My sister had no idea that she was pre-diabetic until she visited with her doctor for a routine check-up. And although she has had these checkups in the past on this particular occasion her blood sugar revealed that it was in the high range – however not consistently high to be considered full-blown diabetes.
She is one of over eighty million people in the US who have pre-diabetes and like her . . . most of them don’t know it.
Thank God she discovered this condition in the early stages and took the necessary steps to correct it. If it had continued to progress – eventually leading to full-blown diabetes – her life would be a lot different today. She would have to constantly check her sugar levels and eat a restricted diet . . . among other changes in her life.
Having diabetes is condition that will lead to serious complications including blindness, kidney failure, heart disease, loss of feeling in your hands and feet (neuropathy), sexual dysfunction and a host of other hardships. And of course, if not acted on in a timely manner it will lead to eventual death. Unfortunately, I have witnessed all these conditions in my own family.
Pre-diabetes is the precursor to full blown-diabetes and it’s estimated that 33.9% of U.S. adults aged 18 years or older (84.1 million people) have pre-diabetes. And nearly half (48.3%) of adults aged 65 years or older are afflicted with the same condition.
Pre-diabetes or early-stage diabetes can be reversed but you must find out whether or not you have it. There are certain signals or symptoms to be aware of such as excessive thirst – even when not doing strenuous work, the need to urinate often, weight gain, unusual tiredness. Think of them as your ‘check engine light’. Just as your car gives you a warning signal, your body will give you subtle hints when your blood sugar gets too high.
One of the most important thing you can do to prevent pre-diabetes, and ultimately full-blown diabetes, is to do what my sis did – have regular checkups. And make sure to discuss with your healthcare provider any obvious signs and risk factors for high blood sugar.
With rising costs of insurance and medications that diabetics have come to depend on for a normal life, it makes sense to take matters into your own hands by:
- Starting a consistent activity that increases your heart rate to a certain level. And keep it at that level for 15 to twenty minutes with the goal of increasing the length of time, or the intensity, of the activity. This is what my sister did. She started a walking program by doing three miles every morning and increase the intensity as she got better.
- And of course, starting a food journal is the best way to begin making quality changes to our diet. You would be surprise at the junk we consume every day and documenting it is a good way to start fixing what you eat.
Pre-diabetes is a preventable disease but unfortunately it goes unchecked and undetected until it’s it reaches a tipping point where medical intervention needs to be taken. It’s a growing problem but know that you have control over it.
I have put together an easy-to-follow workbook of exercises you can start doing today. This is the program I follow each day and to date my blood sugar has been in the normal range.
Get your copy by visiting How to Prevent Pre-diabetes or clicking on the image to the right.