Author: Ridge Personal Trainer Annie Barber
Type 2 Diabetes is a common disease that can harm your health in many ways. In type 2 diabetes, either the body does not produce enough insulin or the cells ignore the insulin. Insulin is critical for the body to use glucose for energy (fuel!). A study done by the National Institute of Health showed that these 5 lifestyle factors can help to lower your diabetes risk. Take charge of your health and encourage those around you to do the same.
Healthy Diet– A healthy diet consists of adequacy, balance, moderation, calorie control and variety.
• Receiving adequacy from foods means having the proper amount of nutrients, fiber and energy in the foods one eats
• Balance in a diet means to eat the appropriate amount of food in each food group and receive the right about of nutrients
• Moderation in a diet is eating foods that don’t provide excesses in fats, salt, sugar and other unwanted constituents
• Calorie control is learning to have control of your energy intake (what you’re putting in your body)
• Variety is choosing to eat foods from all areas of the food guide and differing up foods everyday
Maintain an ideal body weight
• Your ideal body weight is a weight that your body is functioning best at. We are all different shapes and sizes and ones’ ideal body weight differs from person to person. Age, height, gender, build and amount of muscle must all be taken into consideration.
Engage in physical activity
• The American College of Sports Medicine recommends at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity 5 days and week and/or 20 minutes of vigorous activity 3 times a week. I often recommend 45 minutes of moderate exercise because it takes 5-10 minutes for your body to warm up and cool down.
Do Not Smoke
• Enough said!
Limit Alcohol Use
• Everything in moderation.