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A Healthy Future Starts With A Change In The Present

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diabetes

In order to set your future self up for success, there are things that need to be done now for you to get there. Success isn’t easy nor is it linear. When it comes to success, there may be more bad days than good and more temptation to fight off. You may not even feel up to continuing trying some days, but in order to reach that successful point, there are some sacrifices that need to be made. This goes for all aspects of life as well. Do you want to get promoted at your job? Then you need to start looking for ways to go about that and execute them. Do you want to have a successful business? Then you need to work harder than you play. Do you want to have a better relationship with your friends and family? Then you need to start showing up more in those relationships. All of these ways to success are important depending on what your end goal is, but the most important way to reaching whatever your end goal looks like, is through a healthier version of you and that starts with a change right now. diabetes

How You Can Develop Diabetes With Poor Lifestyle Practices

When it comes to diabetes and developing this serious disease, type 1 diabetes can occur on its own and develop simply because of your body and how it’s being affected by insulin.

The other way to develop diabetes is through poor eating habits and lifestyle practices. Type 2 diabetes occurs when your body cannot regulate and use sugar or glucose the way it needs to. This leads to too much sugar floating around in your bloodstream. This sugar usually comes from the foods you eat.

If you are intaking high amounts of sugary, fatty and high in sodium foods constantly then over time this can cause your body to not be able to process sugar as fuel the way it should. These poor eating habits combined with not getting any or enough exercise can lead to the development of type 2 diabetes.

RELATED: Forget What You Heard: Diabetes Does Not Run In Your Family!

What Your Future Will Look Like With Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is a tricky disease to have because unfortunately, you can be living with it for years and not even know. The symptoms develop slowly and over time. When your pancreas is no longer able to produce insulin, that’s a sign that type 2 diabetes has developed.

Another sign is when the cells in your fat, muscle and liver become resistant to insulin. When type 2 diabetes is present you’ll experience fatigue, increased hunger, weight loss, extreme thirst, constant urination and blurred vision.

It will then show on your body because you’ll experience slow healing sores, numbness and tingling in your hands and feet, darkened skin on the armpits and neck area and you suffer from frequent infections. 

Over time, when living with diabetes, you can develop nerve damage, kidney disease, heart disease, eye damage, skin conditions and more. Type 2 diabetes can even lead to dementia. 

A Change In Lifestyle: Healthy Eating 101

In order to see the change, you have to be the change. Changing your diet is the first and most important step there is. Cut out sugary and fatty foods. It doesn’t have to be completely, but lowering your intake of these two unhealthy eating habits will do you more good than you think.

Eating vegetables daily along with fruit and food high in fiber and low in fats is the way to go when changing your diet. Find good recipes that appeal to your taste buds and are good for your body.

Substitute carbs with whole grain foods (bread, rice, pasta, etc). Doing your own research and talking to a nutritionist is a great way to go about a healthier lifestyle as well. 

RELATED: Q&A: What Blacks Should Know About Diabetes

Prevention Tactics You Can Do To Lower Your Risk

Besides changing your diet and eating more fruits and vegetables instead of processed, fatty and sugary foods, there are other ways to prevent type 2 diabetes.

Exercising is one of them. You can start out slow, but keeping your body moving every day and working up a slight sweat on the regular can help with prevention drastically. This can lead to weight loss, which is another way of preventing diabetes (type 2).

Another way is making sure you don’t stay inactive for too long. Every 30 minutes to an hour you should be getting up and moving around unless you absolutely can’t.

As mentioned before, success looks different for everyone but the one thing everyone can have in common when it comes to a successful life is making sure that on top of your end goals, you are living a healthy life for your mind, body and spirit.

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