Effect of walking on Blood sugar level

[Kaha]

We all know that walking has a positive effect on Blood sugar reading (lowers the number). May be not always !!!! I had my BS level 6.8 before walking . After 30 minutes of walking without intake of any food r drink , I got 6.9 i.e increase by 0.10 . How this can be explained ? Is it a fault in reading by the meter ?

 

[julifriend]

Meters have a tolerance of + or - 20% therefore your readings are essentially the same.

 

[andcol]

That is easy to explain... I can drop up to 4 mmol/l in 5 mins when I walk so your liver has to produce glucose constantly for your muscles unless you are in ketosis. It will maintain you at a reasonable level so you do not starve your muscles and become exhausted. That is why you ended up where you started.

 

[Jaylee]

That is easy to explain... I can drop up to 4 mmol/l in 5 mins when I walk so your liver has to produce glucose constantly for your muscles unless you are in ketosis. It will maintain you at a reasonable level so you do not starve your muscles and become exhausted. That is why you ended up where you started.

I agree.. Though on a walk it's always a good idea to end up where you started. Walking a consistent distance in the same direction each day could take you anywhere...?

 

[Bluetit1802]

I also find my twice daily walks raise my levels or keep them high (if they started high) for about an hour afterwards. This has been the case since I started testing. After about an hour back home they drop. It seems they help me in the long term but not the short term.

 

[andcol]

I also find my twice daily walks raise my levels or keep them high (if they started high) for about an hour afterwards. This has been the case since I started testing. After about an hour back home they drop. It seems they help me in the long term but not the short term.

Wow that is so interesting as for me my numbers will drop to 5 and stay there from wherever I am. Is it to do with amount of muscle/insulin resistance or exercise intensity. More likely a combination of all three and likely some other factors

 

[Deleted member 83869]

Exercise doesn't always affect peoples blood sugars though, it does just depend on the person!!

 

[anna29]

Walking keeps my levels lower and steady too .
So I keep this a regular thing in my daily routine
It certainly helps for sure with me .

Walk the doggys great fun to do , have their company
with me when walking them .
Walk around the shops - all ladies like this one

 

[andcol]

Exercise doesn't always affect peoples blood sugars though, it does just depend on the person!!

I'm not sure that is true Nicola. There will always be an affect whenever you do something whether that is positive or negative and will depend on intensity/duration/you current levels and digestion/.... A short non aerobic walk will likely not have a noticeable impact because you are using the glucogen stores within your muscles.

 

[Deleted member 83869]

I'm not sure that is true Nicola. There will always be an affect whenever you do something whether that is positive or negative and will depend on intensity/duration/you current levels and digestion/.... A short non aerobic walk will likely not have a noticeable impact because you are using the glucogen stores within your muscles.

Maybe, so but it never affected me back in school during PE it would change by like 0.6 or something nothing drastic..nobody is the same maybe it's different for a Type 2

 

[Bluetit1802]

I've just done an experiment on me.

2hrs after lunch 6.5. (21g carbs, 38g fat, 37g protein)
Then spent an hour gardening. Lifting and carrying a lot of very heavy pots, pruning (bending), weeding (bending) and so forth
3hrs after lunch 6.5

It should have gone down on its own.

 

[DeejayR]

I've just done an experiment on me.

2hrs after lunch 6.5. (21g carbs, 38g fat, 37g protein)
Then spent an hour gardening. Lifting and carrying a lot of very heavy pots, pruning (bending), weeding (bending) and so forth
3hrs after lunch 6.5

It should have gone down on its own.

Me too. Before lunch, 5.6. An hour and a half after lunch (chicken & ham salad) 5.6. Walk 1 mile to allotment, work moderately for just over an hour, walk home. 3 hours after lunch, 4.9.
Exercise has always lowered my BS and only once sent it back up due to over-exertion. But I haven't yet tried testing before & after cycling.

 

[[email protected]]

I believe that blood sugar rises immediately after exercise, so if you test then it will be high. You might need to rest for a bit before testing. I was completely baffled that my HB1ac was lower than the reading on a fasting reading I did with my BG monitor. My sister-in-law who is a diabetic nurse informed me that I would be more resistant in the morning. When I had my second HB1 taken the second time at the doctors I was down by a unit after being put on 500g of Metformin once a day and not eating sugar for 6 weeks. Phew! It was a relieve. I believe exercise is good for diabetes in the long-run as it helps the body to improves insulin sensitivity. I have now been put off testing frequently because of this.

 

[robpnz]

I'm not sure that is true Nicola. There will always be an affect whenever you do something whether that is positive or negative and will depend on intensity/duration/you current levels and digestion/.... A short non aerobic walk will likely not have a noticeable impact because you are using the glucogen stores within your muscles.

Interesting point here Andrew re the stored glucogen. Does that mean there will be some drop in bG post exercise as the muscles are replenished? Also, if it is a low level exercise but goes on for say 3 hours, would that trigger low bG for significant period (hrs) after the walk?

 

[andcol]

I can only answer from my point of view and this is my experience:

1. Light sustained exercise will take me down to a level and I will stay at it. That level is normally about 5.0 which is my average fasting level. This is assuming I haven't just eaten. I can maintain this state for a long time.

2. When I start high intensity exercise without warming up I crashed down to about 3.2 and then bounce up to about 6 and from then I have a triangle wave of 5.6 to 4.6

3. If I do the intensive exercise after warming up with some light sustained exercise I dont get the crash down. and just start the triangle wave

4. If I have only recently eaten this all gets more confusing but I generally stay at a higher level

You can guess how many strips I have used to map this

 

[robpnz]

I mostly use the ExCarbs structure for balancing this and found it pretty good.

• For light exercise for 2 or more hrs - cycling 10kph or walking - I will usually have a meal immediately prior.
• I reduce my fast acting insulin about 30% and snack hrly at my excarb rate (about 25-30gm/hr). That keeps me pretty even.
• But I do need to reduce Insulin or add carbs at the next meal (again about 30%) to make sure I don't go low.
• And if it is a long period of cycling 4 hrs or more, I need to watch for lows for 12 hrs

Like you, I have used a lot of strips checking this.

 

[andcol]

I mostly use the ExCarbs structure for balancing this and found it pretty good.

• For light exercise for 2 or more hrs - cycling 10kph or walking - I will usually have a meal immediately prior.
• I reduce my fast acting insulin about 30% and snack hrly at my excarb rate (about 25-30gm/hr). That keeps me pretty even.
• But I do need to reduce Insulin or add carbs at the next meal (again about 30%) to make sure I don't go low.
• And if it is a long period of cycling 4 hrs or more, I need to watch for lows for 12 hrs

Like you, I have used a lot of strips checking this.

Yes I am luckier than you in that I do not need to worry about going hypo as I am a non-medicated T2