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Cycling

Yorksman

Well-Known Member
Over the months I have seen the benefits of exercise on BG levels. It took me a while to build up to a little rowing and then some cycling on an exerciser. Recently however, I have been doing much more on the bike and have felt able to train harder, though I am hardly a cyclist. It's just 2 x 15 mins per day but cycling fast and made to feel 'that's enough'. The effect on BG levels has been significant with readings now frequently between 4.2 and 5.4. Most morning readings are 4.8 to 5.2.

Are any members who are familiar with cycling as a form of exercise able to comment on this? Is cycling a particularly effective form of exercise? I'm still eating a couple of slices of rye bread, porridge, wholewheat pasta and bananas throughout the day. My diet hasn't changed, but there is a noticable drop in BG levels and an increase in energy levels.
 
Looking at this page, http://www.livestrong.com/article/16462 ... cise-bikes it appears that cycling is a harder workout and burns more calories, though I guess it does rather depend on whether you are listening to The Archers on Radio 4 or some Thrash Metal band on Kerrang.

I like this line:

The recumbent exercise bike is a trainer's "first choice for elderly, overweight and deconditioned clients,"

or as we say in yorkshire, now you can exercise whilst you eat your chips and sup your pint.

 
I'm a type 1 Yorksman and I can definitely say exercise is beneficial when it comes to bg control, like you I enjoy my bike rides but my preference is walking.
 
My diabetes came on after I stopped cycling, so maybe the cycling was keeping me healthy?
Mind you I was doing an awful lot of cycling, 200+ miles per week and had an appetite for carbs to match!
 
stuffedolive said:
My diabetes came on after I stopped cycling, so maybe the cycling was keeping me healthy?
Mind you I was doing an awful lot of cycling, 200+ miles per week and had an appetite for carbs to match!
Click to expand...

Nice one Olive.

75km in the bag for me today, stopping and testing every 45 mins. Bloody hard work into the wind, but flying on the home leg.

I'm up to about 1500km this year on the bike, similar running, can't beat exercise for maintain stable blood sugars.

Real carb fest today though at 280g vs my more standard 100-120g/day
 
i dusted off the bike, pumped up the tyres and went for a spin last night, figured with all the running ive been doing it would be very easy....... no, i was out for 5 minutes then back home with my tail between my legs, will be trying again tonight
 
Andy12345 said:
i dusted off the bike, pumped up the tyres and went for a spin last night, figured with all the running ive been doing it would be very easy....... no, i was out for 5 minutes then back home with my tail between my legs, will be trying again tonight
Click to expand...
Make sure you don't get "your tail" caught in the chain !


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
Andy12345 said:
i dusted off the bike, pumped up the tyres and went for a spin last night, figured with all the running ive been doing it would be very easy....... no, i was out for 5 minutes then back home with my tail between my legs, will be trying again tonight
Click to expand...


Yesterday was not the day for an easy bike session. If it hadn't been a rare chance to get out on a Sunday club run, I'd have been in my gym on the turbo.
 
I find cycling the best exercise for controlling blood sugars. I'm approaching 4000 Km for this year's total commute to work alone.

One thing I find if i dress up too warm and overheat my BS tend to go a bit high . Difficult to find a good clothing balance at this time of year. Anyone got a good winter cycling jacket recommendation ?
 
ElyDave said:
Real carb fest today though at 280g
Click to expand...

LOL, out on a real bender

The son of a colleague of mine was a serious competition cyclist until a back injury prevented him training further. Once, he had to have a very deep cut attended to in A&E after a crash. They remarked that there were of signs of fat anywhere in the tissue or under the skin. Hard to imagine if you ever saw them at the race burger bar. Swallowing double cheese burgers and chips like Smarties.
 
I gave my notice in recently and will finish at Xmas. I am going to make a real effort to get back on the bike as I only ride it sporadically these day although I do run & stuff instead.

I do think that cycling is a superior form of exercise as it can be continued for longer as it isn't a pounding exercise. I only gave up because I just didn't have the time to spend 'getting the miles in'.

I mean that in 2 ways. Individual bouts of exercise tend to last longer on a bike. It is quite possible for most people to ride a bike all day whereas you have to be pretty special to run all day. Bike club rides last 4-8 hours where running club runs last about an hour. Also you tend to be able to continue to do it into old age, long after the joints have deteriorated to the point that running and walking become a trial.

This thread has inspired me to get back on the bike. Especially as today I had a letter from the hospital demanding that I come in for an extra retinopathy investigation. I was gutted by that as all my ophthalmologist checks have been negative and I have made so much progress in the last 6 months - almost getting back to non-diabetic figures without any meds.

Bike - here I come!
 
Re cycling is good, we should all do it. Our council provides different colored bags for different re cycling things, Are the joys of being childish :roll: :lol: :lol: :crazy: :lolno:
 
Excellent, and good for you, Yorksman.

If only I could follow your enthusiastic example,
but you're sure to have encouraged others.

Good inspiring post. :thumbup:

willie.
 
I have recently started biking myself after the husband convinced me (he bikes to work regularly). We did a 4hr bike ride along the canal and took sandwiches etc. Totally forgot to take my insulin but when I tested I had only gone up to 7.6 from 6.6 on the morning. The breadcake should have taken me up to 12 at least so really pleased that the exercise kept it down.

This thread really inspiring, definitely gonna keep up with the exercise!

(Type 1 diabetic)

Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
I bought a new turbo trainer which links to a PC, the cheapest in the range from Tacx. It is very good for someone as out of condition as myself. The more expensive versions allow serious bikers to simulate riding up steeper hills. Well, I don't mind not being able to do that. The limit of my brake unit is more than enough for me.

I bought it thinking that the real life videos would be most interesting but I quickly found that the virtual worlds are excellent. The GPS routes and Google Earth I though would be least interesting but I found that there are websites where people have uploaded routes and that these can be imported into the software. I have several major tours loaded, each around 800Km and tend to do about 10km of each in a day now. My training was 1 to 2 x 15 mins and now it is more like 2 -3 x 30 or 45 mins. I al also sleeping like a baby at nights. I'm often down at 4.2 or 4.3 now.

We ought to be able to get these on prescription

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyrReDKe0kg
 
I was 5.5 this morning and didn't have much of a carby lunch. About 3.30pm, 3 hours after lunch, I tested and was 6.6, even though I had done 45 mins on the bike. I figured that the lunch wouldn't have raised me much and that the 5.5 followed by the exercise would have dropped me below 4 and what I was therefore seeing was an extra shot of glucose courtesy of my liver. I did another 20 mins and tested again, twice at 4.30. The 6.6 dropped down to 3.5 on one finger and 3.8 on another. Past experience has shown me that, had I not done the second stint on the bike but had say, gone for a quiet nap, I would probably have gone down to the mid to high 5s, still benefitting from the morning session.

As type 2s we only know our BG levels and know nothing of our insulin levels or how sensitive we are to what insulin we do produce. But, physical regular activity clearly helps to keep the BG levels lower than they would otherwise be.

The Tour de France comes through my area next year and my objective is to follow the route in our area, and call in every pub on the way
 

It comes through where I am as well, a few of us from the bike club intend to go out and watch it.

My experience today was wake up at 5.3, breakfast, drop to 4.1, have snack. Go out and do some gardening, coem back in ready to go on the turbo, test at 4.3, time for another snack of two digestives.

1 hour steady on the turbo, test at 30 minutes - 3.8, another snack. Post workout/prelunch 4.2, lower dosage than usual on the lunchtime bolus, still only got up to 5.6.

Total so far (dinner still to come) 140g carbs on 4.5 units bolus insulin.

Every bit of exercise makes a difference, it really needs to be an automatic habit. DAFNE next week for me, and instead of driving to Cambridge, I'll cycle to the station, take the train and cycle at the other end as well.
 
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