Take Charge of Your Health: Session 1

Managing prediabetes does not have to feel overwhelming – and the research shows that small, consistent changes can make a dramatic difference. In this free class, Megan Ellison, RDN, CDCES of Sound Dietitians, LLC kicks off the Take Charge of Your Health series with a grounding introduction to prediabetes and a practical framework for building lasting habits. This first session covers Chapters 1 and 2 of Prediabetes: A Complete Guide by Jill Weisenberger, offered through Stilly Valley Health Connections – explore more in our free class recordings library.

What’s covered in this class:

• What prediabetes is and why it matters – how nearly 100 million U.S. adults have prediabetes and 8 in 10 don’t know it, how it is diagnosed through A1C (5.7-6.4%), fasting glucose (100-125 mg/dL), or a glucose tolerance test, and why addressing it early reduces the risk of progressing to type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and other complications
• How insulin works and what insulin resistance means – how insulin acts like a key that opens cell doors to let glucose in for energy, how resistance develops when that key stops working effectively, why the pancreas eventually wears out trying to compensate, and how insulin resistance connects to elevated triglycerides, fatty liver disease, high blood pressure, low HDL, and chronic inflammation
• What the research shows is possible – highlights from the Diabetes Prevention Program showing that modest 5-7% body weight loss combined with 150 minutes of weekly activity reduced diabetes risk by 58%, with adults over 60 seeing a 71% reduction, and evidence that diet and exercise changes alone produce a 28% reduction in diabetes incidence even without weight loss
• Key lifestyle factors to focus on now – why any movement after meals helps reduce blood sugar spikes (even just 2 minutes), how building and preserving muscle mass improves glucose uptake independent of insulin, why sleep quality has a meaningful effect on blood sugar and hunger hormones like leptin and ghrelin, and how a dietary pattern emphasizing plants and healthy fats supports better blood sugar management
• A framework for lasting behavior change – how to write a personal wellness vision (using prompts on page 282 of the book) as your long-term north star, the difference between outcome goals (a target A1C or weight number) and the behavioral goals you actually control, and how to use the short-term goal tracker on page 284 to set 2-3 small, realistic weekly goals that build real momentum over time