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From
ChangeOneDiet.com
Eating right and getting your body in motion
every day are pillars of any program for managing diabetes or losing weight. The
10 Percent Plan brings in a third element that may be almost as important:
getting a handle on stress.
According to the experts at
ChangeOneDiet.com,
research is now beginning to reveal just how
important stress management is when it comes to diabetes. One study, at Duke
University in Durham, North Carolina, found that when people used easy
relaxation techniques like the ones you'll learn here, they dropped their A1C
numbers (an indication of blood sugar levels over a period of several months)
significantly. In fact, about a third of the volunteers lowered their A1C levels
by 1 percent or more after a year - an effect on a par with that of diabetes
drugs. And those results were beyond what they gained through diet and exercise.
Stress hormones raise blood sugar. Why does
taming tension bring blood sugar down? A number of factors appear to be at work.
First, when you're on edge, your body pumps out stress hormones, such as
cortisol, to help you react to danger (part of the "fight or flight" response).
Among other things, these hormones make your heartbeat and breathing speed up.
They also send glucose stores into the blood to make energy immediately
available to your muscles. The result: higher blood sugar, according to
ChangeOneDiet.com.
Stress contributes to insulin resistance.
That's bad enough when you have diabetes, but there's more: Stress hormones also
make it more difficult for the pancreas to secrete the insulin that's needed to
move glucose out of the blood. Some of these hormones may also contribute to
insulin resistance -- a triple whammy.
Stress leads to weight gain. A major reason to
keep chronic stress in check is that cortisol is known to increase appetite.
Yes, that's right: Stress makes you eat more. It also encourages cells in your
abdomen to conserve fat -- in other words, it packs on the belly pounds, which
are the ones that seriously raise your risk of a heart attack.
Regularly practicing our relaxation methods
will help lower your levels of stress hormones to reverse this trend, says
ChangeOneDiet.com. It should
also help you stick to your eating and exercise goals. Think about it: When
you're stressed, you're probably tempted to chow down on whatever fatty,
high-calorie snacks are in reach. You're also less likely to stop and think
about hitting the pavement for a nice, long walk when you're busy fretting over
deadlines, family problems, or that fight with your spouse. When you practice
the art of relaxation, you'll step back and see the big picture, and your true
priorities -- including taking care of your body -- will emerge.
Mastering stress has other beneficial "side
effects." Specifically, it helps ward off emotional problems that are linked
with poor blood sugar control, particularly depression and anger. Since stress
exists in both your mind and body, our stress-busting techniques tackle it on
both fronts.
For more diabetes tips and mouth-watering
recipes and meals, visit
ChangeOneDiet.com
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