Managing exercise and insulin

[Juicyj]

Im a long distance cyclist and runner with type 1 this years a completed a few 100+ mile cycles and stuff I find cycling to be the best way to control my sugar levels and i dont have to be to strict with my diet

H Dave how do you manage your blood glucose levels when you do long distance ? Any tips ?

 

[Davie_sett]

H Dave how do you manage your blood glucose levels when you do long distance ? Any tips ?

i can normally feel my energy levels increases and decrease with my blood sugar levels i normally take lots of lucozade original to drink during the cycle and if i have them energy gels and are good becouse there so quick and easy to eat if im doing a long way on the bike ill stop mybe after about 30 miles or so and check my blood i think after about 90 mins of exercise even a non diabetic will start to hypo a bit. I have heard of cyclist sticking there blood testing kits on the handle bars but iv not gone that far yet.
the last long cycle i did i only gave myself 6 unit of novo rapid after breakfast and had alot of sugar during the ride and the blood was perfect when i got home I will stay more sensitive to insulin for the rest of the day and mybe the next day its never the same though

 

[NoKindOfSusie]

Good thing I didn't read this thread for a while, I wouldn't have gone swimming. But I did.

The only reason it worked was that I was travelling and was in a time zone where I was taking lantus in the evening rather than the morning. I find I tend to wake up really high, like 7.9 or 8 often, so I have been setting an alarm in the middle of the night to correct it. But if I'm taking it in the evening, then if the lantus is running out then you'd expect to go higher in the afternoon... and that's exactly what happened. So I just went swimming in the evening.

It still meant I had to take stupid risks and I will not do it again, I ended up eating half a granola bar before jumping in, god knows how high I spiked but I got in at 5.9 and just thought I'd swim until I felt bad, because I'm taking exercise, so I am unavoidably going to feel terrible, right?

So I blasted up and down until I was thoroughly exhausted, panicked, tested, 5.0, okay fine. I have no idea how high I would have been during swimming and I can't really keep doing that. But it was the first actual real exercise I'd had in weeks.

My main conclusion from this is that exercise is basically impossible when I'm taking lantus in the morning. And insulin is horrible poison that I really hate taking, but it's not like I have much choice, is it...

 

[Davie_sett]

Good thing I didn't read this thread for a while, I wouldn't have gone swimming. But I did.

The only reason it worked was that I was travelling and was in a time zone where I was taking lantus in the evening rather than the morning. I find I tend to wake up really high, like 7.9 or 8 often, so I have been setting an alarm in the middle of the night to correct it. But if I'm taking it in the evening, then if the lantus is running out then you'd expect to go higher in the afternoon... and that's exactly what happened. So I just went swimming in the evening.

It still meant I had to take stupid risks and I will not do it again, I ended up eating half a granola bar before jumping in, god knows how high I spiked but I got in at 5.9 and just thought I'd swim until I felt bad, because I'm taking exercise, so I am unavoidably going to feel terrible, right?

So I blasted up and down until I was thoroughly exhausted, panicked, tested, 5.0, okay fine. I have no idea how high I would have been during swimming and I can't really keep doing that. But it was the first actual real exercise I'd had in weeks.

My main conclusion from this is that exercise is basically impossible when I'm taking lantus in the morning. And insulin is horrible poison that I really hate taking, but it's not like I have much choice, is it...

I just take one dose of levemir which i assume is similer to lantus at about 8pm and it keeps the blood suger pretty stable for most of the day from what your saying about your blood reading there doesent seem anything wrong with them im no expert but i wouldn't consider anything under 10 high

 

[NoKindOfSusie]

That's sort of the problem. I have no idea what's high, really. I have been told to avoid being over 7 (repeatedly) but that appears to be basically impossible. It would be nice to believe that anything under 10 is not high but I am worried that would be wishful thinking. In the end I have no idea what to think or how worried I should be and that is the big problem. I'm told my numbers are OK, but the same people who say that are the people who say be between 5 and 7 so what the... jeez it's just maddening.

 

[Juicyj]

Hey @NoKindOfSusie - Living with type 1 is more mental than physical, dealing with the highs and the lows and accepting that they are just that and ensuring you are in 'range' before meal times means your insulin coped with the carbs on board and you were taking the right amount of insulin for the food eaten. I use the Libre sensor so it means if i'm running, swimming or doing yoga then I can check my BG levels and also see what happened during the exercise, it's an investment but it will give you confidence of what is really going on. In regards to what is considered high, personally anything above 10 is high for me and that's when i'll take a correction if the quick acting insulin has been depleted, trying doing a pre-bolus before eating to avoid spikes if you're going higher, however you'll need to experiment to determine how long before eating you will need to do this, I tend to do mine about 15-20 mins before eating.

 

[cockercas]

I cycle (about 12miles a night)
Boxing once a week
30min high intensity training a night
All part of keeping fit for motorcycle racing

I come home from work and have my tea, do what i need to do and check my levels after i have finished. Normally i can get away without injecting in the evening.

 

[NoKindOfSusie]

How can it be more mental than physical. I'm not going to imagine all the complications.

 

[EngineerMe]

Hi @NoKindOfSusie - Do you have any quick acting insulin on board when you are running ? Have you tried eating something like a small banana before you head out so you have some carbs on board ? I try to run in the morning without any quick acting on board as I find my levels stay steady during the run, I also try to head out and be above 8.
...

I'm interested in your strategy- you say you try to avoid having any quick acting on board, do you have anything to eat before you start running?

I've tried a few runs with no rapid insulin on board, and my blood sugars tend to go high, even if I haven't had anything to eat. Obviously everyone's body is different, I think maybe I go high due to adrenaline but I find it much harder to run when high. It usually comes down eventually but far from ideal! I'm still trying to work out what the right strategy for me is.

 

[Juicyj]

I'm interested in your strategy- you say you try to avoid having any quick acting on board, do you have anything to eat before you start running?

I've tried a few runs with no rapid insulin on board, and my blood sugars tend to go high, even if I haven't had anything to eat. Obviously everyone's body is different, I think maybe I go high due to adrenaline but I find it much harder to run when high. It usually comes down eventually but far from ideal! I'm still trying to work out what the right strategy for me is.

Hiya, I have to be honest i've run a few mornings now since I posted this with both insulin on board as well as carbs and my levels have stayed steady and have in fact on a couple of times dropped to hypo, I only run for about 20-30 mins tops, but stay steady throughout the run, I never rise. If I run and i'm above 12 then my breathing is shallow and my muscle tire more quickly so try to avoid running when high, it depends on the level of energy being expended and duration of the activity for me, if I run for longer then I will go hypo so have to be careful. If you're running high then it's worth trying carbs and insulin beforehand.

 

[EngineerMe]

Hiya, I have to be honest i've run a few mornings now since I posted this with both insulin on board as well as carbs and my levels have stayed steady and have in fact on a couple of times dropped to hypo, I only run for about 20-30 mins tops, but stay steady throughout the run, I never rise. If I run and i'm above 12 then my breathing is shallow and my muscle tire more quickly so try to avoid running when high, it depends on the level of energy being expended and duration of the activity for me, if I run for longer then I will go hypo so have to be careful. If you're running high then it's worth trying carbs and insulin beforehand.

Thanks, I will give it a try I've also got my diabetes clinic in a couple weeks so will see if my Dr has any suggestions!

 

[Juicyj]

Hi @EngineerMe Also have a read through of this site: runsweet.com

Keep us posted on how you get on, exercise is very much work in progress as you're having to deal with variables all the time, I think if you can find a method that works that it helps build confidence and it's important to stay fit

 

[ronialive]

I'm checking my levels lots and lots, definitely before I go running and afterward and yes when I start feeling low I am always low although "low" can mean high fours for me. Above 7 I start feeling sort of mainly okay, but obviously/apparently/presumably I shouldn't be above 7 under any circumstances.

Running does make my blood sugar drop incredibly quickly, I have seen 7.2 to 4.8 in under twenty minutes which basically tells me I can never really go for a proper run again because stopping every ten minutes to stick myself is just going to ruin it. On that basis I have determined that a reasonable treatment for morning highs is to run around the block but that's not really a "run" Presumably the fast drop is a combination of using the sugar up as fuel, and the running making the lantus work harder, but I'm not really sure.

If you work it out there's about 5 grams of actual glucose in the blood of an average person (around 100mg/dl ideally, roughly 5l of blood is 50dl, 100mg is 0.1g, 50*0.1 = 5g), at a bit less than 4 calories per gram is only about 20 calories, which you can burn through easily in a few minutes running. There's more in liver stores and so on but if I am going to spend the rest of my life on drugs which are designed to minimise the amount of glucose in my blood then I'm not sure how that is ever supposed to work.

I know it isn't the same thing but have you tried dropping your insulin before you run or eating things like bananas or cereal like special K before running. This has a low glycaemic index and I was recommended when I was pregnant as I had such problems with B?S then.#

 

[ronialive]

Thanks, I will give it a try I've also got my diabetes clinic in a couple weeks so will see if my Dr has any suggestions!

your blood sugar can rise with exercise and it is recommended not to exercise if above 12

 

[Australia 1]

I know it isn't the same thing but have you tried dropping your insulin before you run or eating things like bananas or cereal like special K before running. This has a low glycaemic index and I was recommended when I was pregnant as I had such problems with B?S then.#

This was one of the best written Posts on Running I have seen here since I am a Type 1 now and 64. Running 3 to 7 Kilometres a Day has to stop. I have insulin pens, instant Glucose and a Blood Pressure cuff on me on these trips. If I start to feel not right I know what to do. I guess @ronialive wrote this piece but God Bless every one of you.

 

[ronialive]

This was one of the best written Posts on Running I have seen here since I am a Type 1 now and 64. Running 3 to 7 Kilometres a Day has to stop. I have insulin pens, instant Glucose and a Blood Pressure cuff on me on these trips. If I start to feel not right I know what to do. I guess @ronialive wrote this piece but God Bless every one of you.

thaanks

 

[Australia 1]

thaanks

You are very welcome young lady. You are right about another thing that this stopping to do medical Protocols to get my sugar in spectrum in Tune ruins my run. I had a young couple tell me to call a medic unit to assist me!!! I went to Premed for 4 years at Maryland State University in the State of Maryland in the United States. I was in my 1st year in Medical School in Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore Maryland. My Father died in 1972 and that ended my medical career to raise a family with a then diabetic mother.

So you older diabetics! Dye your hair so there is no gray what so ever. I mean I feel discriminated against because of age. And yes my friends your Blood MMOL,s are going to change because we are aging. But I am a researcher besides a man of the Cloth. My Paramedic History will never leave me. You see Ronialive member 53168 how important you are to this forum??? You are loved and wanted. My Stuffed up Rambo7953 is dead. Davidd1953 is a dual citizen between America and Australia. Write to me for more growing pains on Insulin and carb balance with aging. I love this Forum and I want to contribute to all. God Bless you Ronialive and live boldly. You go Girl!!!!!!!

 

[Juicyj]

Does anyone else struggle with Yoga and hypos ?

 

[redditchdiabetic]

Hi,

I normally run 3 or 4 times a week either 5k or 10k for the last 30 Years, If i have a run in the Morning i take my normal injections and Carbs i do my Blood test and see what it is, If it is below 8 i take around 30 Grams of Lucozade After 20 Mins i then stop and test again, This works for me. I have also used the website excarbs.com which is useful.

 

[karen8967]

That's sort of the problem. I have no idea what's high, really. I have been told to avoid being over 7 (repeatedly) but that appears to be basically impossible. It would be nice to believe that anything under 10 is not high but I am worried that would be wishful thinking. In the end I have no idea what to think or how worried I should be and that is the big problem. I'm told my numbers are OK, but the same people who say that are the people who say be between 5 and 7 so what the... jeez it's just maddening.

i keep my bgs between 5,5 and 10 this was on the advice of my consultant hope this helps susie x