Try this to reverse prediabetes and avoid getting diabetes

9 years ago | Diabetes

By pH health care professionals

You’ve been putting on some weight lately. It’s nothing crazy; it’s just a little bit each year. You know that it probably has something to do with your diet, or maybe that soda habit. Besides dusting off the old basement treadmill in January, you aren’t big on “working out,” though you know you probably should. You are out of breath much quicker these days so you make a mental note to self to try to walk more. Otherwise, you feel reasonably healthy, maybe a little high blood pressure or cholesterol.

You go in for an annual exam at the doctor’s office, and you’re expecting a few nudges about watching your sodium intake or having more veggies with dinner, but instead, you get an unexpected diagnosis: prediabetes!

More than 1 in 3 Americans have prediabetes, and 9 out of 10 people with prediabetes don’t know they have it, the CDC reported. Your doctor explains that your blood sugar is high and you are now more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes as well as other health complications like heart disease or stroke.

Whoa -- what now?

Mission? To stop prediabetes from turning into diabetes

A recent study reported that physical activity -- regardless of weight loss -- can help prevent prediabetes from turning into diabetes. Among prediabetic, middle-aged adults who were overweight or obese, every hour and a half of brisk walking each week lowered their likelihood of developing diabetes by 2 percent. And that’s without weight loss!

If you do lose weight by being more active and eating healthy, according to the CDC, you can cut your risk of developing diabetes by 50 percent!

What’s your secret for success? Find what works for you

It’s no secret that many people who try new exercise routines fall off the wagon. The key to long-term success is to find a way to be more active that really works for you -- long-term. Could you take a brisk walk with your family every night after dinner? Could you reignite your inner athlete by joining a community softball league? Have you always wanted to learn to dance?

Find an activity you can do with family and friends, regularly, so you can keep each other accountable.

Enjoy Your Healthy Life!

The pH professional health care team includes recognized experts from a variety of health care and related disciplines, including physicians, attorneys, nutritionists, nurses and certified fitness instructors. To learn more about the pH Health Care Team, click here.