SAN ANTONIO – Diabetes is the fourth-leading cause of death in Bexar County, with over 11 percent of the population diagnosed with the disease.
Many diabetes patients are finding help in their battle though fitness classes offered at the Texas Diabetes Institute.
Guadalupe Garza said it was devastating when she was diagnosed.
"I was diagnosed with diabetes four years ago, and I was kind of sad in the beginning and I would cry," Garza said.
Mary Helen Cantu also has diabetes and attends the fitness classes.
"When you first get diabetes, you should not be in denial," Cantu said. "Because the quicker you get to doing exercise and watching your weight, the better it is."
Cantu and Garza are among the patients Dr. Eugenio Cersosimo said can benefit from the classes at the Texas Diabetes Institute Fitness Center.
"It's very important for those patients who are at risk for diabetes, particularly, that they have regular physical activity and that they also eat healthy. It's very important," Cersosimo said.
Since coming to the classes, Cantu and Garza have not only lowered their blood sugar levels, but they have also lost weight.
"I've lost about 50-somewhat pounds since I started two years ago when I retired," Garza said. "So all the time, my favorite thing is 'si se puede,' you can do it. Go out and do it."
Click here to learn more about the Texas Diabetes Institute and the fitness center.