Three Steps to Beat Diabetes

It’s official: We have a worldwide crisis on our hands. Type 2 diabetes has become so prevalent around the world, it was the focus of this year’s World Health Day. With the proliferation of obesity, poor eating habits, and physical inactivity around the world, how will we reverse this crisis and begin to beat diabetes?

Here are three steps everyone can take to avoid developing this disease.

Get Plenty of Exercise

Exercise can help you beat diabetes in a number of ways. It can help you lose weight, it’s good for your heart, and moving around can lower your blood sugar. All of these things (especially keeping those extra pounds off) can help you steer clear of diabetes.

No matter where you are health-wise, it’s critical to get up and get moving. Just be sure to stay hydrated, and if you have been inactive for a while, check with your doctor to see if any activity should be avoided.

Get Plenty of Rest

Sleep is also a major key to beat diabetes. Lack of sleep can disrupt blood sugar levels, not to mention make you feel sleepy and hungry throughout the day. It’s a lousy cycle to get caught up in.

Sleep apnea is another huge concern that can exacerbate diabetes symptoms. Nearly half of all people with type 2 diabetes will be affected by this dangerous disorder (which causes pauses in breathing throughout the night), so it’s not something to ignore.

Make sure you get your rest!

Watch What You Put in Your Body

This is the big one we all struggle with. Cigarettes. Sugar. Salt. Alcohol. Soda. Little Debbie snack cakes. Let alone, alcohol, cigarettes, and Little Debbie snack cakes at one sitting…

We all have vices, and we all put stuff into our bodies we probably shouldn’t. The good news is there are delicious, healthier alternatives to just about everything we consume—except for cigarettes, which should be thrown into the nearest trash bin or flaming chasm at your earliest convenience.

The bottom line is that in order to beat diabetes, it takes a commitment to eating a healthier diet. A good start is developing a plan to limit sugar intake. Not that all sweetness is bad, necessarily, but it’s easy to go overboard and let sugary snacks raise your blood sugar to dangerously high levels.

If sugar is a problem for you, take steps to break the addiction and find ways to reduce your intake before it’s too late.

Salt is also a huge problem for many of us. We’re surrounded by highly processed, incredibly salty foods. Unfortunately, too much salt increases blood pressure, which raises the risk of heart disease and stroke.

If you want to cut down on salt and sugar, and get a head start to beat diabetes, eat plenty of the following:

Fresh fruits and vegetables
Dried beans and peas
Whole grains
Unsalted nuts and seeds
Healthy fish

You Can Beat Diabetes!

It is possible to prevent, manage, and possibly even reverse diabetes, but it requires proactive planning and activity. Are you exercising enough? Are you getting eight hours of sleep? Are you eating right?

If you answered no to any of the above, make a plan to address the area of concern. Your health depends on it.

Image Credit: Shutterstock

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