Did you know that studies have shown that for every two hours people spend glued to the television they increase their risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 20%? (See: http://buff.ly/1ncDJvP) I know I was not aware of this. There are other habits that contribute to diabetes that I was aware of:
Skipping sleep – According to the article in the link above, being tired or stressed can increase your appetite for sugar. I know this one for a fact because sugar is a quick, though short-lived, energy booster.
Not tracking blood glucose – You’ve got to know where you are in order to know where you’re going.
Yo-Yo dieting – This was me for years.
Managing your diabetes is a lifestyle change. I may not hit the target every day, but it’s not because I’m not thinking about it and striving toward it. Everyone wants to be healthy, but most of us do not get joy out of having to work to be healthy. As a diabetic, your reality is that you must work at being healthy.
What are you willing to do to maintain a healthy lifestyle? What are you missing out on because you are not taking care of yourself? In my instance, I suffered from a severe lack of energy. I cut back on all of my activities with the exception of going to church and (until I retired) going to work.
One of my dilemmas was that I was in a stress-filled job that called for 12 and 14-hour days. Although I didn’t realize it at the time, my blessing occurred when I was laid off from that job. If you’re in a stress-filled job, what can you do to relieve some of that stress? Because we don’t always have the luxury of being able to switch to a less stressful job, the answer is often learning how to work smarter. Perhaps your employer will allow you to work some of those hours from home. I found that I was always more productive when working from home because there were fewer interruptions.
What suggestions do you have to share to help relieve stress, develop healthier eating habits, reduce your television time, and/or monitor your blood glucose levels? What are you doing to make sure this battle is won and you come out victorious?
-By Lorraine M. Castle
Rev. Cynthia Jackson is the administrator of the Rhema4U Blog and Innovations Ministries Director. Rev. Jackson is a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was licensed and ordained under the tutelage of Bishop David G. Evans. She is an associate minister at Bethany Baptist Church located in Lindenwold, New Jersey. Rev. Jackson founded Innovations Ministries in 2001. Innovations Ministries provides dynamic and innovative programs and services for individuals and families dealing with various health-related issues. She is a gifted teacher, preacher, conference speaker and writer. God has anointed Rev. Jackson to be a spiritual midwife with a passion to empower others to birth God's vision for their lives. Rev. Jackson holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Organizational Management from Eastern University, a Master of Science Degree in Health Administration from Saint Joseph's University and a Master of Science Degree in Christian Counseling from Cairn University.
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