The changes are not hard. They are as basic as the grease can on your stove, in your refrigerator or some other special place. Stop using it and stop putting that bit of fat in that biscuit or piece of cornbread and take some of the meat out of those greens. You only need a bit to season the pot.

What else can you do? Think about it for a moment; what do you usually have for lunch or breakfast or dinner. Are the foods that you have filled with starch, fat or salt? If the answer is yes then you have a few changes you can make. Have one biscuit, not two for breakfast. Just for today have a salad with your burger instead of the fries. And tonight, have two vegetables; say cabbage and collard greens and leave the rice alone for tonight. Don’t forget that the “fat-back” meat is only for seasoning — you only need a bit.

The choices are more water, more vegetables, fewer starches (rice, macaroni and cheese) – not NO but fewer grits, lima beans, pinto beans and field peas because they have a starchy base. The carbohydrates (“carbs”) found in these foods and in some fruits and fruit juices raise your blood sugar. You can have these foods but you want to make your portion sizes much smaller than the amount you may have eaten before you started learning to live well.

If you are eating well you will want to add to that exercising well, which means at least thirty minutes each day. Some great suggestions are walking, raking your yard or even chair exercise while you watch TV or listen to music. Consider activities such as cleaning the garage or house cleaning that requires reaching, bending, stooping and stretching as exercise. When you finish, be sure to have a glass or bottle of water to replace some of the fluid you lost while getting in shape.

Learn to burn calories while you are sitting. Keep some cans beside your favorite chair and lift them while you sit. Push the cans up ten times, then bring your arms across your chest ten times, then bend forward with the cans and bring yourself and the cans all the way back ten times. Use the commercial breaks to walk around the house, pedal as though you were riding a bike while sitting or stand and twist from the waist. Most hour-long programs have enough commercial breaks that you can get in fifteen minutes of exercise — that means that you are well on your way to thirty minutes each day.

Living well also means you need to start eliminating as much stress from your life as possible. Don’t let people get on your last nerve, first nerve or any other nerves in between. Learn to tell yourself little jokes in your head when people are “bugging” you, such as how funny their hair or face looks. Figure out before you get there what you will do if (a) or (b) happens in situations that usually create stress for you. If things like other people being late or obnoxious bother you, relax and remember that this is really not your problem.

Go on out and buy some bottles of water for your car, check out the herbs and seasoning in your store that have less or no sodium and spend some time figuring out inexpensive ways to incorporate more fruit, vegetables and lean meats in your diet. Go to your local library and ask the librarian to help you with finding a website such as the American Diabetes Association where you can print recipes and learn to control stress. Ask the librarian if there are sites you can listen to with a headset so that you can learn more about controlling diabetes, managing your blood pressure and cholesterol and not have to use any device on the computer to move around in the site.

And lastly, you know a lot of people who need to lower their blood pressure, their sugar numbers and their weight. Where are they? They’re in your church, your lodge, your missionary group, your sorority, your fraternity and in your family. Invite all of them to your house early one Saturday morning for a walk, a light breakfast and some serious laughing. You help yourself when you help others, so reach out. Make a pact with your friends and family. Ask them to join you in taking seniors for healthy walks twice each week.

Remember that you can control your diabetes. There is help. It is all about you and your choice to live well with diabetes everyday.

Please look for local diabetes education classes or call Beverly Highland at National Medical (843-881-2912) to arrange cooking demonstrations, schedule classes or humorous health skits, or exercise programs for seniors at your church, home or other organization.