A Word to the Wise

Okay, girls! So my issues are definitely different from yours. I applaud all your efforts because I know that I didn't make those same efforts when I was your age. Oh, I did go through cycles of exercise and diet. I remember loving my early morning walks (during and after the "paper route era"). But I wasn't particularly disciplined about it.

I have been giving some thought to that. Discipline, that is. I'm beginning to think that it really is all about discipline. Well, discipline and moderation. You can't just eat everything you want. And you can't just vege out in front of the t.v. Okay, let me say that differently: I can't just eat everything I want and I can't just vege out in front of my computer.

One reason is this. Our family has a history of diabetes. Diabetes is now the disease most doctors are focusing on as pre-disposing us to all the things that can kill us later in life: heart attacks, strokes, breast cancer, blindness; all these things are more probable if you have diabetes. Now, it doesn't me happy that the medical profession and our government are becoming militant about this. But the truth of the matter is, if your blood sugar goes over 100, they're going to label you pre-diabetic, especially if you have any weight problems. Here's a link about pre-diabetes: http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/riskfortype2/index.htm

After a little research, I found that a recent study shows that people who follow a low-fat, low-calorie diet and exercise 30 minutes a day, five times a week, have a far smaller risk of developing diabetes. A word to the wise: if you develop diabetes, it will be more difficult for you to get health insurance. So I encourage you to avoid the stigma of diabetes by making those changes now.

-marmy