Sugar and Exercise

[alyssarose]

I do training for Rowing and I sometimes go running, and I am finding it very difficult to control my blood sugar levels afterwards, as I have no idea how fast my levels go down afterwards. I am getting better at controlling it during exercise, but I am still often having hypo's afterwards. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions of healthy snacks that are good for after exercise. Thanks xx

 

[noblehead]

My preference is banana's and oat crackers, don't know if you've seen this site but it has some great info for those who have type 1 diabetes and enjoy sport:

http://www.runsweet.com/

 

[alyssarose]

Thanks, I'll take a look at it. Do you know any really fast acting juice? Someone told me that there is juice that is better than lucozade.

 

[noblehead]

Thanks, I'll take a look at it. Do you know any really fast acting juice? Someone told me that there is juice that is better than lucozade.

There is, I think this is what they were referring to:

http://www.glucojuice.co.uk/


Lucozade or full sugar coke works just as well IMHO and less expensive.

 

[alyssarose]

Thanks, I will try it out next time I go rowing

 

[ElyDave]

Alyssa, are you replacing carbs after rowing? You continue to be more insulin sensitive after the exercise has finished from what I have read so you may need more than you think. I find dates work very well for me.

One thing that may be worth doing is talking to a specialist dietician if you can find one, who works with athletes as our needs are somewhat different to the general population, there's a good one at Addenbookes who's given me some great advice.

I'm playing around with reducing doses before longer sessions and have also reduced my night time levemir as I was consistently waking up with BG in the low 4s or even below 4.

 

[alyssarose]

When I had my first race after my diagnoses I reduced my insulin beforehand, but since I don't know how intense my training will be, I can't reduce my insulin just in case, so I rely on sugar to keep my BG up. I normally have a sandwich or a banana afterwards, and it's still not enough if I have a really intense work-out because rowing, from my experience, burns more sugar than running does. I was wondering if anyone could recommend specific snacks that may help me with this, because obviously I don't enjoy going hypo but I do enjoy food!

 

[mo1905]

When I had my first race after my diagnoses I reduced my insulin beforehand, but since I don't know how intense my training will be, I can't reduce my insulin just in case, so I rely on sugar to keep my BG up. I normally have a sandwich or a banana afterwards, and it's still not enough if I have a really intense work-out because rowing, from my experience, burns more sugar than running does. I was wondering if anyone could recommend specific snacks that may help me with this, because obviously I don't enjoy going hypo but I do enjoy food!

You surely have some idea what your training will consist of ? Approx 60mins ? sprints ? cardio or fat burn ? I think your best bet would be to reduce insulin prior to exercise. Start by a small amount, test often and see how your body reacts. It's better to prevent the hypo rather than reacting to it. You'll soon get a good idea of how your blood sugars react to various workouts/training sessions.

 

[ElyDave]

I don't do much erging these days (used to do a fair bit), but I do a good amount of running and cycling and have a good idea of the energy needs to each and to be honest they are pretty comparable. Duration and intensity are also key.

Today as an example, 30km/3hrs running at pretty near my max aerobic level, so burning a mix of both fats and carbs and I've ingested 325g carbs so far today.

Tuesday was a cycling club TT, high intensity and over in half an hour. TOtal carbs ingested 180g. I've actually seen my BG rise after a TT due to the shunt from the liver caused by the adrenaline.

Have you read the Diabetic Athletes Handbook, written by a diabetic doctor? A bit noddy in it's basic physiology, Noakes and others in Lore of Running are much better, but has some good sports specific stuff. I've also got a copy of Handbook of Exercise in Diabetes on order, by the ADA.

Personally here I don't think you can do enough research and also testing yourself frequently during your training. I'm testing every 30 mins or so at the moment to get a picture of how my levels vary and also afterwards.

You don't say what you are taking in during a session?

 

[alyssarose]

I take lucozade during training, maybe dextro tablets. I should have mentioned that I row on the water and want a complex carb for immediately after I finish my training because rowing takes a lot of energy. I normally only do intense workouts for about half an hour, because I can't take loads of sugar in the boat with me, and taking about 30 carbs before and during, and a banana after, but it's not enough.

 

[mo1905]

It may be enough if you reduce insulin prior to training. Seems a bit silly to inject to bring BG down then actively pursue fast acting carbs to make them rise again ?


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[alyssarose]

The problem is that sometimes I just do light rowing, and don't need much carbs at all

 

[mo1905]

Exactly, you need to experiment with all your various training sessions. For the light training, reduce insulin by very little, for more intense sessions, reduce a little more. As long as you test before and after each session, you'll soon get the dose right. This way, you prevent the hypo rather than treating it.


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[nigelho]

Hi ,
I was told by my DSN that exercise effects can remain in your system for up to 24 hours so you'll need to stock up on carbs.