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You don’t have to handle pre-diabetes or diabetes alone. Turn to page 9 to learn about a six-week workshop that can help you cope.
Act Now
Pre-diabetes: Why You Shouldn’t Ignore It
5. Get the shots
Kids aren’t the only ones who need
vaccines. Adults need shots to protect
them from the flu, shingles, pneumonia,
and hepatitis B, to name a few. Even
if you’ve been vaccinated in the past,
immunity wears off. Ask your doctor if
you’re up-to-date on all your shots.
6. Gather together
Researchers keep discovering more
reasons why eating together as a family
matters. It leads to healthier meals, for
one. And kids who eat with the family
may have better emotional health and
enjoy an improved outlook on life. So set
a dinnertime, turn off the electronics and
eat side by side.
7. Punch it, spike it, climb it
Has your exercise routine become too
routine? Jazz it up by adding kickboxing
to your aerobic activity or free weights
to your machine circuit. You might even
try something altogether new—a team
sport that you’ve never played (volleyball,
anyone?) or a climb up an indoor rock wall.
8. Butt out for good
If you smoke, you know by now that it’s bad
for you and that you really should quit. Talk
to your doctor about all the tools available
that can help make you a nonsmoker.
Check out
askAAMC.org/smoking
or call
443-481-5366
.
9. Snore no more
Snoring may be more than annoying.
It can be a sign of sleep apnea, which
disrupts your rest and your oxygen supply.
That can result in mood and memory
problems or lead to high blood pressure
and heart disease.
Take an online sleep quiz at
askAAMC.org/
sleep
.
10. Subtract added sugars
Added sugars in foods add extra calories
to your diet. What they don’t contribute
is nutrients. Control weight and health
by cutting down on added sugars—like
the ones found in soft drinks, cookies,
sweetened yogurts, and even some breads.
Additional sources: Academy of Nutrition and
Dietetics; American Academy of Family Physicians;
American Heart Association; Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention; National Institutes of Health
If you’ve been diagnosed with pre-
diabetes, it means you have a blood
glucose (sugar) level that is creeping
up. Your level isn’t high enough yet
to be called type 2 diabetes, but it is
abnormally high.
It means your risk of developing
full-blown diabetes is increased.
And once you have diabetes, it never
goes away.
But here’s the good news: If you
act now, you can slow this trip
toward diabetes. You may even be
able to stop it altogether.
Taking a safer route
According to the American Diabetes
Association (ADA), you can cut your
risk of developing type 2 diabetes
by 58 percent if you:
››
Lose just 7 percent of your body weight,
or about 15 pounds if you weigh
200 pounds.
››
Exercise moderately—taking a brisk
walk, for example—30 minutes a day,
five days a week.
These steps may require turning
off the TV, prioritizing schedules to
make time for exercise, and eating and
shopping in a new way. A healthy diet
is one that cuts back on calories and fat
and emphasizes low-fat or non-fat dairy
products, whole grains, lean meats,
dried beans, fish, and lots of fruits
and vegetables.
By taking positive steps now to control
pre-diabetes, you can put yourself on the
path to better health—a path that just
might lead to a life without diabetes.
A free
Fitness
booklet can help you get moving.
Visit
askAAMC.org/magazine
or call
443-481-5555
to request yours today.
Beingactive—
it’skey toa
healthy life
fitness
start today
