Are you pre-diabetic?

Tuesday 10th December 2019
Be proud of how hard you are trying!

Well I had a busy morning yesterday, was on a training session via the computer for a couple of hours, it's always good to be reminded of the importance of getting healthy and having a session on Diabetes Prevention really did that yesterday for me.  It's not just about weighing less is it, it's about taking care of yourself to prevent illnesses and diseases whether that be diabetes, heart disease, even Alzheimers and dementia, our health has an effect on all of it. 

Okay so I'm going to blind you with my knowledge 😉 did you know that research shows that having a healthier diet, becoming more active and losing and maintaining a relatively modest amount of weight (if you need to), significantly reduces the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by 58% for people at high risk.  

Now I have a member who was told last year she was Pre-diabetic and it was the 'why' and the motivation she needed, since that warning she's lost over 6 stone (well done Sammy xx) 

She's embraced the WW plan and got active at Pure Gym, what a transformation! 

I have to say the training session was the reminder I needed that it's so important to have a healthier diet, I know the next few weeks will be difficult for most with temptation everywhere, but I'm going to do my best to not gain any more weight and I want to lose 5% of my start weight, then 10%, so I'm 4lb off the 5%, I had done it, then I slipped up (but no guilting myself out).

Then there's being more active, aiming for at least 150 minutes a week (that's 30 minutes, five times a week, or 10 x 15 minutes fitness chunks).  That just sounds so much doesn't it! Especially when I struggle to get out because of mom, heck even going in another room can cause issues! 

So which do I start with 'eating well' or 'moving more', the moving more will stress me more I know, because I'll feel it's not enough, although if I start by reminding myself I already walk the dog once or twice a day, it's thinking about the little things you do.  So I unload and load my car, 4 times a week, that's like weight lifting, I could get a bit more regularly with the housework and put some welly into it.

Here's some other ideas, if you're like me; 

• Walk round when you're on your phone. 
• Dance to some tunes.
• Pace the sidelines at your kids sports events.
• Play actively with your children or pets for 15-30 mins a day.  (me and Alfie actually ran on the park a little yesterday!) 
• Replace Sunday drives with walkers. 
• Run or walk fast when you do errands.
• Start a new hobby, such as biking or hiking.
• Go for a walk with your family after dinner (or by yourself - I'd love to be able to do this!)
• Aim for 10,000 steps or more a day on your pedometer / fitbit
• When you're watching tv, stand up and move during the ads.

As for eating well, even if you are indulging in the treats at this time of year, do what you can when you can, so yesterday I was going to have sweet and sour chicken with rice, I'd bought a jar sauce and was shocked to realise it was 6SP for 1/4 jar - ouch, I could've made my own lower and better to be honest, I wasn't that impressed.  I decided to make my own cauliflower rice instead of using brown rice for 6SP.  My memories of cauliflower rice aren't great but I seriously enjoyed this to the point it was the best thing on the plate and I want some more.  How did I do it?  Well I bought me a small cauliflower, cut two thick slices out of the middle to try steaks today, the I used 2 handfuls at most and whizzed it in my mini chopper (I didn't want to make a mess of the big processor) 

Then I put my baking sheet on the tray to stop anything sticking too badly, spread the cauliflower rice out on the sheet and sprayed with spray light and sprinkled a bit of salt.  Then I roasted it for 12 minutes on 200 degrees.  Seriously good, I'm thinking adding other herbs and spices and mix in some roasted vegetables at the end and you have a delicious zero meal on any plan.

This is a great idea for adding to the 'healthy eating' Why is cauliflower good? Cauliflower is a low carb, low calorie vegetable that can  be manipulated to provide some great alternatives to the starchy foods you so miss.  I never knew it was a source of Vitamin C - did you? 

Clever facts: 

• Cauliflower is very low in calories at only 29 per 1 cup cooked
• Cauliflower has a very low glycemic index of 15 or less
• Cauliflower is an excellent source of vitamin C, providing 73% of recommended daily value in a serving
• Cauliflower is a good source of vitamin K (19% of daily recommendation) and many other vitamins and minerals
• Cauliflower provides a unique group of phytochemicals called “glucosinolates”
• Cauliflower is a rich source of a multitude of antioxidants

Right that's class dismissed for the day 😛 mom wants another cuppa!  

Here's to being better not brilliant, that's the best I can promise right now x

Mwah, luv ya 

Love me xx