08 2014
Apr
Change begins with just one action

Diabetes has become a lifestyle disease of our time, and it is estimated that the number of diabetic prone persons will keep on increasing over the years. A lot is being said and written about controlling diabetes and living a healthy life with diabetes, but the prevention aspect of diabetes also needs to be highlighted. The most disturbing part of this disease is that you cannot tell if you're destined to be a diabetic. Therefore, it's better to take the right measures beforehand and keep diabetes at bay.

Change your lifestyle: Small changes can make a huge difference to our life. Lifestyle intervention for preventing diabetes is the best example for this. Diabetes can be prevented effectively by giving up sedentary lifestyle and adopting healthier changes.

Regular health checkups: There is no evidence that diabetes can be prevented indefinitely. Lifestyle changes can prevent it as long as you stay committed to follow them. Also, as you get older the risk of high blood pressure, heart diseases and other health problems increases, and these are all linked to diabetes in their own way. So, it's best to get a complete health checkup done regularly.

Eat healthy: Eat a healthy diet that has low calories, especially low saturated fats. Include more of vegetables, fresh fruits, whole grains, dairy products and sources of omega 3 fats. Also, increase your fiber intake.

Eat smart:How much you eat and when you eat is as important as what you eat. Reducing portion size and dividing meals throughout the day reduces the risk of obesity and diabetes. Irregularity in pattern of eating also causes drastic changes in blood sugar levels.

Be physically active: Exercises not only help you to prevent diabetes but also have a positive effect on your overall health and well-being.30 minutes of exercise whether aerobics or simple activities like dancing, playing tennis, brisk walking can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes by 30 percent.

Meditate: A few minutes of regular meditation practice also acts as an excellent stress-buster for the mind and body. Interestingly, while stress is the major cause of diabetes, the condition in turn results in patients getting highly stressed about it, which further aggravates the problem.

Get your sugar levels checked: A lot of people have pre-diabetes (fasting sugar: 100-125 mg/dl) and are totally clueless about it. A blood sugar test will help you to understand whether you're pre-diabetic and what are your chances of developing diabetes. If you get diagnosed with pre-diabetes, then you can take the right steps and prevent it from transforming into irreversible diabetes.

An important part of preventing or managing diabetes is by keeping tab of your health at home. Monitoring body vitals such as blood pressure, temperature, sugar level at home allows you to more easily be in a relaxed state plus gives the flexibility to take your measurements at various times during the day. This can help you & your healthcare professional evaluate the effectiveness of your treatment.

So, start taking control of your health today by keeping tab of your health. Stay happy, Stay healthy.