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How Far Can You Push Yourself?

Steve14

Well-Known Member
Messages
95
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
I want to know how far can you push your body, and whether exercise can become a friend or foe?

My wife has given me a second chance, and I don't want to fail her. The problem is that my diabetes is still considered fresh by some (1 year), but it made things a thousand times more difficult. Just 3 years ago I didn't have a pinch of fat on my body. Had the abs, the muscles and the confidence that goes along with it. I was athletic, but not buff.

In just a course of a year and a half I have gained such huge belly that I cannot even see my .... anymore when on the toilet. But I do want to quit smoking, and I do want to exercise daily. The question is how far can you push yourself? For example: can I go all in and do as many pushups as my body is capable of? I know it will wear my body down in the short run, but will it pay off in the long run the same way it did 3 years ago? Can I do this if my blood sugar is lingering between 3 - 12? Obviously not exercise when I'm low, but when I tend to be a bit on the higher end?

Is it possible to start pushing yourself hard, and exercising with 11-12 expecting your body to become more sensitive to insulin? Is that realistic? I do not do any exercise at all because of depression. The only exercise I do is go out and drive my car once a week and I'm ashamed to admit that. This is really about me vs me, and now I have the urge to change my lifestyle 180 degrees.
 
You can push yourself as hard as you like. Only you'll know when it's time to back off.

Exercise with a BG higher than 13mmol/L or so is not recommended because you run the risk of developing ketones which can make you pretty unwell.

Exercise will help with the BG though and if you're running high regularly then this is especially true.

As you said you've had a long time away from it. Start out with less strenuous forms. Laugh all you like but even long walks at an easy pace will both ease you back into an exercise regime and have noticeable effects on your BG. I may be wrong, but not doing any form of exercise could have a lot to answer for in terms of your depressive state. Getting out in the fresh air or getting a good sweat on and the blood pumping in a gym has to be one of the most effective and natural ways to improve your mood.

Exercise will almost definitely make you more sensitive to insulin so watch out for post workout lows and be extra observant of your levels even hours after.

You've done the hardest part by admitting that you need to get back into shape so the rest will be a breeze

Important things to note are:
-Start easy and gradually build it up
-Keep an eye on your BG, highs are just as problematic as lows
-Don't expect instant results
-Don't give up

All the best to you!

Grant
 
Start slow to see how you react to exercise and build from there. Cardio will lower your bg, and resistance will raise it. The issue with resistance work is that while it does raise bg levels, it's temporary, as it stores the Glucose is in the muscles and in the hour or two after will release that glucose into blood and it can send you low if you are not aware.

You need to be able to gauge hiw any exercise will interact with the diabetes so you can avoid hypos etc. I did ask my trainer if I was ever likely to get back to training as hard as I did before I was diagnosed in November last year, and she said there's no reason why not, I obviously have to be careful.

You will gain weight, insulin tends to do that, I put 6 kg on myself, but I am hoping to lose the fat weight and put the lean weight back on.
 

Hey Steve,

I would suggest a combination of diet and exercise. Go with the exercise that burns the most fat and strengthens your cardiovascular system. That means endurance activities where you get yourself in to a rhythm (pulse rate, breathing, body movement) long distance cycling, hiking, canoeing - that sort of thing.

Sure you can go to the gym and lift weights and build up your muscles and you may look better but you won;t be in any better shape.

I'm at the point in my life (mid 50s) that if I don;t exercise my muscles start to disappear pretty **** fast. So I would suggest cutting down on the carbs, maybe increase your protein intake although it may be fine already and endurance exercise.

Before you begin any kind of exercise regimen you may want to consider getting an EKG (electrocardiogram). Because of living with Type 1 for 50 years and being more physically active than your average person coupled by my age - my doctor sends me in for an EKG every other year to see if I'm pushing myself too much or if doing saw has caused any heart stoppages. Fortunately for me - I check out fine every time, but before going to the extreme and pushing it - see about getting an EKG.

Good luck! If you're able to accomplish your goal you will no doubt feel much better.
 
You're asking a good question! I'm afraid I was never one for loads of exercise, and, luckily for me, it turns out that you don't have to do loads of exercise to deal with obesity and diabetes. I found that a low carb high fat diet helped me to lose a couple of stones gradually over a period of 12 to 18 months. I do some exercise that I enjoy, and that became more enjoyable as I got down to a weight that put less strain on me. I don't have to inject as much Bolus insulin as before. We're all different and my approach may not be what you want - but I hope it is! There's loads of help and suggestions for what to eat in the low carb high fat threads on this forum, so read around, and good luck with improving your health! You'll feel better and you can do it!
 

Thank you so much! Yes, I do plan to work my way up there. I will start with walking and some pushups until I gain some strentgh, then planned to lift some weights later on.
 

Thank you! It seems like one has to completely relearn managing his/her diabetes when starting to exercise. Like you either exercise daily on a routine, at the same times and same ways, or don't exercise at all, nothing inbetween. I can imagine it is stressful to "re-learn" managing your blood sugar as you become more sensitive to insulin, but once you're metabolism catches up with you, timing and injecting should be as "easy" as they are right now.
 

Luckily I love cycling, but haven't touched my bicycle for a long time. I'm still at the point where I'm trying to make myself more confident to go longer distances without relying on help from others if I go low. It's difficult, but I'm making my diet more strict as we speak. Thanks you for the encouragement! Living with T1D for 50 years and still doing your exercise routine is nothing short of amazing! Truly motivational. I'll get a more thorough test on my next doctor's visit.
 
That's no problem! Press-ups are a good exercise along with other activities which involve throwing about your own mass. They tend to be better for the core as they typically don't isolate a specific muscle group in the same way that dumbells and bar bells do.

What's also great about them is that as you get stronger all over and as you inevitably loose weight over time then you will end up having to move less weight, resulting in being able to increase reps tenfold with ease

Grant
 

Thank you! Looking forward to lower my insulin intake with diet and exercise. Someone has to do it!
 
All that has a lot to do with it. The gym I use has GP certified trainers, and my programmes are put together taking into account diabetes. I also now use isotonic drinks where I would have just used water previously. You may have to eat a small amount of carbs half an hour or so after training to help prevent hypos, but I have not yet had a hypo because of going to the gym. In fact I haven't had a hypo for four months!

I admit I am now carrying slightly more weight around my midriff, but I am now doing core exercises as I used to. I do recommend speaking to your diabetes nurse about the exercise you plan on doing, and they should be able to give some advice. Personally, I haven't found it too tricky yet, and in my opinion it is beneficial and better than doing no exercise at all.
 
@Steve14 . A good place to start maybe is you tube. Tap in body weight exercises and have a look around.
Ignore the ones where the guys shout, have vests that are a few sizes to small and look all wet and shiny.
Good luck take care it's hard to train in pain.
 

Thanks! Must start with lighter exercises such as walking and pushups. Pushups are considered light exercise for me because I have dip- and pull up bars at home.
 
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When you start exercising it will effect your blood glucose both during and after. To document this you could measure before and after, both right after and a couple of hours after to see how the type of exercise you're doing effects you.

Both endurance and, let's call it, strength exercises can increase insulin sensitivity without major changes in body mass, muscle mass or even diet. Eventually though you will see changes in your body and also your need for insulin. In the beginning it's a bit of trial and error but you'll get the hang of it eventually.

Some good reads on the subject:

https://examine.com/nutrition/how-do-i-increase-insulin-sensitivity/
http://www.diabetesselfmanagement.c...nt-approaches/increasing-insulin-sensitivity/

As you decrease your need for insulin, make some adjustments in your diet and increase your activity level you will eventually lose weight. You'll have the same pattern as a non-diabetic will have being that you start slow and gradually increase your activity as you become more adapt to the weights you're lifting (or push-ups you can do), the miles you run, walk or cycle. HIIT is very effective for the duration it requires but i find it to be more of an advanced exercise method as it can be very demanding cardiovascular wise.

I find that there are few limits to how far i can eventually push myself once your have your blood glucose under control during the day. As this is very important for both maintaining the activity level and recovery afterwards. I go mountain biking, hiking and powerlifting. When mountain biking i'm usually the one that has to wait for my non diabetic friends because they're falling behind, on hiking i'm planning on doing the death march next year (this years event is today) which is a 100 km hike and on powerlifting i used to be national champion and record holder for bench press (a long time ago). It's all down to a mindset which might be easier for me since i've grown up having diabetes and it's just status quo for me. But i don't often feel like diabetes offers barriers but only hurdles that you need to overcome and be better for it. It just takes time, patience and most importantly perseverance.

In short: start slow, become better and reap the benefits. And best of luck in your endeavor.
 
@qe5rt. Impressive!!!! Nice to get an insight to what other T1's have achieved.
Not sure I could match you. Not sure about you but I do get a sense of extra achievement when I know I've out performed someone with out the D and now days usually younger.
Currently doing an Olympic thing at my local gym. One challenge is a 2km row. Currently 19secs faster than the young guy's, makes diabetes seem almost worthwhile.
 
Hi Steve,
I'm a type 1 diabetic for 40 years and have started to commute to work on my bike (30km each way). Reduce my long acting insulin by 4 units the night before and have to closely monitor my sugar level during the day.
I've only recently (since Friday) managed to get hold of an Agamatrix Wavesense Jazz Wireless blood glucose meter that is a really magical bit of kit if you have an android or iPhone with Bluetooth. All my results are transmitted straight to the phone that allows you to record carbs, insulin and your results in a really great display the shows instantly trends that happen due to your exercise.
Exercise is great and don't get put off by fluctuations in your levels, work with it.
You may, like me find that after doing exercise your blood glucose will drop then 45 minutes later rise without explanation, this is due to stress hormones producing a blood glucose boosts by your liver that releases glucose to replace the glucose lost from your muscles, that was burnt in your exercise. Problem diabetics have is that the body can't cope with the boost and I sometimes have to have some additional rapid insulin to bring my levels back into my target range.
If it gets to bad then speak with your doctor who may recommend the use of a pump that will allow easier control.
Good luck and I highly recommend phoning Agamatrix for the Wavesense Jazz Wireless meter, best I've ever used to-date.
 


I actually often wondered if i had done all of it if not diabetic. Only started competing in powerlifting when a doctor told me i shouldn't be lifting weights with diabetes and that i could only do desk jobs. Pretty much did everything she said i couldn't do. Becoming a national champion in one of them was the cherry on top. I have halve a mind to equal the current national record bench press for my weight class and age but it's pretty high. Still about 50 pounds from it, On the other end when i drop just a couple of kg's of bodyweight i'll quickly equal the bench press record for that class (only 10 pounds away from that one). It's the diabetes that drives us
 
@qe5rt. I have to agree that diabetes can prove inspirational in a weird sort of way. Before diagnosis at 27yrs old I was always doing some form of exercise whether it be jogging, cycling and weights. After diagnosis and once everything had settled down I found I had much more focus and was able to push that bit extra.
Never been competitive, if I achieve my own personal targets I'm happy. I know for sure that I'm always trying to prove a point to my diabetes, it's me and it.
Stubbornness and the weights only going one way mentality are all down to being diabetic.
 
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