workout regimen with his own personal doctor monitoring my progress and we got off to a really great start,” Lewis shares. “So that just got me really focused and got my mind sharp to go on this weight loss journey and so far it’s been a success.”
Lewis admits that living with diabetes can be overwhelming, “but you have to be patient.”
Of course, it also doesn’t hurt to have a supportive partner.
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What You Can Do To Support Your Partner
Have a partner you’d like to support on their health journey? The couple and John A. Osborne, M.D., director of cardiology for the Low T Centers in Dallas, TX offer tips to try with your partner:
- Approach conversations with love and without judgment. “Gentle, non-confrontational conversations are key,” Lewis says. If your partner makes a poor health decision, gently explain to them why you’ll be making a different choice. “Say no with your actions,” he says. “Go for that walk after dinner whether your spouse wants to or not. Do not diverge and abandon your plan. Instead, help them realize how good it makes you feel and that they are ultimately missing out. Show them in the nicest of ways that you will neither join nor co-sign on their misbehavior.”
- Get competitive in the kitchen. “Tapping into each other’s competitive streak can also help,” Seckeita says. “Kitchen cookoffs to challenge who can make a healthy meal that the family likes … and other shenanigans can make getting healthy together more fun.”
- Get checked out for the same health conditions. “If your spouse has heart disease, you need to double-check and make sure that you’re okay as well,” Dr. Osborne suggests.
- Make your home into a health-promoting zone. “Creating an environment that promotes health, including a good diet, regular exercise, no tobacco use, and compliance with medications, is very important to ensure that we can prevent cardiovascular events,” Dr. Osborne says. As a spouse or partner, you can play an important role in helping with this. Anything from buying fresh foods to going on daily walks to laying medications out on the counter will help your partner stay on track.
Managing your diabetes
T2D disproportionately affects Black and Hispanic Americans. However, most patients are unaware of chronic kidney disease and the increased risk of cardiovascular events associated with it.
In patients with T2D, up to 40% develop chronic kidney disease (CKD), which damages the kidney and reduces its ability to filter waste, according to a study.
If you have diabetes, it is important to get your kidneys checked regularly with blood and urine tests. Regular testing is your best chance of identifying CKD early if you do develop it.
Although it may require some lifestyle adjustments, you can still live a long life free of complications by making changes to your diet and exercise routine and keeping your blood sugar levels within the recommended range. Early treatment is most effective and can help prevent additional health problems.
This article was sponsored by Bayer