Let’s face it – we have all been that person, the one who says “it’s okay, I am fine. I will make that doctors appointment another day.” There are millions of reasons why we don’t take time to make healthy lifestyle choices. Kids, jobs, cat videos on the Internet – we’re all busy.
But let me ask you this – if it were the health of your child, your parent, or another loved one, would you still procrastinate? Whatever the reason, there’s no excuse for not taking care of yourself just like you would make the time to take care of someone else!
I am lucky that Diabetes does not run in our family! However that doesn’t mean I don’t have to pay attention to my body and symptoms I have. Diabetes is no respecter of persons or families! I could still get it if I am not careful.
March 22nd is Diabetes Alert Day. No one is excused from prediabetes. 86 million American adults (more than 1 in 3) have prediabetes and are at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes, a serious health condition that can lead to heart attack and stroke. Surprisingly, nearly 90% of those with prediabetes don’t even know that they have it.
But it’s not all bad news. Prediabetes often can be reversed through weight loss, diet changes and increased physical activity. Diagnosis is key: research shows that once people are aware of their condition, they are much more likely to make the necessary lifestyle changes. Education and awareness could mean the difference in so many lives.
Making changes may seem tough. But remember, even a small amount of weight loss (5-7% of your body weight) can reverse prediabetes before it develops into type 2 diabetes.
- Get at least 2.5 hours (150 minutes) of light aerobic activity every week. This could be as simple as going for a brisk 30-minute walk 5 days per week. Even 10 minutes at a time adds up. Small steps can lead to big changes.
- Find simple ways to be more active throughout the day, like taking the stairs instead of the elevator, or parking farther away from the entrance of a store front when you hit the shops. Because, hey, whatever will get you moving is a step in the right direction.
- At the start of each week, create a schedule of when you’re going to exercise — and make it a priority to stick to it!
We need to communicate a sense of urgency – it’s time to take action and what better day to spread the message than on Diabetes Alert Day! If you know someone who could be at risk, encourage them to visit DoIHavePrediabetes.org for a short online test that will help them learn their risk for prediabetes.
Always good to have this information.
I am a diabetic and don’t check my sugar as often as I should. Thanks for this article.
Good to know. I come from a family of diabetics.
nice post, thank you for sharing
Thank you! very informative!
I have too many friends with diabetes 🙁
These are great things everyone should watch out for.
Luckily my family doesn’t have lots of people with diabetes prevention is the key
This is a problem in my family. I have take care of diabetes since 1995 so be sure to check everything out with you doctor at the first signs. thanks sor sharing this info.
Many members of my family on father’s side have diabetes. Luckily I don’t but I try to be careful and watch my sugar intake. It doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy desserts — I do — but I have to be careful with the amount of processed sugar I consume. Everyone does! Everyone needs to have awareness of the dangers of diabetes.
My mom has diabetes and her mom had it and her grandmother so I’m worried I might get it in the future. I’m going to pass this article on to my mom so she can have a read. Thank you.
It’s good to know more about this. My grandma had diabetes aince she was 14 and passed at 46 years old.
Since your grandma had diabetes since age 14 she probably had juvenile onset diabetes which is totally different from Type II diabetes. So you may want to google up Juvenile Onset Diabetes….to learn more about it.
Reading this article definitely made me think more about diabetes. It does run in my family, and I should make better choices to lower my risk.