Health

I am 34, I have had diabetes for 17 years. I am 5' 11' 182lbs. Before Hurricane Katrina, I use to live in the most diabetic city in America, New Orleans. I have been exercising on a regular basis since I was eighteen. I try to improve every year. I run the 400_m in about 58 seconds. I train college and semi pro athletes. My dream is to compete and complete a triantholon. Diabetes is a life condition not a disease or a hinderance. Make the best of your condition. This is my advice to Americans with diabetes.
Diabetes. For millions of African Americans, ANglo-Americans, Hispanics have heard this medical condition "diabetes" condition affixed to their life. I was affixed or diagnosed with diabetes at the age of seventeen. I did not know anything about it, and was at the discretion of my grandmother (Completed 6th grade) and a 1st year intern to make decision on my life with diabetes. To make a long story short they did not make the best decision for me. So I was forced and blessed to take control of the situation. I researched, studied and develop my own lifestyle with diabetes. I came to the conclusion that with diabetes a person needs to know five things.

These are the five things every diabetic should do.

1.) Learn about diabetes. Know what it is, what it does, short term effects it has on the body the long term effects it has on the body and how you can prevent or prolong the effects of the condition happening to you.

2.) Go to school
Take a couple of biology courses. These will help you understand the big picture when it comes between you and diabetes. It may inspire you to find a cure or contribute to the science of diabetes care.

3.) Learn your metobolism. If you do not know what it means accomplish #2. No one in the world should know your body like you. You have been with you since you were born. Therefore take out the time to figure out what your body can do and cannot do. How it responds or reacts to certain foods and make the neccessary adjustments for your body. "To Eat or NOT to EAT? That is the question."
a.) Experiment with exercise schedules to learn what is the best time for you and your body to workout.
b.) Find the peak and low times of your glucose (blood sugar level).
c.) practice control when planning meals. Use a diabetic nutrional guide.

These simple steps will lower and control your glucose level or sugar level.

4.) Use the information acquired in numbers 1, 2, and 3 to apply in your life. Change for the well being of you.


5.)Get out and exercise. Exercise and a proper diet is the best defense to live with diabetes or to prevent diabetes. Exercise and a proper diet makes you feel good. Exercise and a proper diet helps to control glucose levels. Exercise and a proper diet makes you look better. YOURLIFE depends on exercise and a proper diet.

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Fact:
Blacks, especially women, are carrying many of the pounds: A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found as many as 70.6 percent of black women across various age groups qualified as overweight or obese between 1999 and 2002. (Black Americaweb.com)
"Obesity, as we all know, is an epidemic across the country, particularly affecting minorities," said NAFEO senior health adviser Julia Anderson. "It's no secret."
Estimates are that nearly two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese.
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Why are so many church folks overweight?
The black church was and still is the backbone of most black communties. The black church is also the hub of the obesity problem in the African American community. I am fron New Orleans, LA I lived there up until August 27, 2005 right before the city was hit by Hurricane Katrina. New Orleans people live to eat. Every morsel of food must have butter, salt, and/or mayonaise. Church folk from New Orleans are twice as bad than regular church folks. Church folks have terrible eating habits. Every church meeting I ever attended (except when I was facilitating) had food unhealthy food. Our annual health fair exposed hundreds of people with diabetics and hypertension. My pastor is overweight. Most of the nice loving older ladies of the church are overweight. The young "Lord help me to get a man" ladies are overweight. The deacons with the clean shave are overweight. The sister with the nice calves in the tight dress is hiding overweightness. The reason why I am focusing on the black church as the hub of obesity is simple. How in heaven would you expect somone to give their life to Jesus Christ if you are out of shape and overweight. Christ gave us life so we can live it more abundantly. No one I know wants to be a BIG FAT black christian. It is hard enough being BLACK. Jesus was not overweight. It is difficult having a ministry that requires you to walk with the people and to be with the people if you are over weight. If Jesus looked like our beloved Luther Vandross, Neil Carter, Barry White, preachers in the black community and countless other overweight black folks in the community, he would not have had an effective ministry. It takes physical endurance to walk all over the middle east saving folks: Healing the blind, healing the women ewith the issue of blood, fedding 5000 and 4000, healing Jairus daughter. If Jesus was overweight he would have never walked anywhere. Therefore never fulfilling the scripture. In concluding if the African AMerican Church regardless of denomination would live healthy, more people would take our ministry, the black church ministry, and your ministry more seriously.

--------------------------------------------------Yesterday I went to a church choir practice. I saw so many things that was typical in todays black church:
1.) Egotystical choir directors with a touch of femaninaty.
2.) Men with a touch of femaninaty
3.) overweight women
4.) single mothers and single women looking for a man.


I came to a conclusion, only in a church ran by Jesus could these people meet and be accepted. I do not agree with femanine men.
I do not like overweight women.
Since I have a beautiful "honey dip" I love, the sisters did not phase me.
But It was not about me. It was about Jesus. All those messed up people including me where there worshiping Jesus. What a Lovely and funny site to see.