Reduce Your Type 2 Diabetes Risk

Why being active is so important to your health

Building a habit of regular physical activity is one of the best things you can do for your health because:

• It's good for your heart.
• It helps you reach and maintain a healthy weight.
• It helps control blood glucose levels.

What kind of exercise should I do, and how much should I exercise?

Plan ahead for exercise safety

What's most important is that you find ways to move more that you really enjoy and that you think you'll stick to on most days. Speak with your doctor first before beginning a new fitness regimen. Not all types of exercise are right for all people, and people who are living with medical conditions, especially diabetes, must take special precautions.

Other safety considerations:

• If you aren't feeling well (e.g., you have a fever, cold, or flu), skip exercising for the day. Start again once you feel better.
• Wear comfortable footwear for the activity or exercise you’re doing to minimize injuries.
• Include a five-minute warm up routine before exercising and a five-minute cooldown afterwards.
• Drink lots of water before, during and after activity, unless your doctor has recommended you limit your fluid intake.
• If at any point you feel chest pain or lightheadedness, stop. If you feel short of breath, you can use the “talk test” to see if you’re exercising too hard; if you can’t talk with someone while you’re exercising, your activity might be too intense.

It's also important to eat regularly throughout the day and avoid drinking alcohol before your workout to prevent your blood sugar levels from dipping too low. While more common for those living with diabetes, people who don't have diabetes can still experience hypoglycemia (e.g., low blood sugar level symptoms), especially if they're taking medications that can make their blood sugar levels go lower.

Symptoms of hypoglycemia to watch out for include:

• anxiety
• confusion
• dizziness
• shaking
• weakness

All material copyright MediResource Inc. 1996 – 2024. Terms and conditions of use. The contents herein are for informational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Source: www.medbroadcast.com/healthfeature/gethealthfeature/Reduce-Your-Type-2-Diabetes-Risk

Examining your diet and eating habits is a great first step to reducing your risk for type 2 diabetes. That's because what you eat – or don't eat – directly affects your risk. You might be wondering how. Here's the path from the foods you eat to type 2 diabetes:

• Your body turns the carbohydrates you eat, such as those from starches or fruits, into glucose.
• As glucose levels increase, your pancreas pumps out insulin, which helps your cells absorb that glucose.
• If you eat too much of the wrong kinds (and not enough of the right kinds) of foods, it can lead to your body's cells becoming resistant to insulin.
• This resistance makes your pancreas pump out even more insulin.
• Your insulin production eventually wears down and decreases, at which point you have developed type 2 diabetes.

Here are some key steps you can take to improve your eating habits and prevent type 2 diabetes:

• Choose foods rich in fibre: Fibre can be found in certain green vegetables, fruits, legumes (peas, beans, and lentils), oat bran, rice bran, psyllium, and barley. Fibre, specifically soluble fibre, helps to reduce cholesterol and slow digestion, which helps improve blood glucose control.
 
• Consume more whole grains: Evidence has shown that diets rich in whole grains help prevent diabetes, while those high in refined carbohydrates (white bread, white rice, and other carbs that cause a sharp increase in blood glucose) increase your risk.
 
• Focus on "good" fats: Avoid foods high in saturated fats, and stay away from trans fats altogether. Instead, eat foods that contain "good" fats – mono- and polyunsaturated fats, which can help to lower your diabetes risk. These fats can be found in nuts and seeds, avocado, tofu, and healthy vegetable oils like olive oil. 4
 
• Cut back on sugary drinks: The sugar in pop and juices can cause increased blood glucose, but the weight gain from drinking too many sugary drinks may also be to blame. Opt instead to drink water, tea, or coffee.
 
• Pick the most nutritious sources of protein: Limit your intake of red meat and processed meats. Even if consumed in small amounts, these foods have been found to increase the risk of diabetes. Switch to leaner, more nutritious protein sources, like poultry, fish, low-fat dairy, and nuts.
 
• Ask for help: Should the pursuit of nutrition prove too much to handle, reach out for help. Ask your health care provider to recommend a registered dietitian, who can work with you to create a diet plan that suits your health needs and your lifestyle.

All material copyright MediResource Inc. 1996 – 2024. Terms and conditions of use. The contents herein are for informational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Source: www.medbroadcast.com/healthfeature/gethealthfeature/Reduce-Your-Type-2-Diabetes-Risk

Why weight management really matters

If you have an unhealthy weight, you may have more fatty tissue, which can make your cells more resistant to insulin – a risk factor for diabetes. And your diabetes risk is increased if you have too much abdominal fat.

Managing your weight also has other benefits like reducing your risk of death from heart disease and some forms of cancer.

Choose a safe and realistic weight management program

When it comes to achieving a healthy weight, remember that there's no one-size-fits-all approach. Each person has their own unique situation and different goals that they'd like to meet.

Working with individuals in your health care team, such as your doctor and a registered dietician, will help you to achieve your goals both safely and effectively, while taking into account your personal needs and preferences.

Safe and realistic weight management plans will:

• incorporate exercise: Burning energy through exercise can help you achieve a healthy weight. Regular physical activity can also lower your risk of developing long-term medical conditions such as diabetes or heart disease. It's recommended to do at least 150 minutes of aerobic exercises (e.g., running or swimming) each week, as well as doing resistance exercises (e.g., exercise bands, weights) 2 to 3 times per week.
• have you play an active role in defining your treatment plan: An effective weight management program will look different for you than for someone else. Since weight management programs need to be sustainable, it's important to work with your health care team to develop a plan that is feasible over time for your lifestyle situation.
• help you to eat healthy: studies show that diets that only focus on reducing your caloric intake don't lead to sustainable weight changes. An effective weight management program should help you to understand what healthy eating is, how to get a variety of healthy foods each day, and how to develop a healthy relationship with food and eating.
• get you motivated and build confidence: setbacks and challenges are a normal part of many weight management journeys. A healthy weight management program will help you to understand the setbacks that you run into, develop confidence to overcome them, and keep you motivated.

All material copyright MediResource Inc. 1996 – 2024. Terms and conditions of use. The contents herein are for informational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Source: www.medbroadcast.com/healthfeature/gethealthfeature/Reduce-Your-Type-2-Diabetes-Risk

People who smoke are 30% to 40% more likely than those who don't smoke to develop diabetes. Smoking also increases your risk of heart disease, stroke, and certain types of cancer.

Spending some time preparing to quit will help increase your chances of successfully quitting. Focus on the following 5 steps when you're preparing to quit smoking:

• Know your smoking cues.
  • Make a list of the times and situations you smoke, including the times you most want to smoke.
  • List your smoking cues – after your morning coffee, while talking on the phone, after a good meal – and choose alternate coping strategies.
   
• Make changes in your environment.
• Get rid of things that support your habit – like ashtrays and lighters.
• Change your daily routes and routines to avoid smoking cues (examples: skip morning coffee, avoid alcohol, eat lunch in a different spot, and change your commute).

• Gather your support team
• Talk to your family doctor about your options, including medications, to help you quit smoking.
• Tell other people about your intentions as a way to increase your accountability to your goal.
• Make a list of support people to help you through rough spots.

• Pick a quit date.
• Look ahead on the calendar and schedule your quit date during a time of relative stability.
• Avoid dates that coincide with situations like starting a new job or going on a holiday trip.

• Think through barriers.
• List craving strategies (e.g., drinking water, getting a back rub, sucking on a cinnamon stick, going for a walk).
• Add extra physical activity to your day and pay attention to your eating habits to help maintain weight.

Most people who smoke take several tries to successfully quit. With each attempt, you learn about what works for you – and what doesn't work. Incorporate what you learn into your next attempt. It's a process some refer to as "turning stumbling blocks into stepping stones."

All material copyright MediResource Inc. 1996 – 2024. Terms and conditions of use. The contents herein are for informational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Source: www.medbroadcast.com/healthfeature/gethealthfeature/Reduce-Your-Type-2-Diabetes-Risk