Fun With Diabetes

Diabetes is a serious disease, but learning about it doesn't have to be boring. Keeping diabetes prevention and education initiatives fun can encourage people to change unhealthy habits. It can also keep diabetics motivated while adapting to personal lifestyle changes. Infusing lessons with engaging activities and demonstrations can aid diabetics in their fight against the condition.

Healthy Diet

• Preparing diabetic foods during class can eliminate non-compliance excuses such as not knowing any suitable recipes. It can also make for fun times as you demonstrate that diabetic food options can be both tasty and nutritious. For example, demonstrating different fruit slicing techniques can encourage diabetics to make the most of their food selections. Sponsoring potluck dinners can encourage the sampling and pairing of different diabetic food combinations.

  Hosting diabetic cooking competitions can be a fun way to spend class time. It can also reward ingenuity and encourage participants to modify their favorite recipes with ones suitable for diabetics. Require entrants to supply a valid ingredient list along with complete preparation instructions. Compiling submitted recipes into a cookbook can also prove useful for class participants. Sponsoring competitions within each food group can ensure the class experiments with a greater variety of food.

Body Maintenance

• Stressing the importance of body maintenance can help enrich the lives of diabetics. Although much focus is placed on proper eating, staying aware of bodily changes can assist in the battle against diabetes.

  Hosting a foot spa night can ensure that diabetics know how to maintain their feet without causing preventable damage. This is especially important as diabetes can cause foot numbness, which makes it difficult to detect injuries. Make the spa night special by providing foot-pampering supplies, along with adequate instructions on how to avoid injury. Sending participants home with keepsake supplies such as foot lotion or clear nail polish can add to the excitement.

  Coordinating group exercise sessions can make participants more willing to maintain a healthy fitness regimen. Base the activities offered on the overall group fitness level and individual health goals. Activities can range in intensity and duration to satisfy the group needs. Consider splitting large groups into buddy teams so no one feels left out of the interactive sessions. Inviting guest speakers and fitness consultants to the group sessions can ensure the meetings are lively and informative. Making group exercise shirts can make the group interactions more cohesive and fun.