I hear people all the time say to me, “There’s nothing I can do about getting diabetes.” Nothing could be further from the truth. Diabetes is preventable. November is American Diabetes Month (www.diabetes.org) and it is our opportunity to talk about the 57 million Americans with prediabetes, who if nothing is done, will most likely develop diabetes.
The problem is that doctors are overwhelmed with patients who already have diabetes and its many complications that they spend very little, if any, time with their patients with prediabetes helping them to not to develop diabetes.
If you know someone with prediabetes, sometimes called “borderline” diabetes, then what you need to know is that not taking action is the best way to ensure they get diabetes. What we know is that if you have prediabetes, then if you make no changes to the food you eat and the amount of exercise you get, then it really is a matter of “when” not “if” you progress to diabetes. However, when you start making changes, beginning with the easy ones that can help you get to a healthier weight if you are overweight or obese, then you are in a great position to not develop diabetes.
Are you ready to get to work and save yourself thousands of dollars along the way by not getting diabetes, not having to go on expensive medicines, perhaps even insulin injections, and not having lots of extra doctor visits and doctor bills? If you were asking me that question, the answer is a no-brainer. So let’s get to work and end the ignorance and illiteracy surrounding prediabetes. When you know how to prevent diabetes, it’s easy.
American Diabetes Month, held in November of each year, is a chance to reflect and regroup (www.diabetes.org).
If you have diabetes, do you know your ABCs? Are they under control? If you live with someone with diabetes, do they know about the diabetes ABCs? If your husband or wife has diabetes, you need to know just as much. If you’re like most married people, one of you does more of the shopping and the cooking and you share meals together.
If your A1C is 7% or higher, if your blood pressure is 130/80 or higher, or if your LDL cholesterol is 100 or higher, then let’s end the illiteracy and get to work. Controlling diabetes begins with learning about your diabetes ABCs, then making small changes one at a time to get your numbers to their target goals. Ready to get to work? Let’s do it together.
My name is Nancy Heinrich. I’ve been teaching people how to successfully and easily get their diabetes ABCs under control in simple lessons. I promise you that when you know what to do, it’s easy. Join me for the Healthy Diabetes Coach coaching program and succeed.
How much risk do you have of developing diabetes or prediabetes?
November is American Diabetes Month, so we thought it would be a great opportunity for you to see how much you know about diabetes and assess your personal risk factors.
Test your knowledge now – Do the fun and informative diabetes quiz below and see how you match up.
Did you know that if you are diagnosed with diabetes you are looking at a lifetime of higher medical bills?
With the brand name blood glucose test strips averaging about $1 a strip, this disease quickly takes a toll on your wallet. Most people with type 2 diabetes are advised to test their blood sugar 2-3 times a day. That’s $60-$90 a month just for test strips. If you are insulin-dependent, you are probably testing more than 3 times a day. If you add in the copays for your doctors visits every three months, the higher copays to see your specialists, plus the copays for your medications, and don’t forget the cost of gas to get to the doctors at almost $3 a gallon these days, and we’re not talking chump change anymore.
The fact is that diabetes is preventable. If you have prediabetes, or someone in your family has it, learn what to do so it doesn’t progress to diabetes. Learn to make one change a week, such as switching from white bread to bread that meets “The Nancy Rule”. If you’re overweight and diabetes runs in your family, then start walking a total of 30 minutes a day. No matter what!!
This is American Diabetes Month (www.diabetes.org). Learn how to prevent diabetes. You’ll save yourself a lot of green! You can choose to be informed, be smart, and be healthy. To learn how, check out our coaching course.
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