Confronting diabetes with a smile

ID: 133412/JOHN HAWKINS

SWEET STUFF: Visiting diabetes crusaders Dr Adam Fraser and Christine Armarego with their new book on managing the disease.

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Get moving — and have fun while you do it.

That was the message from two Australian diabetes gurus visiting Invercargill this week.

Dr Adam Fraser and Christine Armarego were in town to speak at a free seminar about ways to prevent and manage diabetes, and to promote their new book Sugar Daddy. The pair, who have been researching and developing new strategies to manage and prevent Type 2 diabetes for a combined total of 23 years, believe people have to want to exercise to get the most out of it.

"The thing is if you are a person who really enjoys exercise and looking after yourself, the path is a lot easier for you," Dr Fraser said. "We just one day looked at all the books out there and they were boring, depressing, technical. They just talked about it like it was a condition - they forgot the person — so we wrote a book that is full of positive messages and is fun."

In Australia, the pair run The Glucose Club, an organisation that assists people across the countryplan diet and exercise regimes. When questioned about their own lifestyles, both said they were very active themselves. "You've got to practise what you preach. We wouldn't be able to keep up with our lifestyle if we didn't have that attitude."

- © Fairfax NZ News