Prediabetes is a condition in which your blood sugar is higher than normal; it often indicates that you will develop type 2 diabetes within a 10-year time period, unless you change your lifestyle. Prediabetes is a common condition. In fact, The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the American Diabetes Association (ADA) estimate that 41 million Americans between the ages of 40 to 74 are prediabetic. Luckily, you can reverse prediabetes with some lifestyle changes.
Diet
Altering your diet is one lifestyle adjustment you'll need to make. One of the most important things you can do is to avoid processed sugar. That means giving up cakes, pies, candy bars and sodas with sugar in them. You also should avoid alcoholic beverages like beer and wine, since they can elevate your blood sugar quickly. In addition, eliminate simple carbohydrates like white bread, rice and potatoes from your diet, and replace them with complex carbohydrates in the form of whole grains and vegetables.
A good diet plan would be one where you limit your calorie intake to 1,200 to 1,800 calories a day. It's also helpful to eat four to six small meals a day, so that your blood sugar stays relatively constant throughout the day. Smaller meals also are much easier for your digestive system to process. To combat prediabetes, aim for a diet that consists of 30 percent protein, 10 percent to 20 percent fat, 20 percent to 30 percent vegetables, 20 percent whole grains, and 10 percent fruits.
Exercise
Along with a sensible diet, you can improve your prediabetic condition by exercising. Even something as simple as walking for a half-hour a day can help reduce your risk of developing full-blown type 2 diabetes. The key to an effective exercise program is to find something you enjoy doing, so that you will stick with the program. Some beneficial, boredom-busting exercise activities include: swimming, biking, dancing and gardening. Sports like tennis, basketball, softball and soccer are other engaging options, because they can distract you from the fact that you actually are exercising. Really anything that will get your heart rate up is beneficial. And don't forget to warm up and cool down with gentle stretching exercises before and after you work out. Don't forget to consult your doctor to make sure the exercise you will be doing will not endanger you in any way.
Sleep
Getting enough sleep is another crucial tool in combating prediabetes. In fact, research presented in March 2009 at the American Heart Association's Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention shows that "people who sleep less than six hours per night are more likely to develop impaired fasting glucose, or prediabetes." So it's important to make sure you get plenty of sleep each and every night--at least more than six hours, and preferably between seven and nine hours. It's especially important, as there is "growing evidence that inadequate sleep results in adverse health issues," according to researcher Lisa Rafalson, Ph.D., assistant professor at the University at Buffalo (State University of New York).
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