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BG Rise in Exercise

If I go for a slow jog my BG is always higher than it was before I started!! It takes about an hour for it to get back to normal.


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Been doing some experimentation for the last few weeks as I was seeing a rise in BG's since I introduced heavy resistance work and high level anaerobic intervals in my regime. What seems to work for me is eIther, resistance first (my session usually last 40-50 mins) then cardio at a low aerobic level for at least 20 minutes, or just cardio but with anerobic intervals for 30 mins followed by aerobic level for 20-mins. Either approach gives me an initial increase but followed by a large decrease by the end of the session. i generally do not eat before a session but I'll have some protein in some form within half an hour of finishing.

Yesterday I was at 5.2 before starting, 6.2 at the end of the resistance element (40 mins of quite heavy lifting), then 4.4 at the end of the low level cardio (25 mins). i ate scrambled eggs with some fresh chilli and onion afterwards and was 4.6 two hours later.

I suggest you try adding some low level cardio at the end of your sessions, always seems to work for me but the more anaerobic stuff I do the longer I need to do the low level cardio. Thats what works for me anyway. Like a lot of things I think we may all be different and you might need to experiment a bit.


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hale710 said:
I know there are situations that will make your BG rise, but what are they?

It's something to do with aerobic and the other type isn't it?!


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Hi there,
Blood glucose rise is actually entirely connected to your heart rate.
When you do some moderate exercise - such as jogging, cycling at a reasonable pace, even a decent paced walk etc, before long the major muscle groups in your body start drawing glucose out of your bloodstream in order to fuel their work. Because of this you get a natural lowering of your blood glucose level.
If you suddenly raise your heart rate - you sprint for a bus, you do a session of strenuous weight training, cycle up a steep hill etc, your body has a 'fight or flight' response to the activity - You might be running for a bus, but as far as your body is concerned you could be trying to outrun a predator!
Our bodies are pretty clever, and as part of this 'stress response' to the sudden raise in heart rate, a chain of events happen in our bodies which result in your liver releasing a load of sugar into your bloodstream (designed of course to give you the extra energy you need to outrun the rabid dog etc!)
and consequently your BG level rises.

If you inject insulin, you may want to reduce this higher BG, but you must be mindful that over the next few hours your liver (and muscles) will need to re-stock with glucose, and consequently you will not require as much insulin with your next meal, and indeed you will need to keep a watch that your BG doesn't go low over the following hours.

Hope that helps somewhat - more info on the Team Blood Glucose website, and great insulin dosing advice on the Runsweet website too!
 

Hi there,
It will take time to build up your fitness - but don't be put off! If you are out of breath, just walk for a while before doing a little more running. After a while you will be able to run for longer periods without having to rest.
If you are concerned about Hypos, have you tested your BG levels during your run? It might sound silly, but it may be worth just doing a check certainly before, sometime during, and then after exercise, with a further check an hour or so after you finish. This will tell you how hard you are working. At 183 bpm, I suspect that your BG will rise from when you start to when you finish - simply because a higher heart rate causes your liver to release sugar into your blood glucose.
To avoid any risk of hypos, you really need to be taking on board some fuel every 30mins or so - the Runsweet website has carbing advice that should help with this. If (as I suspect) your BG is actually high enough not to have to take on additional fuel however, you need to be mindful that in the subsequent few hours your liver (and muscles) will need to replenish their stores, so you need to make sure you eat enough (and probably reduce your bolus) to re-fuel adequately. Keep testing and stay safe - you will gradually understand better how your body reacts to any exercise.
The Team Blood Glucose site has advice that should be able to help too - particularly the Type 1 case study.
NB - Exercise when you have a pump is much easier, simply because you can reduce your basal more easily in case you are at risk of going low.
 

Great to see you have such brilliant control! Have you thought of taking part in the mHealth Grand Tour?
 

It's been some time since I originally posted but really I've seen no improvement. I'm still as unfit. I still run at about HR 180 which is generally horrific. In run slower than I walk! I hate being so unfit!

Pump has been sent to funding board for approval so fingers crossed.


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Don't be put off! It is hard work, but you will get better at it. When I started running I was just awful and couldn't believe that people actually did it for fun. I now really enjoy it - particularly because it keeps me feeling full of energy during the rest of the day.
It's well worth persevering and if you don't take to running, how about cycling or swimming etc?

Fingers crossed on the pump for you!
 

I can swim for hours, I love it!

I have a dog though and if I run he can come with me. Mean pools don't let him join

I am running a 5K in April and again in June so I have no excuse to give up. Doesn't stop it being hard though


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Thank you for answering my question. I'm doing the 5x50 challenge and was surprised when my BG was higher post exercise. Now I know why .

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I keep telling you, start walking fast to a defined heart rate (180-age is a good starting point) until you've built enough fitness up there really is no point trying run.

And the fact that you can swim for ages is irrelevant, fitness is quite specific.

I used to pretty good on the rower (over a million metres a year), now I use it less than a tenth of that and my performance is useless.

Taking me as an example, when I'm running aerobically, my BG drops like a stone, cna contributed to two nasty hypos this week. Plus increased overall insulin sensitivity. I can't get my BG above 5 today even with between meal snacks, good job I'm working at home.
 
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