Elizabeth A. Covino

March 28 is Diabetes Alert Day, which is a good time to understand your risk for Type 2 diabetes.

More than one in three American adults have prediabetes, but almost 80% don’t even know they have it. On Diabetes Alert Day, the YMCA of Greater Nashua wants you to know the risks for type 2 diabetes. Take the CDC’s 60-second risk test to find out by going to www.cdc.gov/prediabetes/takethetest.

According to Kim Adie, the YMCA of Greater Nashua’s Wellbeing Director, “If you’re at risk for developing Type 2 diabetes, there is something you can do about it. Programs like the Diabetes Prevention Program help participants reduce their chances of developing Type 2 diabetes by almost 58% through healthy eating, regular physical activity and modest weight loss.

The YMCA’s program uses the CDC-approved, Prevent T2 curriculum. A trained lifestyle coach engages participants in discussions on a variety of topics in a supportive, small-group environment.

This year-long class includes 16 weekly sessions, and 8 monthly follow-up sessions. Instructors encourage participants to create and stick to realistic goals as they explore how healthy eating, physical activity, behavior changes and weight loss can help them reduce their risk of developing diabetes. Any adult, 18 years or older, who has a prediabetes diagnosis or is at risk for Type 2 diabetes, can participate. You do not have to be a Y member.

You can have prediabetes for years without symptoms and may not know you have it until a serious health issue shows up. Talk to your doctor about getting your blood sugar tested if you have any of the risk factors for prediabetes, including:

– Being overweight

– Being 45 years or older

– Having a parent, brother, or sister with type 2 diabetes

– Being physically active less than 3 times a week

– Ever having had gestational diabetes (diabetes during pregnancy) or giving birth to a baby who weighed more than 9 pounds.

Our Y program can help you get on track – and stay on track – for a healthier you. The lifestyle changes outlined in our program – modest weight loss, healthy eating, reducing stress, and regular physical activity – have been shown to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Learn more here: nmymca.org/programs/healthy-living.

For more information, email the Healthy Living Team at healthyliving@nmymca.org.

Elizabeth A. Covino is chief community relations officer for the YMCA of Greater Nashua.

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