Healthy Fats as in Keto. 4. Sleep Properly 8-9 hours. 5. Stress Management. 6. A Walk of 10 min or physical activity.

[@Sideler74]

My A1C went from 8.4 to 6.5 in 90 days. Dropped 30.lbs in the process. No alcohol, junk food, processed sugar or fried foods. eat real food. steak, chicken, fish, salads, vegetables etc. No pharmaceuticals whatsoever!!!!!!!! You can do this!!!!!!!!!

[@Seasideboy1]

Thank you ever so much for your kind words of encouragement, seriously. Your beautiful words are a great source of encouragement to me. I wish I could buy you a VERY BIG bar of Dark Chocolate.

[@fredklein724]

As a Physician living with type 1 diabetes for the past 25 years, I have developed a way to keep on track. My A1Cs average between 5.5-6.0. I try to stay firmly on my diet during the week, but allow myself one guilty pleasure in small quantity on the weekend ( 1 bagel). This is like the carrot and the stick!

[@user-hd9gu6iw6l]

ADA has advised to maintain HBA1c level just below 7 in a patient with anti - diabetic medication. Your control may be called strict control. Do you face hypoglycemic episodes?

[@fredklein724]

@@user-hd9gu6iw6l Rarely.

[@cireldagagobenitez8618]

Cómo es su dieta ??

[@fredklein724]

@@cireldagagobenitez8618 Low fat, low carbohydrates

[@Seasideboy1]

Very informative and beneficial. Thank you so much.

[@Mike19663]

Congratulations on 5.7 A1C, that is the number I got earlier this week when I git checked. 🎉🎉🎉

[@DiabetesStrong]

Awesome 👏

[@created2bless322]

I learned quite a bit! When I was first diagnosed I was told not to check my glucose levels....a good friend, who is diabetic told me to check it anyway and I did. I took classes to learn do's and don'ts and was off of medication in about 6 months and have never looked back. My A1c is about 5.8-6.0 and I still check my glucose daily and often. Ignorance is not bliss. Thank you for your informative video! Just subscribed.

[@DiabetesStrong]

They told you not to check your blood sugar?! That's so odd. I'm glad you listened to your friend

[@vickieharris644]

Thank you for this. I started April 22, 2024. I use my phone like I dud with the G6. So far it's going good. I will look forward to your points.

[@dennisstolte1103]

Good info. Thank you!

[@deewinston5651]

Thank you for sharing.

[@Abhiaatahoonjanamat]

Excellent guidance 🙏 Stay blessed my dear

[@LetsBeHealthy_]

I've been tuning into your videos for quite some time, and I must say, your channel is absolutely outstanding!

[@DiabetesStrong]

Thank you

[@susanmartin-qd2yg]

Thank you for your advice this is so needed for understanding of Diabetes!!😊

[@lpg12338]

Thanks for sharing. 👍

[@armandoavila5040]

Amazing advise

[@mikelyons70]

Thank You

[@carolinelanctot281]

Thank you so much. I learned a lot with you!

[@DiabetesStrong]

You are so welcome!

[@benzbro350]

Your skin looks really good ... Healthy ...

[@WarrenKimpel]

another nice video, THANKS !!

[@DiabetesStrong]

Thank you. Glad you enjoyed it

[@sohailabbas3607]

Excellent advices. Thank you

[@DiabetesStrong]

You are so welcome!

[@nancyv4431]

All excellent suggestions. I recently switched to Tresiba because Levemir is being discontinued. My blood sugar control is super! I never realized what a new (to me), improved long-acting insulin can do.

[@DiabetesStrong]

Thank you. I'll be discussing alternatives to Levemir with my endo next month. I've tried Tresiba before but it's still on my list of contenders, so I'm happy to hear that works well for you

[@antoinettebrown3834]

Thank you for you excellent videos!

[@DiabetesStrong]

Glad you like them!

[@rodofgod7394]

Don’t forget to combine foods correctly. First veggies, second protein and lastly carbs. Also take a glass of water with apple vinegar before dinner. Don’t forget to hidrate with green tea or chamomile tea. These also control glucose level. Fruits only consume Berries. That’s my take on this. But exercise is a must !

[@charleszito7119]

Great video dear..love the suggestions. PS...you get better looking every time I see you...

[@geirbalderson9697]

I found your site as i was looking for some ways to rotate my injection sites. I noticed my A1c climbing a few months back and my Dr. was alarmed. I was able to get a Diabetes counselor and she sleuthed that i was injecting into the same spots too often and those areas did not allow proper absorption due to scar tissue. I used your suggested body sites and my glucose began to decline. Thank you so much or your video!

[@DiabetesStrong]

I'm so glad it was helpful

[@grainiac7824]

Heavy cream in the coffee. Yummy and sugar free

[@KE64238]

I'd never heard of a negative impact on a1c from the keto diet. Interesting to learn that.

[@BTSHIQ]

There are only 2 elements to consider in a Keto diet. Having cut the carbs to virtually zero, the only macros are fat and protein. Some people thrive on high fat and moderate protein but others cope better with high protein and moderate fat! So Keto is not only a high fat diet. See Maria Emmerich higher protein lower fat Keto diet! Another thing to consider is that your bodies needs change over time and you could move from one to the other! As you say we are all different but as a T2 Diabetic (now in recession) it is the lowering of carbs that matters. The balance of protein and fat is flexible depending on what best suits your body. Regular blood tests incl HbA1C will confirm if your choices need to be tweaked!

[@HateDietPepsi]

I was on a

[@pamelakoretsky9909]

It is proven medical fact that high fat diets increase insulin resistence in everybody...marked effect on those with diabetes. High Fat combined with Low Carb...KETO packs a double wallop and increases LDL cholesterol as well.

[@FrankGransee]

@@HateDietPepsi same with Mission low carb tortillas (for me). My blood sugar spikes from those and the “fiber” does not have any effect on my digestive regularity. They taste great though - but are banned now from my pantry.

[@user-tb5fq3qx9g]

I eat lots of fat and it never causes a problem with a spike an hour later. Also basically everyone says to eat lots of good fats like olive oil, avacados.

[@donaldjones9830]

Nothing wrong with a good fat but moderate to high fat diet. Don’t combine it with a high carb diet. Adding more protein is good, if it doesn’t affect your kidneys. Good advice though. We need to remember that everyone reacts differently to diabetes. No one size fits all solution. We need to figure out what works for ourselves, although all these solutions or advice is good, one must tailor it to themselves what works for them. I hope people recognize that.

[@pamelakoretsky9909]

Can you also share your cgm GMI and Variability values....they are a much better indicator of control.

[@DiabetesStrong]

Yes. I didn’t talk that much about CGM values in this video as many don’t have access to it. You can see my GMI and standard deviation in this A1c video - How I Lowered My A1c in 30 Days | Discover 5 Simple Steps kzbin.info/www/bejne/g4ekc4KeeJJ8obs

[@lezleyd55]

O.M.G. I have to learn a whole new language😢 I guess, it beats the alternative

[@EdwardsNH]

Things that got me to 5.7 and lower: No grains! That was a huge step... glucose levels averaging 50 points lower than meals with grains. Lots of greens. A smoothie with a splash of kombucha, tablespoon of peanut butter, 30 grams of protein, and about 3 cups of spinach and a cup of water. That steadies out my glucose levels for most of the day. Also... SLEEP! Lack of sleep make it hard to keep my glucose in line, even when I'm doing intense exercise. I'm a muscular type 2 with 8% body fat... just crap genes... If I do everything on point, I can keep at or slightly under 5.7, but I have to be militant about it. Being a nurse can make that hard, mostly because of schedules that mess with my sleep. Having a CGM makes all the difference in being able to track how diet, exercise, sleep, and other factors affect your glucose. I recommend at least a couple months at least, even if you're not diabetic.

[@jackschitt6235]

People (many) r just so resistant to the suggestion that as a diabetic they shouldn't be trying to eat "whatever they want/just like everyone else". I believe the nutrition "experts" who say that us homosapiens have absolutely no need to eat anything from the grains category. But so many of us got used to eating cereal/spaghetti/pizza etc that it is hard to change for many people. My bottom line is adjusting to a strict diet is better than adjusting to life without your vision. Normally the I can and will eat whatever I want diabetics don't want to say what their last A1c was because they know it wasn't really good enough. 20 years on the Rollercoaster 🎢 and u will have retinopathy. Good luck

[@EdwardsNH]

I mean, I’m not against grain. It may well be like dairy. Some people have genes that are better adapted to digesting than others. I’ve also been a personal trainer for years, so that plus being a nurse…I’m very familiar with people not wanting to change, sticking their heads in the sand, or just having zero motivation. Never mind the lack of knowledge That’s a very good reason to use a CGM. It won’t change everyone , but a lot of people will get very accurate feedback on how their lifestyle is affecting their health My mom would fall into the “nothing is going to change me” category. She wears a CGM, and still does nothing to improve her health. Average of 570, GFR of 12 (stage 5 kidney failure), and still eats half a gallon of ice cream every day while complaining about her poor health

[@jackschitt6235]

@@EdwardsNH My feeling is that newly diagnosed diabetics should get a referral to a psychologist. Sending them to a dietitian and educator is a waste of time and money if the other issues aren't addressed. Motivation/determination and understanding delayed gratification etc. Giving duet advice to someone who isn't going to follow it is money down the drain. If u can't adjust to a special diet how r u ever going to adjust to being blind? Force people to think through the situation they r in and teach them how to reprogram their own mind.

[@diannalocke997]

Congrats! I was wondering what would be a typical breakfast, lunch and dinner for you? Looking for new ideas and ways of eating. Thanks!

[@DiabetesStrong]

I made a "What I eat in a day" video last year (Here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pHe7mJKhirKYfq8si=UvejATX02YOxGlKv). I change the meals up a bit but the broad strokes are the same

[@diannalocke997]

@@DiabetesStrong Thanks!!!!

[@amyseward165]

Do you take long acting via pen and short acting via the In pen by Medtronic?

[@DiabetesStrong]

Yes, InPen is only for rapid-acting insulin at this point. So I use a long-acting prefilled pen as well

[@pureheart8666]

Diabetes strong i have a question please i try walgreens at home a1c it came out at 5.2 and than the lab result was 5.4 is it no big difference between both tests that means the at home is accurate close to lab result ?

[@DiabetesStrong]

Yes, I would agree with that conclusion. They are accurate for me as well

[@AlexCrl200]

My blood glucose only returns to normal levels after 3 hours. There is no way it can ever get back to normal in less than 2, let alone 1,5h. And this is with any type of food (very fatty foods can take up to 4 hours and many times it needs a correction) . My blood glucose peaks at around 1-1,5h mark from the food and starts dropping down at around 2h, then returns to normal at 3h. Is this okay? Is it just how my body reacts? Why is this the case for me? What am I doing wrong?

[@carolroy-amorim3010]

This is me too!!

[@DiabetesStrong]

If you use insulin to manage your blood sugars you might want to consider adjusting your "pre-bolus" time. Since most rapid-acting insulin won't start lowering blood sugars until 15+ minutes after injected and won't be at its most effective until 60-90 min after injected, it's most often recommended that you do your injection at least 15 min before you start your meal. I sometimes pre-bolus 30-45 minutes before I eat.

[@AlexCrl200]

@@DiabetesStrong I currently use Fiasp, which is supposed to be pretty fast. I was told that its not necessary to pre-bolus with fiasp, and tbh I've always had trouble with pre bolusing, most of the time I bolus right when Im about to eat because a lot of the time I just dont know when and how much Im actually gonna eat 20 mins before. Ive also used lyumjev in the past which would get me low immediately after eating cause it worked superfast and then I would eat more and my glucose would then skyrocket, so I went back to fiasp. Thanks for the reply.

[@riazshaikh3573]

its all make a diffent when you live with family.

[@vignesh7989]

I have a question. I just got my a1c blood test drawn on May 21 2024. And it was 5.3 which is normal. Does the A1c include the month of May? So from March 2024 to May 2024 which is 3 months or from February to April 2024 which is 3 months?

[@DiabetesStrong]

A1c is roughly the last 3 months. It’s not month to month, but roughly 3 months from when you had your blood drawn. I like this explanation: “A1C testing relies on hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is the part of the red blood cell that carries oxygen throughout your body. When you have glucose in your blood, it sticks to hemoglobin. This is called glycation. The more glucose is in your blood, the more it sticks. And it can stay there for around three months - about how long the average red blood cell lives. The A1C test measures the average amount of glucose that’s been attached to hemoglobin over time.”

[@karenwaters7317]

On my blood test my glucose level was 147....the night before it was 89 and in the morning it was 114.I had fasted for more than 12 hours....did my liver kick in? How can I fix this? Usually my glucose is around 104 in the morning my a1c is 6.2

[@DiabetesStrong]

98 to 114 isn't something I would be too worried about, but yes, that can be from your liver. I made this video specifically about keeping morning blood sugars low, hope that helps: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y4CYkoV3o9NsipIsi=oRN1-k4FKdGG3MZM

[@jamesdorans2167]

I use mysugr

[@not_in_the_know]

❤❤

[@CarbageMan]

I think you're using the term "insulin resistant" wrong. The plain fact is that if you eat more energy (sugar, fat) your body is going to process it. When you process fat, there is a glycerin backbone that goes to gluconeogenesis. In other words, your body makes glucose when it processes fat. If you eat _a lot_ of fat, your glucose can go up over time. The thing to do here is NOT eat so much. BTW, if you don't eat carbs, your body will also likely do the same with protein, though the process is a bit different. About that fat-this is why, once a ketogenic dieter becomes fat adapted, s/he dials back the fat-and begins consuming more of his or her own. As for "insulin resistance" on a ketogenic diet, this is not actually insulin resistance-we actually become more insulin sensitive. However, there's something called the Randle cycle. Basically, your mitochondria can get very good at processing sugar or fat, and it can take some time to fully switch over. The result? If you're keto, your blood sugar may actually go up _more_ when you eat carbs. However, you can "cycle" to keep your mitochondria "fresh."

[@sujataharish702]

I thought avocado is good to eat

[@DiabetesStrong]

It's considered a healthy food. It's high fat though, so that's why I included an image of an avocado

[@_Shadow_Man_2024]

There is a cure coming for type 1.

[@ssomaskanthan5137]

Though I agree with most of what you have said, I totally disagree about your fat causing insulin resistant hypothesis. To start with, impact of dietary fat on insulin is very very minimal. Therefore, it is never possible to say insulin resistance is caused by fat. There is literally no insulin produced. No where do you say how does a lay person knows whether they are insulin sensitive or resistant. The fat you are talking about is the saturated fat and not mono unsaturated fats. Not al fats are same. So please don't make the statement that eating fats creates insulin resistance, which is absolutely not correct. Lastly I would say one of the most important things to consider in reducing A1C is to have time restricted and calorie restricted diet. I have been a type 2 diabetic for 25 years and now with simple changes have A1C around 6.2 with no diabetic medication. For type 2 diabetic there is absolutely no need for any medication.

[@DiabetesStrong]

About 50% of those living with type 2 diabetes are insulin deficient and will need medication to keep blood sugars in check. It's great that you have achieved an A1c of 6.2% without meds but there's nothing wrong with medication if you need it

[@HuyPhan-tv6qt]

A Japanese doctor said diabetes is a disease of laziness. People who are working out everyday have a very low chance of becoming diabetes.

[@DiabetesStrong]

Well, that is a grossly inaccurate statement. For those who live with autoimmune diabetes (Type 1, LADA, etc.) as well as about 50% of those with type 2 diabetes who are insulin deficient, no amount of exercise will make their diabetes go away

[@marshallderriek1858]

There's a saying ... you can't exercise your way out of a bad diet .. that's a fact

[@boothompson5232]

I have Type 1 because my cancer treatments not only killed my cancer but my pancreas and thyroid! NOT laziness!!

[@miguelherrera5541]

I’m sorry but this is missinformative…

[@DiabetesStrong]

Hi, I’m curious, what makes you say that?