• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Advice needed on exercise

pavlosn

pavlosn

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,705
Location
Cyprus
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hallo everybody

I need some advice on whether it is OK to exrcise first thing in the morning on an empty stomach.

I like walking and try to walk about an hour every day.

On weekdays, I usually walk in the evenings, about an hour after my evening meals. This way I can be back in time for my post dinner blg test.

On weekends, as I have more time in my hands, I prefer to walk first thing in the morning (before it gets too hot here in Cyprus), and I like to walk longer distances, about 8 miles over a 2 hour period.

Last weekend when I tried to do this, I found that I faced an increasing and unusual difficulty in completing my walk and had to cut it short after 90 minutes. When I got home I tested and found that my blg was doen to 3.5 mmol/l. My waking blg had been, like most days recently, around or just under 5 mmol/l.

I am recently diagnosed T2 on metformin and I do not beleve I have ever experienced a hypo.

I usually take breakfast and my medication after I completed my walk. Should I be eating something before my walk? If so, what? Breakfast is usually one or two pieces of toast with a small slice of low-fat cheese and a glass of semi-skimmed milk.

Thank you for your advice.

Regards

Pavlos
 
Hi Pavlos.

Speaking personally, I am no athlete. I find that exercising when below about 6 mmol/l is not a good idea without having a small snack beforehand. I also drink water to keep hydrated. This is to keep the B g levels stable thoughout the exercise.

The exercise can initially raise your Bg level but then if there is inadequate fuel to feed your energy demands then the levels can drop as evidenced by your low (hypoglycaemic) level of 3.5 mmol/l. Basically your'tank' was running dry ! As a T2 you should 'liver dump' and your levels will come back up. I feel awful at that sort of level. Anything below 4 mmol/l is considered to be a hypo.

So before exercise I like to keep Bg levels below around 6 mmol/l, but always have a small snack, energy bar and check Bg every 30 mins or so. If still low, then again a small snack or quick acting carb like a Gluco Tab is effective in keeping the Bg levels stable.
 
Hello Pavlos,
I had a few problems with exercise at first.
I walk for an hour every morning before breakfast and I find it helps my BG control for the whole day.
I was very surprised when I found it raised my level from the low 5's up to 7 or more.
I read up on the forum and found out about what was going on.
I now eat an apple or some berries before I walk and find my BG stays in the 5 range.
If I exercise for longer than an hour my BG starts to fall away, just as Cuglia explains.

Hope this helps,
Mike.
 
Hi Pavlos,

I do very little exercise myself - I really ought to try to do more. Occasionally, I will walk two miles and very rarely four miles but that is about it. I never go to a gym and I don't swim.

Sometimes I too have tested and have found my blood glucose levels lower than 4 - very occasionally as low as 3.4. However, my body tells me nothing - I feel just the same whether I am at 3.4 or 10+. I too do do not believe that I have ever experienced an hypo. My GP says that just so long as I am on metformin only I shouldn't worry about any such an incident - I am no more at risk than a non-diabetic person. He simplifies things by saying if I feel strange then I should just take something to eat. Because of that advice, whenever I go walking or driving I always take some food with me fruit and/or cereal bars.

Best wishes - John
 
wallycorker and all, on a very much lighter note, I will repeat the words of a surgeon who was working on me [he was very imposing, and a bit of a loose cannon] "My dear gel, if you are fit you don't need exercise, and if you are unfit you should not undertake any" My kind of guy! :D Times have sadly changed :lol: :lol: and I do appreciate the need to stir myself!
Val
 
Nice one Val! :lol:

I think exercise is the biggest Catch 22 of our times. We need to exercise in order to be fit but we can't really exercise until we are fit. :?

Still if I don't go for my walk Her Indoors starts nagging, so off I go. Anything for some peace and quiet! :)

Regards

Pavlos
 
I exercise on an empty stomach but always carry fruit, cereal or nuts with me in case of low bs. I suppose I'm lucky since I feel all the extreme changes, like gisddiness when I approach 9 and warning signs of a hypo when I approach 4 so have plenty of time to correct the situation. But generally my bs satys around 5 or 6 whether I exercise on empty stomach or not.
 
valattrevear said:
.........."My dear gel, if you are fit you don't need exercise, and if you are unfit you should not undertake any" My kind of guy! :D Times have sadly changed :lol: :lol: and I do appreciate the need to stir myself!
Val
Click to expand...
He sounds my sort of guy too Val! :lol: I'm like you - I do occasionally feel the need to stir myself but don't manage to get started often enough. :oops:

John
 
Hallo everybody

I just finnished my mornining walk.

I took your advice and took half a banana (about 3 cubic inches) before setting out. At the end of my 10km walk my blood glucose level fell from an initial 5.0 to 4.2mmol. I guess next time I'll have the whole banana. :)

At least this shows that I can use exercise to burn my blood sugar down if I ever wnt to indulge my sweet tooth! :wink:

Regards

Pavlos
 
Hi Pavlos
I too walk and usually eat breakfast first, but I find I'm perfectly OK if I have it afterwards.
I'm a low carber, so my breakfast tends to be scrambled eggs made in the microwave. Takes about 5 minutes from start of preparation to "gone".
I'm also T2 on Metformin only, but I'm an old hand.
Hana
 
Back
Top