Please join with your fellow Lions to celebrate World Diabetes Day: November 14th. On this special day, millions of people will unite together in one powerful voice for diabetes awareness. Many nations will light up their landmark monuments in blue, to raise the public's awareness of diabetes. This year’s theme: “Diabetes in Children and Adolescents”.
It is estimated that 70,000 children under age 15 develop type 1 diabetes each year (almost 200 children a day) with its debilitating and life-threatening complications. The global incidence of type 2 diabetes in children looks likely to increase by up to 50% over the next 15 years.
Diabetes Fact: Globally, more than 246 million people live with diabetes, and that number is expected to grow to 380 million within 20 years.
November 14, 2007 is especially notable: It represents the first United Nations observed World Diabetes Day, in response to the UN’s landmark Resolution in December 2006 recognizing diabetes as a world epidemic. This is the first time that a non-communicable disease has been recognized as posing as serious a global health threat as infectious epidemics like malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS.
Rivanna Lion Marcia Aulebach, Diabetes Awareness Chairperson of District 24-C, will participate in World Diabetes Day activities in New York and at the UN Headquarters on November 14. And many other Lions around the world will participate in their own events on this historic day.
How can you help to raise diabetes awareness in your community? Go to the World Diabetes Day Website to learn more about diabetes and this year’s global campaign.
Visit the LCI Website for further resources, such as downloadable materials, diabetes public service announcements, and links to diabetes organizations. Seek local proclamations and declarations in support of the UN Resolution. Help to organize free diabetes screenings. Provide educational information. Prepare press releases, newspaper or magazine articles for your local newspapers. Organize a diabetes event, such as a “Strides Walk…Lions Walk for Diabetes Awareness.” Support local diabetes camps. Plan a “Walk the World – the 246-Step Walk,” to symbolically recognize the 246 million people estimated to be living with diabetes.
While November 14th is World Diabetes Day, we encourage all Lions clubs everywhere to promote diabetes awareness throughout the year, especially in November, “Diabetes Awareness Month”. Please contact us if you have any questions or need additional information. Thank you. Show your support! Your efforts can help save the life of a child, teen or adult. "There is no such thing as mild diabetes." ...International Diabetes Federation
Everybody Needs Exercise:
Exercise is a great way to lose weight and become fit. Regular exercise can lower your risk of cardiovascular diseases and it helps lower blood sugar levels, too. The kind of exercise you choose is also important. You should always talk to your doctor before starting any exercise program. If you have any underlying or co-existing medical problems besides diabetes, your doctor might suggest that some forms of exercise are better for you than others.
What To Do Before You Exercise: Always check your blood sugar before and after you exercise. If your blood sugar is lower than 100 mg/dl, make sure you eat a snack before you start. Exercise lowers blood sugar so you don't want to start out too low. Hypoglycemia can occur during exercise or during the next 12 hours that follow. If you feel faint or dizzy, weak or confused, stop exercising right away and drink some orange juice or other source of quickly digested sugar. It's a good idea to take a snack with you, just in case.
What To Watch For: Depending on what exercise you do, your feet can take a pounding. Always look them over for sores or blisters before and after you exercise. Make sure that your workout shoes fit well and are comfortable. Wear soft, absorbent socks. If your feet are already compromised from poor circulation, choose an exercise that doesn't put undue pressure on them, such as swimming, yoga or tai chi.
If you use insulin, make sure that you inject into your abdomen, not your leg or arm muscles when you exercise.
If you have diabetes, you must be more careful than the average person. Ask your doctor about exercise, if you have any of these symptoms or conditions: • Is your blood glucose level over 250 mg/dl? • Do you have any symptoms of cardiovascular problems? • Do you have any evidence of retinopathy, neuropathy, or nephropathy at this time? • Any other ongoing health problems that might limit your ability to exercise safely?
Your doctor will advise you whether exercise at this time is appropriate for you.
Things That Make Sense: Make sure you drink enough liquid before, during and after your session. Being dehydrated can raise blood sugar. Drinking water throughout the day keeps cells functioning, even when you're not exercising. Six to eight glasses a day will keep you hydrated and may help your diet as well.
Warm up before you start to exercise and also cool down when you're done. This eases your body into the more strenuous portion of your exercise and allows your heart rate to return to normal after you're finished. Exercise As You Go:
There's no need to join a gym or have a personal trainer, to make exercise a part of your life. Walking is free. Shopping malls often open early for "mall walkers" who want to do laps in a well-lit climate controlled environment. This is especially good if you live in an area where the weather doesn't always cooperate.
Park your car farther away and walk the rest of the way to your destination. Use stairs instead of elevators. Wear a pedometer. Adding 10,000 extra steps each day can really help.
Timing Is Everything:
Try to get about 30 minutes of exercise a day, 5 times a week. This is a good amount to shoot for to help you become more fit. If you're a beginner, it's best to build up gradually. Start by doing 5 to 10 minutes a day and increase by five or ten minutes each week until you're up to speed. It's better to build up by degrees than to burn out after a single strenuous session.
Good Luck On Your Mission:
Whatever you choose, whichever exercise is right for you, make sure it's something you enjoy. It's a lot easier to face the music everyday, if you really enjoy the dance. And that reminds me, ballroom dancing is hot right now. That's another good way to get your exercise and have fun at the same time. So, enjoy. You don't have to look like a Nike ad to reap the benefits of exercise. Bodies in motion are healthy bodies.
What Increases Your Risk of Having Diabetes and the BMI CHART
Type 2 diabetes can run in families. Certain factors increase your family members' risk for developing diabetes, including:
• Being overweight. The risk for type 2 diabetes increases with weight gain
(increasing body mass index, or BMI), especially a gain of more than 22 lbs (10
kg) after age 18 in women or 18 lbs (8.2 kg) after age 21 in men. Having a large
amount of fat in the abdominal area also increases the risk. To determine BMI,
see the charts:
o Body mass index (BMI) for adults or body mass index (BMI)
for adults (metric).
o Calculating BMI in children and the BMI chart for boys
or the BMI chart for girls. Children who are in the 85th percentile or above for
their age have a risk of developing type 2 diabetes in childhood.
• Lack of
exercise. Participating in physical activity less than once a week increases a
person's chance of developing type 2 diabetes by 20% to 40%. One large study
found that women who were sedentary, especially those who watched a lot of
television, were at higher-than-average risk for obesity and type 2
diabetes.
• Having pre-diabetes, or impaired glucose tolerance. In the United
States, 41 million people between the ages of 40 and 74 have pre-diabetes and
are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes. 4 A large, long-term study showed
that a nutritious diet and regular exercise can prevent type 2 diabetes.
Lifestyle changes reduced the risk by 58% overall and by 71% in people older
than 60.
• See the BMI chart for an idea about your weight.
BMI
Adapted from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2000). Report of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Available online: Dietary Guidelines
Use the chart to locate your height and weight. The shaded regions on the chart correspond to healthy and overweight ranges based on body mass index (BMI). Keep in mind that this is only a guide. It is not a tool to determine ideal body weight; it is just one tool to help determine whether your weight is increasing your risk for disease. People who are very muscular or those who have very little muscle may not get an accurate BMI by using their height and weight alone. Muscle weighs more than fat, so a muscular person may appear to have a higher BMI, or a frail, inactive person may have more body fat than is healthy.
For adults older than 20 years: • A BMI below 18.5 (white) is considered
underweight.
• A BMI between 18.5 and 25 (green) is considered a normal
weight.
• A BMI between 25 and 30 (yellow) is considered overweight.
• A
BMI above 30 (red) is considered obese.
• A person, who has a large change in
BMI, even if he or she is not overweight, should be evaluated to determine the
cause.
However, according to federal guidelines, a clinical diagnosis of
obesity also includes a determination of your waist circumference and risk
factors. • If you are within the healthy BMI range and your waist measurement is
lower than the cutoff, maintain that weight and check your fitness level, blood
pressure, and cholesterol levels.
• In men, a waist circumference greater
than 40 in. (101.6 cm) is considered a health risk. Women who have a waist size
larger than 35 in. (88.9 cm) are considered at risk.
• If your are in the
overweight (BMI of 25 to 29.9) or obese (BMI of 30 or above) category, or your
waist measurement is higher than the cutoff level, you need to talk to your
doctor about other risk factors you have, including type 2 diabetes, smoking,
high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and being inactive. If you have two or
more risk factors, your doctor will probably advise you to lose weight and
reduce your risk factors.
Please see our new web-sight information Rivanna
Lions on diet,
exercise, meal plans and recipes as
well as wonderful tips that folks have
been asking for. At this time we want to take this time
to thank Lion Chris
Garrett the wonder web man for all his help in getting this
sight up and
running for all or Diabetic
needs. Also Lion Marcia for her
writing and
putting together all this
information to help our community with Diabetic
needs Thanks Lion Chris & Lion
Marcia
Health Fair Update
Rivanna Lion would like take this time to thank Cynthia Moore RM and the
University of Virginia Diabetes Awareness team
for all there support and
information at the Rivanna Lions 2nd Annual Health fair. The Diabetic table gave
out 25 information packets
as well as free clocks, umbrellas, and Diabetic
meal planners.
Mrs. Moore was able to meet and assist Fluvanna residents with any medical
concerns they had. Get were very pleased to
see folks come and share there
diabetic stories and needs with us. What a wonderful day we all had. Special
thanks to
Lions, Marcia A, George B, Dave S, Paul P. Thanks for all your hard
work.
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Stride's Lions 5K Run/Walk-a-Thon
Please look forward to November Pleasant Grove for our
Stride's Lions 5K
run/walk-a-thon. We will give more information in August
as we progress
with this wonderful project to bring
Diabetic Awareness to our Community.
We already have large sponsors (Jim Price, Volvo of C-ville, MLA Designs,
PTC) and three Lions clubs (Gordonsville, UVA,
Charlottesville) and one
Lioness Club (Charlottesville) to help assist us with
Strides. Thanks
everyone hope to get more to assist
this wonderful event.
Please feel free to contact Lion Marcia with any
information/questions or
you may want to help us with this
program.
Maulebach@hotmail.com.
Exercise for a better Diabetic Management for Summer 2007, What I need to
know about Physical Activity and
Diabetes To feel better in 2007
How can I take care of my diabetes?
What can a physically active lifestyle do for
me?
What kinds of physical activity can help me?
Can I exercise any time I want?
Are there any types of physical activity I shouldn't
do?
Can physical activity cause low blood glucose?
What should I do first?
What can I do to make sure I stay active?
How can I take care of my diabetes?
Diabetes means that your blood glucose (also called blood
sugar) is too
high. Your body uses glucose for
energy. But having too much glucose in your
blood can hurt you. When you take
care of your diabetes, you'll feel better.
You'll reduce your risk for problems with your kidneys, eyes,
nerves, feet
and legs, and teeth. You'll also
lower your risk for a heart attack or a
stroke. You can take care of your
diabetes by being physically active
following a healthy meal plan by
taking medicines (if prescribed by your
doctor) What can a physically active
lifestyle do for me?
Research has shown that physical activity can lower your
blood glucose and
your blood pressure lower your bad
cholesterol and raise your good
cholesterol improve your body's
ability to use insulin lower your risk for
heart disease and stroke keep your
heart and bones strong keep your joints
flexible lower your risk of falling
help you lose weight
reduce your body fat give you more
energy reduce your stress .
Physical activity also plays an important part in preventing
type 2
diabetes. A major government study,
the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP),
showed that a healthy diet and a
moderate exercise program resulting in a 5
to 7 percent weight loss can delay
and possibly prevent type 2 diabetes.
What kinds of physical activity can help me? Four kinds of
activity can
help. You can try being extra active
every day doing aerobic exercise doing
strength training
stretching
Be Extra Active Every Day Being extra active can increase the
number of
calories you burn. There are many
ways to be extra active.
Walk around while you talk on the phone. Pay with the kids. Take the dog
for a walk. Get up to change the TV
channel instead of using the remote
control.
Work in the garden or rake leaves. Clean the house. Wash the
car. Stretch
out your chores. For example, make
two trips to take the laundry downstairs
instead of one. Park at the far end
of the shopping center lot and walk to
the store. At the grocery store,
walk down every aisle. At work, walk over
to see a co-worker instead of
calling or emailing. Take the stairs instead
of the elevator.
Stretch or walk around instead of taking a coffee break and
eating. During
your lunch break, walk to the post
office or do other errands.
Do Aerobic Exercise
Aerobic exercise is activity that requires the use of large
muscles and
makes your heart beat faster. You
will also breathe harder during aerobic
exercise. Doing aerobic exercise for
30 minutes a day, most days of the
week, provides many benefits. You
can even split up those 30 minutes into
several parts. For example, you can
take three brisk 10-minute walks, one
after each meal.
If you haven't exercised lately, see your doctor first to
make sure it's
OK
for you to increase your level of
physical activity. Talk with your doctor
about how to warm up and stretch
before exercise and how to cool down after
exercise. Then start slowly with 5
to 10 minutes a day. Add a little more
time each week, aiming for 150 to
200 minutes per week.
Try walking briskly hiking climbing stairs swimming or taking
a
water-aerobics class dancing riding
a bicycle outdoors or a stationary
bicycle indoors taking an aerobics
class playing basketball, volleyball, or
other sports in-line skating, ice
skating, or skate boarding playing tennis
cross-country skiing other things I
can do:
Do Strength Training
Doing exercises with hand weights, elastic bands, or weight
machines two or
three times a week builds muscle.
When you have more muscle and less fat,
you'll burn more calories because
muscle burns more calories than fat, even
between exercise sessions. Strength
training can help make daily chores
easier, improving your balance and
coordination, as well as your bones'
health. You can do strength training
at home, at a fitness center, or in a
class. Your health care team can
tell you more about strength training and
what kind is best for
you.
Stretch
Stretching increases your flexibility, lowers stress, and
helps prevent
muscle soreness after other types of
exercise. Your health care team can
tell you what kind of stretching is
best for you.
The Weight-control Information Network, a service of the
National Institute
of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney
Diseases, has information about
exercise. Call 1–877–946–4627,
toll-free, to request free copies of the
following publications, or read them
online.
Active at Any Size, Walking: A Step in the Right Direction,
Physical
Activity and Weight
Control.
Can I exercise any time I want?
Ask your health care team about the best time of day for you
to exercise.
Consider your daily schedule, your meal plan, and your
diabetes medications
in deciding when to
exercise.
If you exercise when your blood glucose is above 300, your
level can go even
higher. It's best not to exercise until your blood glucose is lower.
Also,
exercise is not recommended if your
fasting blood glucose is above 250 and
you have ketones in your urine. For information about preventing or
treating
low blood glucose, see Can physical
activity cause low blood glucose?
Are there any types of physical activities I shouldn't
do?
If you have diabetes complications, some exercises can make
your problems
worse. For example, activities that
increase the pressure in the blood
vessels of your eyes, such as
lifting heavy weights, can make diabetic eye
problems worse. If nerve damage from
diabetes has made your feet numb, your
doctor may suggest that you try
swimming instead of walking for aerobic
exercise.
Numbness means that you may not feel any pain from sores or
blisters on your
feet and so may not notice them.
Then they can get worse and lead to more
serious problems. Make sure you
exercise in cotton socks and comfortable,
well-fitting shoes that are designed
for the activity you are doing. After
you exercise, check your feet for
cuts, sores, bumps, or redness. Call your
doctor if any foot problems
develop.
Can physical activity cause low blood
glucose?
Physical activity can cause hypoglycemia (low blood glucose)
in people who
take insulin or certain diabetes
pills, including sulfonylurea and
meglitinides. Ask your health care team whether your
diabetes pills can
cause hypoglycemia. Some types of
diabetes pills do not.
Hypoglycemia can happen while you exercise, right afterward,
or even up to a
day later. It can make you feel
shaky, weak, confused, irritable, hungry, or
tired. You may sweat a lot or get a
headache. If your blood glucose drops
too low, you could pass out or have
a seizure.
However, you should still be physically active. These steps
can help you be
prepared for
hypoglycemia:
Before Exercise
Be careful about exercising if you have skipped a recent
meal. Check your
blood glucose. If it's below 100,
have a small snack. If you take insulin,
ask your health care team whether
you should change your dosage before you
exercise.
During Exercise
Wear your medical identification or other ID. Always carry
food or glucose
tablets so that you'll be ready to
treat hypoglycemia. If you'll be
exercising for more than an hour,
check your blood glucose at regular
intervals. You may need snacks
before you finish.
After Exercise
Check to see how exercise affected your blood glucose level.
Treating
Hypoglycemia If your blood glucose
is 70 or lower, have one of the following
right away:
Take 2 or 3 glucose tablets 1/2 cup (4 ounces) of any fruit
juice 1/2 cup (4
ounces) of a regular (not diet) soft
drink 1 cup (8 ounces) of milk 5 or 6
pieces of hard candy 1 or 2
teaspoons of sugar or honey
After 15 minutes, check your blood glucose again. If it's
still too low,
have another serving. Repeat until
your blood glucose is 70 or higher. If it
will be an hour or more before your
next meal, have a snack as well.
What should I do first?
Check with your doctor. Always talk with your doctor before
you start a new
physical activity program. Ask about
your medications prescription and over
the counter and whether you should
change the amount you take before you
exercise. If you have heart disease,
kidney disease, eye problems, or foot
problems, ask which types of
physical activity are safe for you.
Decide exactly what you'll do and set some goals. Choose the
type of
physical activity you want to do the
clothes and items you'll need to get
ready the days and times you'll add
activity the length of each session your
warm up and cool down plan for each
session alternatives, such as where
you'll walk if the weather is bad
your measures of progress Find an exercise
buddy. Many people find that they
are more likely to do something active if
a friend joins them. If you and a
friend plan to walk together, for example,
you may be more likely to do
it.
Keep track of your physical activity. Write down when you
exercise and for
how long in your blood glucose
record book. You'll be able to track your
progress and to see how physical
activity affects your blood glucose.
Decide how you'll reward yourself. Do something nice for
yourself when you
reach your activity goals. For
example, treat yourself to a movie or buy a
new plant for the
garden.
What can I do to make sure I stay
active?
One of the keys to staying on track is finding some
activities you like to
do. If you keep finding excuses not
to exercise, think about why. Are your
goals realistic? Do you need a
change in activity? Would another time be
more convenient? Keep trying until
you find a routine that works for you.
Once you make physical activity a habit, you'll wonder how
you lived without
it.
Following these simple active healthy way you will be able to
feel better
and have more energy to handle you
diabetes with physical activities.
Please contact your doctor if you have any problem or feel not well.