How can I prevent raised readings after exercise ?

[Sparkle fairy]

Hi ,
I recently started doing a pilates class that incorporates some strength training and have noticed my blood sugar readings are higher than normal for a few days after. What can I do to prevent or help manage this?
Can anyone give tips on pre and post snacks /meals?
Is walking more and eating less carbs (currently my diet is adverage of 50-60 g a day ) over the few days post exercise the answer?

 

[Melgar]

Hi @Sparkle fairy If I do some weights or if I hike and do a steep climb where my heart rate rises into the peak zone, my blood sugars go up. To be honest I’m personally not too worried about it. The over all benefits of exercise out weigh the negatives. Better all round to exercise than not. I find my blood sugars the following day are lower. I simply expect a rise. If I over do it with weights then my blood sugars can rise to around 15mmol/ls, but they do come down.
I am not on a low carb diet so I cannot really give you constructive advice on what to eat.

 

[Sparkle fairy]

Hi @Sparkle fairy If I do some weights or if I hike and do a steep climb where my heart rate rises into the peak zone, my blood sugars go up. To be honest I’m personally not too worried about it. The over all benefits of exercise out weigh the negatives. Better all round to exercise than not. I find my blood sugars the following day are lower. I simply expect a rise. If I over do it with weights then my blood sugars can rise to around 15mmol/ls, but they do come down.
I am not on a low carb diet so I cannot really give you constructive advice on what to eat.

Thank you Melgar that is reassuring ,
I agree better to exercise than not.
What I'm finding hard is that they seem to stay elevated for longer than I was expecting. (The next two days) When i say elevated, they are not overly high but just higher than my normal. Probably just me overthinking things!

 

[Chris24Main]

To a certain extent it's your liver over-thinking, and may take some time to figure out what the new normal is.

Say you've just started doing this exercise - you know you will feel stiff for a couple of days after. That's normal, and if you keep doing it, you get a little fitter for that kind of exercise, and fairly soon you don't feel stiff after a session.

It's not just "like" that - it's really all connected. The feeling of stiffness is a process of rebuilding in your muscles, and requires energy. Your liver sees this as extra - new - demand for energy, and so generates a little more blood glucose to accommodate.

And even if it keeps happening, as @Melgar points out, the benefits of doing the excercise are much greater.

One unique thing about low-intensity exercise (like walking) is that it makes your muscles use that sugar regardless of insulin, so this is why a walk after a meal is so effective.
It doesn't sound like you need to do anything drastic at all. I eat fewer carbs, but I'm reversing a diagnosis - you may be totally fine with what you're doing and eating. The only thing I would offer, is that when it comes to glucose and insulin, there really is no such thing as a good snack. The more time you can give your digestive system off between meals, the better. It's another thing that takes time to become normal, of course - we are all encouraged to snack, and I'm not saying you need to do anything; it's just the simplest way to make the most effective change if you want to.

 

[Sparkle fairy]

To a certain extent it's your liver over-thinking, and may take some time to figure out what the new normal is.

Say you've just started doing this exercise - you know you will feel stiff for a couple of days after. That's normal, and if you keep doing it, you get a little fitter for that kind of exercise, and fairly soon you don't feel stiff after a session.

It's not just "like" that - it's really all connected. The feeling of stiffness is a process of rebuilding in your muscles, and requires energy. Your liver sees this as extra - new - demand for energy, and so generates a little more blood glucose to accommodate.

And even if it keeps happening, as @Melgar points out, the benefits of doing the excercise are much greater.

One unique thing about low-intensity exercise (like walking) is that it makes your muscles use that sugar regardless of insulin, so this is why a walk after a meal is so effective.
It doesn't sound like you need to do anything drastic at all. I eat fewer carbs, but I'm reversing a diagnosis - you may be totally fine with what you're doing and eating. The only thing I would offer, is that when it comes to glucose and insulin, there really is no such thing as a good snack. The more time you can give your digestive system off between meals, the better. It's another thing that takes time to become normal, of course - we are all encouraged to snack, and I'm not saying you need to do anything; it's just the simplest way to make the most effective change if you want to.

Thank you that makes sense and makes me feel better about things.
I am walking every day after my main meal but as I have lost some muscle due to losing a lot of weight I felt I need to start doing some strength or resistance training .
I've had to add in some snacks as I've got to the point where I want to stop losing weight but can't seem to maintain it. I've added lots of healthy fats as well as eating more cheese, yogurts and nuts
I can't seem to get anything quite balanced yet.
There's a whole other question I'm sure!

 

[Melgar]

Thank you that makes sense and makes me feel better about things.
I am walking every day after my main meal but as I have lost some muscle due to losing a lot of weight I felt I need to start doing some strength or resistance training .
I've had to add in some snacks as I've got to the point where I want to stop losing weight but can't seem to maintain it. I've added lots of healthy fats as well as eating more cheese, yogurts and nuts
I can't seem to get anything quite balanced yet.
There's a whole other question I'm sure!

@Sparkle fairy, same. I went on a very low carb diet for 9 months , lost way too much weight and ended up losing muscle. So I turned to what I know best, exercise. So now I eat, what I consider a normal balanced diet, and use exercise to maintain my blood sugars. I do seem to have plateaued out though and I am unable to get my blood sugars out of the prediabetic range with exercise, but I couldn’t with doing a very low carb either. I’m not over producing insulin, which I think is important. I do lots of walking. By that I mean hiking. I live in a very mountainous area so lots of steep climbs. And as @Chris24Main mentions walking after a meal is very effective.