How to Prevent Diabetes
5
Cheap Ways
Diabetes
Prevention
The
easiest way to prevent diabetes is to stop
enjoying the American Lifestyle and get
back to the roots of America. Our body is
a remarkable machine and can withstand years
of abuse before it starts wearing down.
On the flip side, our body can heal
itself from the inside out and that is what
we will focus on right now.
Type
I diabetes is usually something you are
born with and right now they do not have
an answer of "how to prevent type I
diabetes". However, Type II diabetes
is another story. Type II diabetes is oftentimes
referred to as "adult onset diabetes"
meaning you normally don't show signs of
being diabetic until you are near the age
of 35-40. Type II diabetes is usually linked
to our diet and level of fitness issues.
Another
funny thing about the US, is if you look
at the statistics of sugar consumption
and the onset of type ii diabetes they
go hand in hand. The great news is if you
have been diagnosed as a "pre diabetic"
you can take charge of your life and eliminate
diabetes.
Here
are 5 cheap ways to prevent diabetes and/or
eliminate it.
- Rest
- Diet
- Exercise
- Smoking
- Alcohol
Rest
|
|
The
American lifestyle can go one of two ways.
The couch potato's who sit around
doing nothing all day except eating and
staring at the tv or computer screen. Their
greatest achievement is calorie intake with
minimal physical effort.
|
Part
two of the American lifestyle is burning
the candle at both ends. Going to
bed late, waking up early will quickly wear
down your body and add stress to a life
that is probably full of stress to begin
with.
Both
are habits that can be changed with a proper
mind set. Make the choice to give
your body at least 7 hours of rest per day.
That doesn't mean sitting around,
that means getting 7 quality hours of sleep
a day.
Diet
|
|
As
a pre-diabetic you probably have heard enough
about blood glucose levels. When you
are over weight your body has a tough time
dealing with glucose levels staying balanced.
Insulin is your key to keeping your
blood sugar levels stable and if your body can't produce
enough insulin that is when
|
medication is required. By changing
to a healthy diet you can help the pancreas
produce insulin and you can help the insulin
increase it's sensitivity by losing weight.
From
heart conditions to diabetes everyone should
become familiar with the glycemic index
(GI). Learn about the good carbohydrates
and the "not so good" carbohydrates.
Learn how to switch out the good for
bad carbohydrates and watch how quickly
your body responds to each.
Spend
time at glycemicindex.com
Now,
we've read or seen this so many times we
just turn the other cheek but it's time
to take notice.
- Eat
more smaller meals a day and cut out
the snacks (cookies,
chips, cake, ice cream)
- Eat
more whole wheat products (brown
rice with your stir fry or whole wheat
spaghetti/Amaranth and soy are two good
flours)
- Eat
more low fat dairy products (skim
milk, non-fat yogurt and non-fat cheese)
- Eat
more fish and low fat meat (skinless
chicken/turkey, eat pork loin or sirloin
more often). Fish contains oils
and are rich in omega-3 oils.
- Eat
more vegetables (spinach,
carrots, broccoli or green beans)
- eat
more fruit (apples,
peaches, nectorines, cherries, bananas,
kiwi, etc)
- Stay
away from high calorie drinks and limit
diet soda because of other health issues
associated with it. Osteoporosis
has been linked to soda drinks.
- Fat
free food will create a yo-yo effect
with your insulin levels and more than
likely you will put on more fat.
Exercise
|
|
Here
is an article that helps people
with arthritis that could very
easily help a type II diabetic:
"Arthritis Hates
Exercise"
Exercise prevents sugar from
accumulating in the blood, helps
the body's ability to use insulin
and helps control weight
. Before you even
begin exercising you should consult your
doctor for sound advice. In a nutshell
you can begin any exercise program by doing
the following:
|
- Increase
your daily activity around the house. I'm
talking about mowing the yard with a push
mower versus a riding mower if you
have one. If your yard is that large,
then divide it into quadrants that you can
do each day or 4 times a week.
- Clean
the home more often. Instead of working
hard for a day cleaning the house, do a
little bit each day.
- Take
advantage of any chance you get to walk instead of driving
the car or getting a ride to a particular
location. This will do wonders
for your overall health.
- If
you have the stamina, ride your bike instead
of walking if the distance is to great.
- Remember
if you lift any type of weights your muscles
will burn calories even when you are not
exercising as long as you don't
take too much time off between lifts. Don't
be afraid to lift a few weights, they
don't have to be heavy at all.
- Hiring
a personal trainer is a good way to get
some great ideas of helping you lose unwanted
weight but the ideas above are cheap
and work well.
Here is a list of other activities you
can incorporate into your daily life that
will help you increase your heart rate for
a period of least 30 minutes a day:
- jogging
- tennis
- roller blading
- skating
- swimming
- basketball
- yoga
- bowling
- dancing
- low impact areobics or water areobics
- ice skating
- riding a bike (stationary bike in
the home)
- stength training with elastic bands,
tubes or weights
- daily flexibility exercises or stretching
exercises before activities
Your
ultimate goal is to incorporate aerobic
exercise, strength training and flexibilty
exercises into your overall fitness enhancement
program. If you'd like to burn calories
even when you don't work out, strength training
is your ticket.
Smoking
|
|
I'll
give Americans credit because they do frown
upon smokers so much they can't even light
up in a resturant anymore. Oxygen is
our lifeline, the ability to keep our lungs
healthy will help you dramatically with
any health condition.
The smoking
habit
is hard to kick, but it can be done
|
and
it has been done by millions of people each
year.
Nicotine can influence or eating habits
and it has been known to supress the diet.
Don't let it fool you into thinking you
can control blood sugars.
Alcohol
|
|
Alcohol
really serves no purpose especially for
type II diabetics. You don't need
it and it is not vital to your overall health.
However if you find yourself in a
situation where you want a drink then read
this carefully:
|
- Alcohol
consumption by diabetics should be limited,
blood glucose levels should be checked diligently
and you should eat while
you drink.
- Alcohol
during dinner can change your taste buds
and it might influence your meal choice
and the amount of food you eat
- If
you are
on medication, alcohol can greatly influence
your blood sugar levels. Be careful
with alcohol consumption.
There you have it, the top 5 ways to
prevent diabetes. I'm sure you have had
extensive discussions with your doctor on
to keep your diabetes in check. Type
ii diabetes later in life can be controlled
or eliminated by following the recommendations
of your doctor and taking your life back.
Good luck and keep smiling.
Don't
forget to visit Healthy
Diabetic Solutions
|
