Adopting a healthy lifestyle can aid with diabetes management. It may also help you lose weight, lower blood sugar, lower blood pressure, and lower cholesterol. There is a period before diabetes is identified when blood sugar levels are high but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. Prediabetes is the medical term for this condition.
Up to 70% of patients with prediabetes acquire type 2 diabetes, according to estimates. Fortunately, going from prediabetes to diabetes isn’t a foregone conclusion. Although some factors, like your genes, age, or prior activities, are beyond your control, there are several steps you may take to lower your diabetes risk.
Here are some changes that you can do to make your lifestyle healthier:
Managing weight
Type 2 diabetes is difficult to manage if you are overweight or obese. It also raises the risk of high blood cholesterol and blood pressure, both of which are risk factors for cardiovascular disease, which is the main cause of mortality among diabetics. Eating healthy and increasing physical activity are two approaches to help manage weight. You must consume fewer calories than you expend through normal metabolism and physical activity in order to lose weight.
Eating healthy, Cut Sugar and Refined Carbs From Your Diet
Sugary diets and processed carbs can hasten the onset of diabetes in persons who are already at risk. Your body swiftly breaks down these foods into small sugar molecules and absorbs them into your bloodstream. Portion control and reading food labels are vital for maintaining a healthy weight and preventing or treating diabetes. If you have prediabetes or diabetes, you will have additional eating concerns. Simple carbohydrates, such as table sugar, cake, soda, candy, and jellies, must be limited in meals. If consumed, they can cause blood glucose levels to rise.
Work Out Regularly
Diabetes can be avoided by engaging in regular physical activity. Exercise boosts the insulin sensitivity of your cells. As a result, you require less insulin to keep your blood sugar levels in balance while you exercise. A range of physical activities has been shown to lower insulin resistance and blood sugar levels in overweight, obese, and prediabetic persons. These include aerobic activity, high-intensity interval training, and strength training. Be sure to wear proper footwear such as diabetic socks and shoes in order to prevent foot ulcers and other serious injuries.
Drink Water
Water should be your primary beverage. Water is the most natural beverage available. Thus you can drink it. Furthermore, drinking mostly water helps you avoid beverages high in sugar, preservatives, and other potentially dangerous ingredients.
Lose Weight If You’re Overweight or Obese
Although type 2 diabetes does not impact everyone, it does affect the majority of overweight or obese persons. Additionally, those with prediabetes are more likely to retain fat around their waist and abdominal organs like the liver. This form of fat is known as visceral fat.
Quit Smoking
Many serious health concerns, including heart disease, emphysema, and lung, breast, prostate, and digestive system malignancies, have been linked to smoking. Smoking and secondhand smoke exposure have also been linked to type 2 diabetes in studies.
Low-Carb Diet
Diabetes can be avoided by following a ketogenic or very low-carb diet. Although there are a variety of diets that can help you lose weight, very low-carb diets have a lot of research to back them up. They’ve been found to lower blood sugar and insulin levels, improve insulin sensitivity, and reduce other diabetes risk factors time and time again.
Avoid Sedentary Behaviors
If you wish to avoid diabetes, you must avoid being sedentary. You lead a sedentary lifestyle if you get little or very little physical activity and spend the majority of your day sitting. Sedentary behavior has been linked to an increased risk of diabetes in observational studies.
Optimize Vitamin D Levels
Vitamin D is necessary for blood sugar regulation. Indeed, studies have indicated that those who don’t get enough vitamin D or have low blood levels of the vitamin are more likely to develop diabetes of any kind.
