If someone gets the diagnosis of prediabetes, that does not necessarily mean that he/she would get diabetes.
However, this diagnosis is a wake-up call, and people need to take some action.
According to the chief of endocrinology at the Hospital St. Peter’s in Albany, N.Y, Gregg Gerety, people need to look at this as an opportunity to make some lifestyle changes.
Also an opportunity to delay the progression to diabetes or even better to prevent diabetes.
Start by making these 7 changes in everyday habits.
7 Things We Need to Do
1. Lower Weight
Being overweight has no benefits at all. But we do not have to make a drastic change in our weight in order to make a difference and to turn things around.
According to one study, people with a diagnosis of prediabetes lost from 5 percent to 7 percent of their total weight, which is around 10 to 14 pounds with a person that has around 200 pounds.
These people actually reduced their chances by 58 percent of getting diabetes.
2. Make Sleeping Our Priority
We are all aware that sleep is crucial. According to Theresa Garnero, author, if you don’t sleep enough it will be harder for you to lose weight.
Not enough sleep makes difficulties for the body to use insulin efficiently and that is why type 2 diabetes is more likely to occur.
We need to make our own sleeping habit. According to our chores and our day decide when is the most appropriate time for us to go to bed.
Respect that time and wake up and go to bed at the same time every single day. Remember to relax before you go to sleep. Avoid using the smartphone, TV or computer to fall asleep.
Also, we need to avoid caffeine if we have difficulties to fall asleep.
3. Choose and Commit
We need to decide what is best for us and our health in the long-term.
We need to aim to be perfect, but also to accept the fact that no one is. In case you cannot get things done, do not stress and remember that you have done your best.
According to Garnero, we need to be consistent when it comes to our daily activities, and those activities need to do the best for our health.
4. Get Support
Let your family and friends be your support system.
According to an associate professor of medicine, Ronald T. Ackermann, a professor at the Indiana University School of Medicine, it will be easier if people support you and help you exercise regularly, eat healthily and lose weight.
Another alternative is to join a group of people that are focused on a healthy lifestyle. It will be easier to around individuals that have the same mindset.
Also, we can contact a certified diabetes educator who can help us and teach us how to prevent diabetes.
5. Eat Better
We need to consume plenty of vegetables. Especially go for the kinds that are not that starchy like the spinach and leafy greens, green beans, carrots, and broccoli.
We need to consume at least 3 servings of vegetables on a daily basis. Another thing we can do is to add more foods into our diet that are high in fiber.
We can consume fruits, but in moderation only from 1 to 3 small servings on a daily basis.
Instead of processed goods opt for whole-grain foods. For example, we can replace the usual white rice with brown rice.
Also, avoid foods that are high in calories. We need to find and consume a lower-fat version of salad dressings, cheese, and yogurt.
Instead of the usual snacks that are high in fat and calories such as desserts and chips, choose better. We can eat low-fat cheese, whole-grain cracker or fresh fruit.
6. Visiting the Doctor More Often
According to Gerety, we need to visit your doctor every 3 to 6 months. Our doctor will be the one that will help us stay on the right track.
Gerety says that usually, patients like to see real evidence of failure or success.
7. Move More Often
In order to make diabetes less likely to remember this, we need to be very active.
Lying around and doing nothing, won’t do any good. In case we have not been active for a long time, we can start with small steps.
First, we can simply take the stairs instead of using the elevator. With time when we feel that we can simply increase the activity. Another alternative is to stretch while watching TV.
Geil notes that physical activity is an essential part if we want to avoid diabetes. Physical activity reduces body fat and lowers the levels of blood glucose.
The ideal situation is to practice half an hour on a daily basis and do that 5 times per week.
Consult your doctor about what exercise you plan to do and check with him/her if that is fine.
So do not wait, get started today and take control over your life.
Source WebMD | Diabetic Connect
