The number of Americans (including children) developing type 2 diabetes is staggering and the toll is enormous. In addition to high medical costs, the years of illness, disability, and life lost affect millions of families. This is a disheartening situation because diabetes can often be prevented with minimal effort. As with all chronic disease, it is so much better to prevent if possible then it is to treat after diagnosis.
It is never too late to choose a lifestyle that will protect and enhance your health and well-being. At the top of the list is increasing physical activity. This should not be too hard to do, even if you don't like to "exercise". You simply need to make it a priority in your life to be more active and choose something that you like. Be sure to start slowly with the goal of increasing to thirty minutes of activity on most days of the week. A brief walk after dinner would be a great place to start. Once a more active lifestyle becomes a habit, you will probably want to do even more because you will notice the overall benefits.
Of course, improving nutrition and maintaining a healthy weight are also key components in preventing type 2 diabetes. Include more fruits and vegetables in your diet, the more colorful and varied the better. Pay attention to portion size and lose weight if necessary. Skip the fast food restaurants and junk food aisles at the grocery store. Combining better nutrition with more activity will have you feeling energized and healthier in no time.
Take advantage of Diabetes Month to assess your current lifestyle and tweak it where possible. You have everything to gain and absolutely nothing to lose.
Checkout these links for more information about diabetes:
http://www.diabetes.org http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/consumer/index.htm http://diabetes.webmd.com/default.htm
http://dhs.wisconsin.gov/health/diabetes/index.htm http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/diabetes/DA99999
