By Cameron Fry
At Trilogy, maintaining the wellness of those we serve is at the forefront of our mission. In honor of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) Diabetes Alert Day, we encourage our friends and family to take the necessary precautions when it comes to preventing diabetes. It’s our hope that by encouraging our residents to be proactive when it comes to their health, that we will help them to avoid and identify dangers to their well-being. Provided by the ADA, here are just a few steps that you can take towards diabetes prevention.
Keep an eye on your blood pressure
With 2 in 3 diabetics reporting having high blood pressure, it’s wise to take a look at every precaution when it comes to keeping your blood pressure low. Eating cereals and whole-grain breads, limiting your alcohol consumption, losing weight, and eating foods with less than 400 mg of sodium per serving are all strategies to consider for reducing blood pressure. Talk to your healthcare provider to see what works best for you.
If your blood pressure is high, chances are that you may also be having problems with your cholesterol, too. Striving for more high-density lipoproteins (HDL), otherwise known as “good” cholesterol, will help remove harmful cholesterol from your body. Exercising, quitting smoking, and incorporating monounsaturated fats into your diet will all help you improve your cholesterol/increase HDL.
Aerobic and flexibility exercise, as well as strength training and maintaining continuous activity, are all sound methods for fighting off diabetes. Going for a walk, lifting weights, or stretching regularly will go a long way when it comes to your health. Be sure to track all of your progress in a journal, notebook, spreadsheet, etc. to help keep yourself on target.
Take the Type 2 Diabetes Risk Test
This 60 second test will analyze your level of risk for type 2 diabetes, taking factors such as a gender, family history, Body Mass Index (BMI) and blood pressure into account.
With more than 12 million seniors living with diabetes, we know the importance of keeping our residents informed, healthy, and happy. Click here to see if our Skilled Nursing can help you or a loved one.