How diabetes can lead to positive lifestyle changes

Ok, so you have diabetes. Let's be honest; diabetes is serious business. Left unattended or undiagnosed, it can be ravaging, even deadly. But it is not being trite or naïve to say that type 2 diabetes, which makes up more than 90 percent of all diabetes cases, also provides a wonderful opportunity.

There are few other medical conditions that are as responsive to healthy living as diabetes.

• In fact, every single meal you eat has an immediate and important effect on your blood sugar levels and, by extension, your overall health.
• The same is true of exercise. A single workout dramatically affects your blood sugar levels and the ability of your cells to absorb blood sugar and convert it to energy.
• Here's the positive message that you should always keep in mind: Eat well, exercise, drop a few pounds, sleep longer, relax more and your body will in large part manage your blood sugar levels.
• Doctors often say that medicine is not the best medicine for diabetes; eating well and getting fit are.
• Worldwide, people who respond to a diagnosis of diabetes by improving their health habits report that they are far better off as a result. They lose weight, gain energy, lower their cholesterol, reduce their blood pressure, improve their mood, look better and are happier. They may not be thrilled that it took a diabetes diagnosis to push them into action, but they are certainly happy with the outcome. And that's a good thing.

For people recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, the right blend of nutrition, fitness and medicine is a perfect formula for great health and a long future. Even for those who have type 1 diabetes, or have more advanced cases of type 2, living well is a key part of minimizing the impact of the condition. That's the good news.

• But there is a tough side to this condition as well. Once you have diabetes, it never goes away entirely. You can minimize its effects through careful management, but fall into unhealthy habits again, and its damaging characteristics can reappear quickly.

Understanding diabetes is not an easy task, to be honest.

• The underlying causes of diabetes involve fairly complex body chemistry that few people outside the medical profession are trained to understand. Likewise, the role of insulin and other medicines that regulate blood sugar can be confusing indeed.
• So it's important to educate yourself and learn everything you need to do to keep the disease managed and in the background of your life.

Embrace healthy, fresh food. Get outdoors more and walk, bike, hike or garden. Laugh as often as you can. Lose a few pounds, gain a few new friends. And, of course, follow your doctor's guidance regarding medicines, testing and symptoms to watch for. This is the winning formula — not just for effective diabetes control, but for total health and vitality. And that's definitely a good thing.