Type 2 Diabetes: How To Step It Up To Get It Down

Type 2 Diabetes: How To Step It Up To Get It Down

"Through my years of coaching and training, I've worked with many people with type 2 diabetes and have seen how hard it can be to live with this disease," said Bob Harper. I urge people with type 2 diabetes to step it up and use the 6.5 Steps and make them a part of their daily lives.".

Medicines: Most people with type 2 diabetes take medicine to help control their blood sugar levels. Many need more than one medicine to help treat the disease in different ways.

You're not alone if you or a loved one has type 2 diabetes. More than 18 million Americans have type 2 diabetes.

Life and fitness coach Bob Harper of NBC's "The Biggest Loser" and a panel of diabetes experts created motivational and easy-to-understand steps people can take to get their blood sugar down."Through my years of coaching and training, I've worked with many people with type 2 diabetes and have seen how hard it can be to live with this disease," said Bob Harper. I urge people with type 2 diabetes to step it up and use the 6.5 Steps and make them a part of their daily lives.".



Physical Activity: Regular physical activity can lower blood sugar levels. It can also help manage weight and reduce the risk of developing heart disease and high blood pressure. There are little things people with type 2 diabetes can do every day to be more active, such as walking with a friend or taking the stairs instead of the elevator.

The 6.5 Steps can help people with type 2 diabetes every day because they focus on the basics of diabetes management: eating healthy, being physically active, monitoring blood sugar and, when appropriate, taking one or more medicines. These all play a part to help lower blood sugar.

Blood Sugar Monitoring: There are two tests for checking blood sugar. It gives people with diabetes a check of their blood sugar level at the time the test is taken. Experts say that a good A1C goal is 6.5 percent or less for most people with type 2 diabetes.

Because it lowers the risk of serious health problems later, it is important to control blood sugar. Diabetes can cause heart disease, stroke, blindness, loss of limbs and kidney disease.

There are little things people with type 2 diabetes can do every day to be more active, such as walking with a friend or taking the stairs instead of the elevator.



Healthy Eating: Healthy eating reduces the risk for complications such as heart disease and stroke. Good choices include many foods, such as vegetables, whole grains, fruits, nonfat dairy products, beans, and lean meats, poultry and fish. There is no one perfect food, but watching portion sizes is key to a healthy diet.

For people with type 2 diabetes, it is important that they team up with their doctor or other health care professional and think of them as a partner. They should work with their health care team to make a plan to get their blood sugar under control.

For many people with type 2 diabetes, controlling blood sugar is a struggle every day. A report issued last year by the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) showed that two out of three Americans with type 2 diabetes analyzed in a study were not in control of their blood sugar.

Now, there's new help to better manage type 2 diabetes. Life and fitness coach Bob Harper of NBC's "The Biggest Loser" and a panel of diabetes experts created motivational and easy-to-understand steps people can take to get their blood sugar down.

It gives people with diabetes a check of their blood sugar level at the time the test is taken.