I did water aerobics with a great group of women at my local gym. Before class we found ourselves drifting into two groups: the Dippers and the Plungers.
The Dippers would be standing along the steps or sitting on the edge of the pool. As they chatted, they would very slowly get more and more of their body into the chilly water.
We Plungers had already jumped or dived into the pool and did our chatting standing waist-deep in that chilly water.
If you decide to make some changes in how you manage your diabetes, is it more your style to dip your toes in the water or do you like to plunge in?
Either way is usually fine. Unless there is some urgency your provider alerts you to, people with type 2 diabetes usually do not need to do a complete about-face in their diet and exercise habits.
One major exception comes to mind: If you drink sweetened beverages throughout the day, you may well want to try plunging in and “going cold turkey”. I have seen folks who very dramatically lowered their blood glucose levels by giving up that one single habit!
Personally, I like to collect the low-hanging fruit first. Or as one of my teachers told me, “I like to get the most bang for my buck!” Your buck buys a lot of bang when you quit drinking sweetened beverages.
Another major area where you might want to consider taking the plunge rather than taking the gradual approach is in cutting out tobacco products. Smoking literally adds insult to injury when it comes to the damage high blood sugar can do to your body.
Heart attack and stroke are two long term complications that impact people with diabetes. Smoking is especially dangerous when it comes to cardiovascular disease.
We’ll talk more about diabetes and heart disease in another post and also talk much more about the best ways to make lifestyle changes.
Please share your experiences about making changes. What was especially helpful? And equally important, what strategies did not work for you?
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