Diabetes is a common metabolic disorder affecting over 34 million Americans. The disease develops when your body loses the ability to produce or properly use insulin, a hormone that regulates blood sugar levels. While diabetes can be debilitating, lifestyle changes can help you better manage or even reverse the disease.
How Does Diabetes Affect Your Body?
Diabetes comes in two forms: type 1 and type 2. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disorder that usually appears during childhood or adolescence. It is characterized by the destruction of insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.
Type 2 diabetes is a lifestyle disease that often develops due to poor diet and lack of physical activity. About 90 to 95 percent of people with diabetes have type 2, resulting from the gradual onset of insulin resistance.
Both types of diabetes can lead to serious complications, including nerve damage, kidney damage, eye problems, and heart disease.
Tips for Reversing Type 2 Diabetes Naturally
- Improve your diet: Eat more whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins while limiting your intake of refined carbohydrates, saturated fats, and processed foods. Certain foods like cinnamon, nuts, and fiber are especially good at managing blood sugar levels.
- Increase your activity level: Regular exercise improves insulin sensitivity, helping your body use insulin more effectively and lowering your blood sugar levels. Biking to work and taking the stairs are easy ways to incorporate physical activity into your daily routine.
- Maintain a healthy body weight: Being overweight or obese increases the risk of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Losing weight through diet and exercise improves insulin sensitivity and lowers your blood sugar levels.
- Quit smoking: Smoking raises the risk of type 2 diabetes and makes the disease harder to manage. If you smoke, set a goal to quit today.
- Get enough sleep: Lack of sleep leads to higher cortisol levels, which releases glucose into the bloodstream and makes it harder to manage diabetes. Aim for seven to nine hours of sleep per night to support low stress levels throughout the day.
- Manage stress: The body’s response to perceived threats significantly impacts blood sugar levels and insulin resistance. Adopt stress management techniques, such as yoga or meditation, to better manage and reverse type 2 diabetes.
- Limit your alcohol intake: Alcohol interferes with the body’s ability to regulate blood sugar levels. Limiting your intake helps you manage diabetes more effectively and improves your overall health.
If you’re ready to make these lifestyle changes to reverse diabetes, Pledge To Fitness can help. Our team of fitness experts and nutritionists in Bellaire, TX, can create a personalized plan to achieve your health goals and get a handle on your diabetes symptoms. Contact us today at (713) 401-2841 to jumpstart your new, healthy lifestyle!
