Good
health is the key to a good life.
Latinos are very sensual people, so we need to take good care of our bodies. Our spirit is very strong and our blood runs hot. We are like a powerful automobile. Everything must be well maintained and filled with the right fuel for optimum performance. If not, you will crash.
Unfortunately, latinos face a number of health challenges. The biggest threat is diabetes. Recent studies show that latinos are more than twice as likely to have diabetes as other groups. And diabetes is a very serious illness. In a typical day, 3600 new cases of diabetes are diagnosed, 580 people die of complications, 225 people have an amputation, 120 people with diabetes progress to renal disease, and 55 people with diabetes go blind. Millions of Hispanics, at least one out of every ten, already suffer from this disease.
What is diabetes? It is a group of diseases caused by high levels of blood sugar because of insulin problems in your body. It is more common in older people but can occur at any age. It can lead to other complications such as erectile dysfunction, heart disease, kidney problems, blindness, hypertension, stroke, obesity, nerve damage, and many other things. It is one of the leading causes of death in the United States.
The good news is that the disease can be managed and even prevented by your own habits. All it takes is a small change in your life to improve your health and greatly reduce the risk. The goal is to control your blood sugar, lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and lose weight. Eat better foods, more fruits and vegetables, less meat and fat. Have a banana instead of the chorizo.
The most important things are diet and exercise. You don’t have to run five miles every day, just walk for twenty or thirty minutes. Even belly-dancing is very good exercise and a lot more interesting . . .
The U.S. government and various medical organizations have a lot of programs and information to help. The
National Diabetes Education Program
developed a new bilingual diabetes prevention campaign. They have a great web site that offers a lot of free information in Spanish and in English. Or you can call them at 1-800-438-5383. They even have a free CD with
latin music.
Just by losing some weight, limiting fat and calories, and exercising a little each day, you can reduce the risk for diabetes by more than half.
A lot of people do not like to exercise, but latinos love to
dance.
Dancing is a good way to exercise. Just choose the music you like and go for it!!
Do not wait. Start today. Take control of your life. Visit your doctor and listen to his advice. Take your vitamins and eat healthy foods. Get some exercise every day.