Reds in the Community are proud to be supporting World Diabetes Day on Thursday 14th November!

Reds in the Community run a wide range of Health initiatives, aiming to tackle a variety of issues in the local community including obesity and heart conditions as well as diabetes.

These include our award-winning Fit Reds programme for both men and women, Box to Box (Boxing fitness sessions), Walking Football, Strolling Reds (walking group), Learn and Burn and Turbo Tykes (Indoor Cycling).

Alan Walshaw, a regular participant at Turbo Tykes, has spoken to Reds in the Community about how much of a difference the session has made to his own health.

He said: “I’m a type 2 diabetic. Through exercise and diet in the last year, I’ve lost 1.5 stones and am now classed as pre-diabetic, not fully diabetic. I take reduced diabetes medication now too. The spinning has been an important part of my exercise and motivation.”

Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs when the pancreas is no longer able to make insulin, or when the body cannot make good use of the insulin it produces.

Insulin is a hormone made by the pancreas, that acts like a key to let glucose from the food we eat pass from the bloodstream into the cells in the body to produce energy. All carbohydrate foods are broken down into glucose in the blood. Insulin helps glucose get into the cells.

Not being able to produce insulin or use it effectively leads to raised glucose levels in the blood (known as hyperglycemia). Over the long-term high glucose levels are associated with damage to the body and failure of various organs and tissues.

Health & Wellbeing Officer Sean Margison added: “We are constantly striving to improve the general health and fitness of people in the Barnsley community, including reducing the risk factors associated with diabetes. It’s fantastic that one of our sessions has contributed to positive changes in Alan’s lifestyle and many others in the local area.”

Image credit – World Diabetes Day