Chronic diseases are a major issue for people living in the United States. In fact, 60% of Americans have at least one chronic illness, and type 2 diabetes makes up a vast majority of those long-term health conditions. Thankfully, type 2 diabetes can be avoided by making healthy lifestyle choices.
Type 2 diabetes does become much more difficult to avoid if your blood sugar starts to reach prediabetic levels; however, it doesn’t mean that it’s altogether impossible.
If you’ve recently been diagnosed with prediabetes, our team at HealthStone Primary Care Partners in Hollywood, Florida, wants to walk you through what you need to know about the condition and what steps to take in order to reverse the condition.
Prediabetes is the condition that precursors type 2 diabetes. It means that your blood sugar levels are elevated but they aren’t high enough for a type 2 diabetes diagnosis.
Almost every single person that has type 2 diabetes has prediabetes first. However, it’s nearly impossible to detect since it rarely presents with symptoms. In fact, 84 million people have prediabetes, and 90% of those people don’t know they have it.
This is why it’s so important to see our team for annual physicals. During these appointments, we check your blood sugar in order to catch elevated levels before they reach the range of full-blown diabetes.
Thankfully, establishing some consistently healthy habits can go a long way for either reversing or delaying the onset of type 2 diabetes. We recommend starting with these:
Losing even just 5-10% of your body weight can make a huge impact on your blood sugar levels. Not only can it mitigate your risk of type 2 diabetes, but it can also improve your overall health and well-being.
When you exercise on a regular basis, it helps your body get rid of all that extra blood sugar. It’s best to get in 30 minutes of exercise about 5 days a week. You can try walking, jogging, cycling, swimming, or strength training. Even regular activities you do, like gardening or housework, can count towards your weekly exercise minutes.
Your diet has a huge impact on your blood sugar levels. Strive to eat fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and lean proteins. You also need to avoid foods that are processed or high in saturated fats and sugar. In addition, always choose water over sugary beverages.
To learn more about how to manage your prediabetes condition, contact our team by calling our office at 954-466-0850 or by scheduling an appointment online.
