I learned that I had Diabetes at about 9:00 one morning in September of 2009. That evening I took my first little walk. Emphasis on “little.” It wasn’t a long walk at all, but the important thing was that I got myself out there and walked.
There was no waiting to follow the doctor’s instructions – I had already done that when I was told I had Prediabetes and look what happened! If I had only started walking then…There was no second guessing what he told me. I acted out of absolute fear and terror of Diabetes. My doctor told me walking just 30 minutes a day was a good way to start to battle the disease – so I started walking.
Did I have the right shoes for walking? Heck, no. I started with an old pair of Reeboks that my wife had told me to throw out a year before. (They looked a lot worse than the shoes I have pictured.) I couldn’t see why I should throw them out since I used them for painting, working in and around the house, and washing the car. They were beat up and looked it. But, they were the only shoes I had that might have been half-way suitable for walking. So, I used them.
In fact, I used them for two years. They weren’t cushioned. They didn’t provide the support a pair of running shoes would provide, but I had them – which was a big advantage over having to go out and buy new shoes. Yes, my shins ached a little from time to time; but I kept on walking. Thirty minutes a day. Six days a week. In whatever weather existed.
You see, I had one job – to get control of my Diabetes. To fight my War On Diabetes and win. Diabetes did not make any excuses when it attacked me, so I couldn’t make any excuses for not fighting back. I had to fight. I had to win. I wanted to see my grandchildren graduate from college. I had to be around and not chained to dialysis or lose a toe or not be able to heal correctly – all common side effects and complications from Diabetes.
Where did my walking lead me? The same place it will lead you. To weight loss. To reduced glucose readings. To reduced A1c results. To better health.
Did I get new shoes? Yes – after I had lost 50 pounds between my walking and diet changes. And, let me tell you – the new shoes were wonderful from the first step.
You’re smart. If you weren’t, you wouldn’t be reading this, right? Get out and start fighting back. You are in a war; and, in a war you fight to win. You can win. Know it. Believer it. If you have been told you have Prediabetes, you can reverse it or postpone the onset of Diabetes. If you have Diabetes, get busy – now.
I believe you can win your War On Diabetes.
As always, thank you for reading – now, get out and walk or exercise!
I am not a doctor or health professional. I am just a guy who is working everyday to control Type 2 Diabetes. My goal is to offer hope, help and solutions for day-to-day living for the diabetic. The disease can be controlled. It can be managed. And, you can do it!
War On Diabetes 
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