Taking control of your health!
- healthynowny
- May 29
- 3 min read
What YOU do for yourself on a day to day basis actually has the most impact on your health outcome.
-It is not your yearly blood work, prescription meds or annual checkup.
-Nor is it trends that you see on social media.
-Or what your best friend is doing.
It is YOU. Take control and see the difference it makes. Your health is too important to leave up to someone else.
And one big way to make an impact is by taking control of your blood sugar. The good news is that this very day, you can make an impact on your BLOOD SUGAR.
When you maintain healthy BS levels, you:
Reduce the risk of Cardiovascular disease such as strokes and Heart attacks. FYI, the # 1 killer of women is not breast cancer but heart disease
Reduce inflammation which is root cause of disease
Optimize your brain health
Reduce your risk of Altzheimers (referred to as Type 3 diabetes)
Optimize the health of your organs, veins, arteries
Restore your metabolic function which helps you maintain a healthy weight
Improve your mitochondrial health, the powerhouse of the cell.
But first, to understand why this is important, you need to know a bit about INSULIN.
Insulin is a peptide hormone released from your pancreas
Too little is deadly , which is TYPE 1 diabetes and too much is TYPE 2 diabetes, also deadly but takes longer.
The less insulin your pancreas produces and releases into your system the better off you are.
The job of insulin is to clear glucose out of your circulating blood and get it to your cells for energy.
When glucose is not cleared from your bloodstream it becomes a problem. This is measured as your A1C.
When you have an A1C of 5.7 -6.4 you are considered prediabetic. At this stage your cells are less sensitive to the insulin your pancreas produces. Therefore, the pancreas needs to make more and more of it to get the job done. This is called insulin resistance. Lots of circulating insulin is not good for your health.
Here are some tips to help you maintain a healthy blood sugar and A1C.
MOVE a lot. Glucose in your bloodstream provides energy for your muscles during movement and exercise therefore requiring less insulin to be produced. This makes muscles the #1 glucose regulator of your body.
Walk after meals. On average, a 15-20 minute walk after meals can reduce your blood sugar level by 40 points.
Move throughout the day. If you're sitting too long, get up and move around.
Plan a daily exercise program and get busy building muscles. Whether at home, with a gym membership or taking some great classes , this should become a regular routine in your life.
WATCH WHAT YOU EAT. The food you eat has a direct impact on your BS.
Eat whole foods and avoid Ultra processed foods described as anything with in a box, bag and with a barcode
Increase your fiber intake.
Reduce your sugar, refined carbs (yes, organic, artisanal sourdough bread is still a refined carb) and alcohol intake. There is no "good" alcohol.
Learn about food combining. Eating carbohydrates with a protein and or a fat will reduce the impact it has on your BS level
Wear a Continuous Glucose Monitor for a month. As compared to a yearly blood glucose test which measures 1 moment in time, a CGM will teach how certain foods along with your activity level have a direct impact on your BS. This will provide you with life long and useful information.
AND Finally…
Ask your doctor for an insulin blood test, which is not normally tested. This will provide great insight to how what you're eating is affecting your sugar response. Again, this is life-long, useful information.
These days most labs are consumer direct and a doctor’s prescription is no longer needed. Ask your insurance provider if you can submit these costs for reimbursement, or not.
Please click on the links we provided to take control of your health on a day to day basis.
You CAN do this!
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