Small changes in weight can yield big rewards
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EmailReduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes through small lifestyle changes.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, without intervention and making lifestyle changes, 15 to 30 percent of people with prediabetes will develop type 2 diabetes within five years.
Prediabetes, a condition where blood glucose is higher than normal but not yet type 2 diabetes, is a serious health threat for millions of American adults. While many people think that being diagnosed with prediabetes automatically means they will develop type 2 diabetes, the progression can be prevented. Various ways to prevent the development of type 2 diabetes consist of making small changes that individuals can easily adhere to everyday.
People who lost 5 to 7 percent of their body weight through modifying their diet to include healthier food and 150 minutes of weekly activity can reduce their risk of developing diabetes, as reported by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. By making simple modifications to diet and physical activity, the risk of developing diabetes can be significantly reduced.
Incorporating easy but healthy adjustments to your diet, like adding a vegetable to one of your meals or swapping a cookie for a piece of fruit for one of your snacks twice a week, can help create new habits and add extra nutrients to your diet. Try using the MyPlate method to help you choose the right combination of foods.
Another way to help modify the diet to help sustain weight loss is by practicing mindful eating. This form of awareness around our food and mealtimes can provide great physical and mental benefits surrounding healthy eating behaviors. Mindful eating can have an impact on weight loss by helping individuals acknowledge their hunger cues. By being aware and mindful while we are eating, we can better recognize our feelings of hunger and satiety.
Walking is often an overlooked but very beneficial approach of increasing physical activity. Walking is low impact and can easily be implemented into someone’s life without any major adjustments. Walking can help reduce the risk of diabetes by reducing blood glucose levels and helping with weight management. Aim for walking 30 minutes at least five days a week. If 30 minutes is too much starting out, break it into shorter increments. For example, 10 minutes in the morning, 10 minutes in the afternoon, and 10 minutes in the evening. Start slow and keep trying. Just 30 minutes of walking per day can lead to weight loss in many people. Even making a small change like taking the stairs instead of the elevator can make a huge difference in your movement adding up each day.
A method of incorporating physical activity is to add strength training to a weekly physical activity regimen. Strength training does not have to be as intense as lifting heavy weights, but it can include walking with a heavy backpack or doing body weight exercises. These exercises can be slowly incorporated and done once or twice a week. Strength training can also include using items that you have at home like water bottles and canned goods. It helps people with diabetes lower their blood sugar by better utilizing insulin. Strength training also helps maintain muscle mass while losing weight.
MSU Extension offers Tai Chi for Arthritis and Falls Prevention, which is a form of resistance training. To find out more about beneficial health practices, programs and resources, visit MSU Extension's website or check out our online resources for increasing physical activity.
