Prince DeesePrince Deese, an All American Wrestler, a Hall of Fame Football Player, and a State Champion Body Builder, is a certified personal trainer and strength conditioning specialist. Prince Deese and Gina Deese own A.C.T. by Deese, a Fitness & Training Center in Greensboro, NC.
A recent NBC News report shows that 29 million American adults suffer from diabetes, a disease which can have serious life-threatening complications. While there is no cure for diabetes, it can be managed and controlled by basic lifestyle choices… exercise, diet, and/or the use of medication.
Diabetes is the result of high sugar levels in the body over a prolonged period of time. Without sufficient insulin that is produced by the pancreas, complications can become immediately dangerous, or cause serious destruction over time to the feet, eyes, kidneys, nerves, and heart. With the proper care and discipline, most diabetics can lead a normal and healthy lifestyle.
The following testimony is about Dennis, a retired professor of Sociology and an administrator in the community college system who was diagnosed with diabetes over 15 years ago.
When the doctor first told Dennis that he was “pre-diabetic”, Dennis had no obvious symptoms that would signal an alert. He was overweight, but he didn’t feel bad. He’d tried various diets to get his weight down, but none of the diets had worked. Dennis was unaware that the weight gain was part of an important issue which, without being controlled, would destroy his life. However, he did know that there was a history of diabetes in his family: a relative had lost vision, lost use of legs, and ultimately died because of an infection that would not heal. So, for 15 years, Dennis relied on medication to help lower his blood glucose levels.
Then, Dennis took a major step towards taking control of his health. He joined a hospital program at Moses Cone directed toward making better choices on diet and exercise. He learned how to choose healthy foods and ration his meals. He took weekend nature walks and made regular trips to the gym. In time, Dennis lost 60 pounds, and was told by his doctor to reduce his diabetes medication to half of the previously prescribed dosage. Success was a motivation. Dennis continued his efforts, and ultimately, Dennis was removed from diabetes medication altogether.
Dennis remains on his journey to good health by continuing to hike, attend fitness classes and yoga stretches with consistent attention to diet and weight. As he says, “Take diabetes seriously! It isn’t always immediately life threatening, so you can do something about it. If you are like me, portion control is easier than dieting.”
Two things are significant in Dennis’ story…control and self determination. Both are equally important to living a happy healthy lifestyle. Whatever your situation, you can have “the best of life for the rest of life” by taking charge of your daily habits. Should you need guidance, information, or simply want help in getting started on a healthy plan, A.C.T. provides free consultations. (Call 336-617-5304)