One in ten Americans have diabetes, and another 84 million adults in the United States are at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes. With type 2 diabetes, also called adult-onset diabetes, people do make insulin, but their cells don’t use it as well as they should. Doctors call this insulin resistance. The good news is that people who are at high risk for type 2 diabetes can lower their risk by more than half if they make healthy life changes.

The best way to reduce the chances of getting a type 2 diabetes

Your first line of defense against type 2 diabetes is lowering your weight, maintaining a healthy diet, and engaging in regular exercise. Eating better, becoming more active, and losing extra pounds are some of the most important steps you can take.

Eating better

When you have diabetes, it’s important to avoid eating many processed snacks such as cookies, chips, cake, granola bars, and the like. Instead replace them with fresh, whole foods, like fiber-rich fruits, veggies, and whole grains. Eating foods high in fiber can help keep blood sugar levels steady while filling you up to promote weight loss and improve insulin sensitivity.

More exercise

Exercise makes it easier to control diabetes. Exercise can reduce glucose in the blood. Muscles can use glucose without insulin when you’re exercising. In other words, it doesn’t matter if you’re insulin resistant or if you don’t have enough insulin: when you exercise, your muscles get the glucose they need, and in turn, your blood glucose level goes down. If you’re insulin resistant, exercise actually makes your insulin more effective. Your insulin resistance goes down when you exercise, and your cells can use the glucose more effectively.

Weight management

Sticking with an exercise plan will help you achieve the weight loss goal. Make a commitment to exercise and make it a priority. Your long-term health depends on it. It may be hard to find the time or to motivate yourself but keep at it. It will help you lose weight, and it will make your body more efficient at using insulin and glucose appropriately.

We offer a full range of dental services in Saginaw and would be pleased to meet with you to discuss your oral care. Please contact us for an appointment at drzwingman.com.

Step 1: Prioritize

It is essential to determine the most urgent tasks for the day and allocate sufficient time to complete them. If you are unsure about what requires your direct attention, ask your manager for advice and assistance. This prioritization will help keep you on top of your workload, limiting stress and the number of hours that you spend at work.

Step 2: Structure

Once you have defined your priorities, structure your day around them. By grouping similar tasks together you can be more efficient in completing all your daily jobs. You will then be able to finish high priority tasks first, medium priority tasks next, and so on.

Step 3: Take breaks

You should take some personal time during the day for activities that are not related to your job. During your lunch break, you can go for a walk or engage with colleagues on a social level.

Step 4: Leverage

Use technology to work smarter and increase productivity. If a face-to-face meeting out of the office is required with a client or overseas offices, use video conferencing. This convenient tech solution will reduce the amount of time spent traveling and being away from the family.

Step 5: Recharge

If you are unable to make time for yourself during the day, consider taking time off. You may take time for your hobbies, a holiday or overseas vacation. Taking this time away from work allows you to focus on your interests or spend time relaxing and unwinding.

All work and no play can leave anyone stressed, dissatisfied, unhappy, and feeling like everything is out of control. You can be successful both at work and home by achieving a healthy work life and home life balance. The result will help be energized and happy in all the roles you play every day.

We offer a full range of dental services in Saginaw and would be pleased to meet with you to discuss your oral care. Please contact us for an appointment at drzwingman.com.

1. Set your bedroom for sleeping, not texting, reading, or watching TV. If you have trouble falling asleep at night, your TV or other screen-time activities might be to blame. The brightness of the screen makes you more alert – not something you want to feel right before you’re set to doze off.
2. Go to sleep at the same time and awake at the same time. You need consistency, and this requires ruling yourself with an iron will. For example, put your alarm clock across the room if you are apt to hit the snooze while half asleep. It may be necessary to set multiple alarms or even initially ask someone to wake you. To track your progress, record your bed and wake times in a sleep log.
3. Make your bedroom as dark and silent as possible. Dim the lights while you get ready for bed or turn off bright overhead lamps and switch to a soft, bedside lamp. Your body is programmed to sleep when it’s dark, so you can encourage that rhythm by easing into nighttime.
4. Stop significant mental activity two hours before bedtime. If you bring work home or are helping the kids with homework, you need time to unwind and relax our mind to set the stage for sleep. This practice can help create closure for the day and allow your brain to begin the process of shutting down.
5. Curtail eating two hours before bedtime. Between food and bed, leave a period for your body to digest what you last ate before you go to sleep.

These simple practices, which many people overlook or focus on intermittently, work together powerfully. Encouraging a positive sleep experience for yourself will help you feel strong and energetic as you begin every day.

We offer a full range of dental services in Saginaw and would be pleased to meet with you to discuss your oral care. Please contact us for an appointment at drzwingman.com.

1. Hydrate
2. Ceiling fan rotation
3. Eat cool
4. Exercise wisely
5. Recognize heat sickness

Drink water

Water helps regulate your body temperature to keep you cool and replace the water you lose through sweat. Keep that water bottle close at hand throughout the day.

Make sure your ceiling fan is spinning in the proper direction

Your ceiling fan plays a different role in the summer than it does in the winter. In the winter, the blades should rotate in a clockwise direction, gently circulating the warm air throughout the room. In the summer, it should spin in a counterclockwise direction, pushing air down, creating a breeze that helps cool you. A switch on the fan should allow you to change the blade direction each season.

Eat food that doesn’t require an oven, stove, or even a microwave

Anytime you use an appliance to cook you can raise the temperature in your house. Hot or warm foods increase your body temperature. There are plenty of great cold meals you can make including hearty green salads, inventive noodle salads, lettuce cups, hummus, cheese and crackers, fruit plates, sushi and more.

Be creative with your exercise

Because it’s cooler in the morning or evening, plan your outside activity at that time. Otherwise, think of some alternatives to keep you out of the heat. Walk in an air-conditioned mall, meet up with friends at the bowling alley, go swimming, play racquetball, check out a yoga studio. Use summer as a time to try new things and work some different muscles in the process.

Know the signs of heat-related illness

Heat sickness can be very dangerous. It’s important to be aware of how your body is responding to the heat. The CDC lists the following symptoms of heat exhaustion: heavy sweating, weakness, cold, pale and clammy skin, nausea or vomiting; fainting, or fast weak pulse. If you, or someone you know, is experiencing these symptoms, the CDC says to move somewhere cooler, lie down, loosen clothing, sip water, and apply damp cool cloths to the body. If you vomit and the symptoms persist, seek medical attention immediately. While waiting for help, move the person to a cooler place and try to reduce their body temperature with cool cloths or a bath. Do not force fluids into their system as this could make their condition worse.