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Exercise shorter period 3 times a day or one long period

M

MichaelUK

Member
Messages
21
Hi

Looking for some advice on exercise at the moment i am doing a one hour and twenty minutes walk on a morning after breakfast and this is bring my bg levels down by 2-3 points, i was wondering if i would be better maybe doing 30 minutes after breakfast, 20 mins after lunch and 30 mins after tea would this have a better effect on my BG levels over the day.

Also how long after eating is the recommended time for exercising.

Thanks in advance.
Michael
 
Re: Exercise shorter period 3 times a day or one long perio

Personally (I'm type 1) I would prefer to go for two or three walks a day rather than one long walk.....it all depends upon how much time you have, to determine what effect it has on your bg try testing after each walk.
 
Re: Exercise shorter period 3 times a day or one long perio

It is so strange that you asked that! I came on here to post the same question when I saw your post!
 
Re: Exercise shorter period 3 times a day or one long perio

I spread out my exercise during the day to burn back my sugar levels after eating.
 
Re: Exercise shorter period 3 times a day or one long perio

Hi

Just joined the board.

I try to incorporate sport/exercise in anything I do in the day. For example if I'm at work I use the stairs not the lift; I get off the train one stop earlier so I have longer walk home.

I also do a lot of different sport so that I don't get bored

David
 
Re: Exercise shorter period 3 times a day or one long perio

What we find with this condition is that things effect individuals differently, sometimes VERY differently!

I've found a 20/30 minute walk straight after eating does wonders.

Another strategy I use s to time a harder training session, like weights or pull ups/press ups/squats etc. approx 1 hour after eating. When I was first diagnosed I was wary of training so close to eating but through experimentation I've realised that I can actually do it without feeling sluggish with the food.

My theory is that by training when the blood sugar level has risen due to the food I can force some of that glucose that is floating around in my body into the cells.

If you can tolerate it, I would recommend a mixture of short sharp exercises on some days and long intense workouts on others. By this I mean working out for 1.5+ hours.

I've been doing this for a while and feel much better for it. The longer intense sessions seem to really help with knocking those BS levels down, plus they give me some leeway with what I eat as I can get away with something slightly naughty, which I work off quickly and (hopefully) before the raised levels start to damage me.

I worked myself up to this over a year and half, so it isn't something that happens overnight - if you are planning to following something similar.
 
Re: Exercise shorter period 3 times a day or one long perio


Depends on the main reason for exercising.

Are you trying to use exercise as a short term measure for reducing BG after a meal?
If so, it is logical to exercise after every meal.

If, on the other hand, you are trying to lose weight, build stamina, general fitness and muscle which should in turn help your BG management long term then one longer period of exercise may be better.

Best, of course, would be a long walk in the morning to build fitness and stamina followed by a short walk after each meal to help reduce any short term rise in BG.

As to the timing - well as kids we were always told not to exercise directly after meals.
However this was to allow your body to deal with the meal which would include releasing insulin to manage BG levels.
As a T2 it might be beneficial to exercise shortly after a meal to aid the body in dealing with BG spikes but I guess you can only establish this by testing in the 2 hours after a meal with and without exercise.

Google isn't much help, although http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6712923.stm is interesting in that it suggests that if you exercise for an hour one hour after a meal your appetite is reduced and you end up burning more and eating less than people who don't exercise after a meal.

But I bet you didn't want to be told to exercise for an hour three times a day one hour after meals

Cheers

LGC
 
Re: Exercise shorter period 3 times a day or one long perio

Thanks for all the advice.

I do need to lose over 100 lbs so it is a longer term thing but at the moment i have been taken of metformin because of bowel problems and i am getting nasty readings, 18.6 this morning, my carbs where very low yesterday around 50g for the day did not exercise as such but did a couple of hours gardening.

I am back at doctors in the morning too see about my next step in treatment and have an appointment at the diabetic clinic on Monday.
I just feel i do not have any control at the moment and my diabetes is in full control and i can not see a way of getting things back on track will have to see what the doctor and diabetic clinic says.

Feeling lousy at the moment due to the high bg readings but going to force myself to go out for a walk to try bring them back down abit.

Michael
 
Re: Exercise shorter period 3 times a day or one long perio



I'll bump this up Micheal in the hope that some low-carbers may offer you some advice.
 
Re: Exercise shorter period 3 times a day or one long perio


Have you ever had control Michael?

If this is your first attempt at low-carbing, it usually takes a few weeks before your BG comes down and stay down.

If you're regularly eating 50g a day and your BG is still very high, then you need to get yourself to the Doctor. It could be that your pancreas is pumping out enough insulin and that you need some help from drugs.
 
Re: Exercise shorter period 3 times a day or one long perio

Hi Michael
I do harsh exercise at least twice a day and contrary maybe to traditional thought I do this AFTER meals and I have found through measurement it CAN bring those levels down by a few points. But it does not work for everyone and you must do two things, use your meter and talk to your GP. Forums are ok to get the opinion but this is too serious for just that. Plus you must work up to it and not expect overnight miracles... patience will pay off believe me we have all been there.

Also I think maybe it is best to attack the disease in more than one way. Exercise, pills and diet are all worth considering in harmony. No one size fits all and you may find "official" advice conflicting with what you read here etc.

Finally, when you feel awful take a reading and write it down in a notebook or on your PC plus other info like time and what you ate and did an hour or more before.... soon you will see what affects you worst and will adjust. I suspect your diet is not helping.

Exercise and pills are not a solution if your diet remains pre-diagnosis.

All the best! 8)
 
Re: Exercise shorter period 3 times a day or one long perio


I have never had good control even at my best it was high single figures.
I was diagnosed in mid 2010 with a bg level 19.6, weighing in at 308lbs or 22 stone, i was put on metformin and statin for high BP, my levels came down and was in high single figures and my own doctor was happy with this, which i feel made me complacent and i started too eat too many carbs again. My level started to creep back up to 12-14, was then put on Sitagliptin which helped again and they went back into high single figures.

But since have creeped back up to 12-14.

I had lost some weight i was down to around 280lbs

I had a bad bought of diarhea which lasted for 8 days last month and got a colonoscopy to check that nothing was wrong this came back clear so i have been on a two week trail to remove the metformin, this has helped a lot only with my bowels.

Currently where i stand at the moment, i started low carbing the same time i removed the metformin, i have lost 7lbs in the first week, and my bg levels are averaging around 14.3 for the last 13 days.

Tomorrow is the end of the removal of the metformin trail and my next weigh in hopefully i will have lost more weight. Not sure what the doctor is going to say about the metformin because i have the feeling they would like me to continue with it if possible.

This morning i woke with 18.6, had breakfast which was 4 rashers of bacon and 3 eggs scrambled, took reading an hour later and my bg was 15.4, went for a walk 3.5 miles which took me about 1 hour and 20 mins not a fast walker and my reading was 11.5.

I will see my doctor tomorrow and i have my first appointment at the diabtic clinic on monday so i will see what options i have.
 
Re: Exercise shorter period 3 times a day or one long perio

Seems you are on the right track as regards brekkie, that is more or less what I have most days, mushrooms, onions, peppers etc. Occasional cheese etc.

Met affects all of us to varying degrees you seem quite bad sad to hear that. You can demand different meds, met is cheap so we all get that first... take your meter readings etc along to back you up. Don't be fobbed off!

There are many options for meds etc so it is time to try something else, I know two other close type 2's and they have different regimens to me so...

Met does have a rather drastic "slimming" effect too I believe so they may have thought along those lines.

It seems gloomy now but things will improve.... believe me!
 
Re: Exercise shorter period 3 times a day or one long perio

Thanks Cowboyjim

I just hate feeling **** with the high BG levels sooner i get on more even keel the better and i am serious about the weight loss and low carbs this time i have got to make it work.
 
Re: Exercise shorter period 3 times a day or one long perio

Hi Michael. Shame you had to come off the metformin as it's a good general drug with good protective properties and helps a little with the spikes. I assume you were tried on the slow release version which doesn't normally cause bowel problems? Or perhaps your problems meant no metformin could be taken anyway? Perhaps worth querying with the doc.
With exercise, I personally find that shortish periods of hardish exercise about an hour after eating when BGs are peaking seems to be the best for me. Brings them down quicker and further. Knocks about 15% off my two hour readings. So a 7 becomes a 6, and a 9 about a 7.5
Really long exercise such as when I play golf smashes the BGs to really low levels, but don't have time for that after every meal! So it's ten minutes or so on the exercise machine at the one hour mark. (If the machine isn't available, ten mins or so walking up and down stairs as fast as I can does the same)
But as others have said, if these things don't help and you stay in double figures lots of the time, you need to go back to the doctor.
 
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