exercise and blood sugar levels

[bustercat]

i am a type 1 diabetic and have not exercised since i was diagnosed 5 years ago and am interested in getting started what should my blood sugar level be before exercise to stop me having a hypo during exercise and can i eat a carb snack before exercise Any information regarding this will be very helpful i am going to weight train 3x aweek for 45 mins and exercise bike for 20 mins 3x a week is this okay or should i be doing less or more

 

[Aadrgon]

Hi bustercat

I'm type 2 but would suggest you start of slow and build up.
I'm not sure if you should up your carb before starting but do make sure you have a quick source of carb to hand just in case.

 

[Thirsty]

Make sure you inform the staff at the gym that you are a diabetic so that they'll know what to do if you have a hypo.

 

[Trinkwasser]

Make sure you have some form of hypostop close at hand - glucose tabs or orange juice etc.

NOT a Type 1 but I favour a high protein moderate fat low carb breakfast for maximum bang over the longest time, and I "bolus" with a combo of small quantities of carbs with fat and some protein both before and during (oatcake with nut butter or cheese) to trim my BG without causing spikes or liver dumps. Over time I have become more used to running on ketones rather than glucose (works for endurance, not so good for sprints), I'm waiting until I hit the garden with power tools (probably next week looking at the weather forecasts) to see how my exertion abilities have changed since last year

 

[hails]

I am also a type 1 who loves the gym.

I tend to go 3/4 times a week and each time do about 40 mins all out exercise burning around 500 calories a time. I try and get my levels higher and then take a caprisun orange drink with me and check my levels every ten mins or so.

Hope this helps

 

[nickoedwards]

I enjoy going to the gym and the one thing i make sure i do is have a drink of juice but make sure i take a 1 or 2 unit shot before I exercise.

 

[hails]

You however need to be careful if you have any insulin before. I never take insulin before I exercise as my levels drop about 4 every ten minutes. If I was to inject I wouldnt last long.

 

[tasha]

Hails,

I'm like Nick. I too need to take 1-2 units of short acting insulin before exercise. It has been found that if you are taking part in very strenuous exercise, your body actually needs insulin! If the exercise is more moderate but prolonged, then your levels will drop-as yours does.

When I do a spinning class or heavy weights, my body respires anaerobically-therefore I need the insulin. If I'm not pushing myself as hard, I need glucose!

Thought this might help as before I realised this and read the research someone on here led me to, I ended up with a BS so high after exercise that it went off the scale of my meter!

 

[clairelc1980]

That's really interesting to know.....

I've just recently been diagnosed with Type 1 and i'm really enjoying doing research and reading up on anything relating to Type 1 - would you be able to direct me to where this research is, as i would never have thought that you would need to inject if you were doing exercise.

I've just started to exercise again and i've been eating before exercise so that my levels are around 10 to allow for a drop....although at the moment i'm swimming for about 30 mins or so.

I think this forum is brilliant and it's been so helpful for me trying to get to grips with Type 1!!!

 

[hails]

Hey guys,

I guess its different for different people. I run for 30 mins, bike for 10 and cross trainer for ten. I tried to see what the insulin would do - as I see this as strenous exercise and it messed up my levels for the next few hours hypoing etc - that was only one unit. SO I do still think its important to do it without the insulin to see if thats what your body needs first before a newly diagnosed type 1 tries it. I mean it doesnt work for me and infact if I didnt know what I was doing I could have had quite a time of it when I tried it out.
Just a thought?

H

 

[marktw]

my son is type 1, diagnosed last apr. We were told by the diabetic team that prior to him doing exercise (he plays football for the local village team) that his bloods should not be below 4 or over 14

we do trg on a saturday morning and he will knock off 1 to 2 units of insulin with his breakfast, this also goes when we have a game, depending on k.o he will knock off as said at breakfast or lunchtime. prior to trg or the match and after hes tested his bloods, he will have a mini mars bar and sometimes during the game he will have small sips of lucozade. At half time, when playing a game he'll test and have a snack (14g card, crackers or glucoe juice) he'llthen test at the end of the game and again if needed have something. Its the same in trg, when we have a break he'll test and have something

He will then knock off 1 to 2 units again at his next meal, this seems to work though we have had a few hypos, but this is mainly after trg or matches and occasionally we do get them prior to trg or matches. He dosent do his injections in his legs prior to trg or matches

 

[laurajkelly]

Hi,

I am a type 1 diabetic and have struggled with this for years. Thanks to my specialist doctor who is also a type 1 diabetic, I now have a solution and exercise 3-4 times a week.

I know everyone is different but what works for me is taking a small banana immediately before exercise. If my blood sugar is below 5mmol I will also take about 100ml lemonade. This is enough to cover me for 20mins aerobic exercise (treadmill or crosstrainer) and about 40mins with weights and abdominal work. If my blood sugar is above 13mmol I do not take anything but still exercise, although it is not recommended that you exercise if you blood sugar is higher than 14mmol as this can cause it to go higher.

Another great tip which works for me is having breakfast and my fast acting insulin 3 hours before exercise. This ensures that there is no remaining fast acting insulin in my bloodstream when I exercise.

Hope this helps.

Laura.

 

[ally5555]

Hi

Look at runsweet.com - it has alot of useful info !

Also keep an exercise diary and record your bs on it . I have just helped 2 type1 complete the London marathon and they both had great times and no probs with bs or hypos I am really proud of them but we practiced the snacks, drinks etc for a long time to get it right.
ally

 

[chocoholic]

I think it's a case of trail and error. I, personally, have found my body works best if I have some carbs. before one of my walks. anything over 2 miles and I'll probably need to top up with more carbs. on the way round but I also carry glucose tablets with me, in case levels need topping up quick.

 

[steve100]

We all have different time lags in our response to exercise. I've been type one for 20 years now, and it usually takes a few hours before exercise has any effect on my blood sugar. The first real wobbly hypo I ever had was 36 hours after climbing the hard way up Ben Nevis! So I tend to ignore it during the exercise, and be careful afterwards. Find out how you react, and enjoy yourself!
Steve