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Managing exercise and insulin


I'm happily on about that. I don't "train hard", I do an hour a day either running or cycling, and generally walk at the weekends. My weight has been descending ever so slowly over the past year - 75kg ish, 189cm, so no problems with that either.
 
This is why I took up cycling. As you’re not moving around as much and the attire allows you to take your testing kit and carbs in the pockets as well as fluids attached to the bike.

If you’re carrying on with running, take fast acting carbs. Jelly babies are good as they’re a known quantity.

After I was diagnosed I started on a treadmill so I was around others. And tested and different levels of exertion. So for me, at a moderate to hard running session I’d need 10g (2 jelly babies) every 15 minutes. If I ran slower I’d eat less, if I were to go over an hour I’d back that up with a snack (oats/grains) bar. And monitor afterwards as it can carrying on dropping.

But if you get a grasp of it, it’s a great way to control T1, gets you fitter and good for mental health too.
 
Good that you started on treadmill; after diagnosis we emigrated continents and not knowing anyone yet just cycled close to home; dropped 10 in 30-40 min easily and learned quickly: eat before, drink, and always have sugar with me. Now it’s winter and I swim twice weekly. Tried to get to an hour and almost 6weeks later went from 30min to 50min swim. Want 60min; will get there... Hm.. yesterday’s unexpected scary hypo made me careful... now I bring dextro-energy-chewables into the pool area just in case. Not every day is the same I realize; went for a 4hr hike up to cliffs in the snow (15km) recently and had an AWESOME day... wanted more. So I keep on truckin’ and my goal is a very active outdoors summer canoeing and mountain hiking w my family and hope to by then having an even better idea of how my body works now... not impossible but certainly hard work and effort balancing food and insulin and activity. Every reason to keep fit!! Even more so now.
 
RitaCheetah said:
Good that you started on treadmill; after diagnosis we emigrated continents and not knowing anyone yet just cycled close to home; dropped 10 in 30-40 min easily and learned quickly: eat before, drink, and always have sugar with me.
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My first decent length bike ride after diagnosis was interesting - all going well, then bonked quite deeply, and had to eat and keep eating to keep going. It was dark, and stopping every mile wasn't as much fun as we wanted. Fortunately we have always packed too much food (we might have had a break from tradition and listened to our medical professionals - and incidents like that meant we've never stopped being cautious).

20 years later I'm quite a lot better at not running out like that
 
Anyone else struggling with their runs this month ? Just did my local parkrun and a comment from a friend was are you eating enough carbs @Type1Bri whats your views on carbs before a run ?
 
Hi Juicyj, after doing lots of runs without carbs and feeling generally slow and knackered throughout each run, I now get up a bit earlier and inject a standard amount of basal and bolus before eating some porridge or a couple of weetabix. My running is going so much better now. I’m trying for the London marathon in April. It’s my fifth and I want to make it my best.
 
Hello @runJorun Thanks for the feedback, it's the only thing I can think of that's slowing me down, pace has dropped and so has my stamina, so going to up the carb intake, I have to admit I am always wary of doing big bolus shots before I head out and always turn my basal down on my pump as I tend to go low towards the end of my run. I doubt I will ever be fit enough for a marathon so in that respect I take off my virtual hat to you, would be really interested to hear how you get on though ?
 
To offer an alternate view, just like with type 2s if you are used to fuelling on carbs and you then go low carb you will notice that your body is craving the carbs because that is what it is used to.
If you choose to go low carb you can adapt and do steady state exercise fuelled from the thousands of kcals stoed on your body rather than the limited fuel tank that is your muscles.
I am not anti carb because for us type 1s, we cannot reverse our condition by eating less carbs. I choose to eat less carbs because I find it very tricky to dose correctly with them. I also do enough endurance and strength exercise to know that I don't need them.
 
Thanks for that @NicoleC1971 I have been lowish carb for a few years now and have never seemed to of had a problem until January when it just literally felt like i'd run out of steam, prior to them I would of said the same that carbs weren't necessary also because I dislike the unpredictability of taking insulin and running, when i'm on the bike I have no issue and if anything need glucose to top up stores but it's just this last month i've struggled.
 
Juicyj, there could be a non diabetes related reason for your lack of energy when running. I started taking a B vitamin complex and a magnesium supplement on the advice of a nutritionist a couple of months ago and that combined with the carbs before runs does seem to have helped me get back to feeling good again whilst running. It could be worth looking into if you have managed so well without many carbs prior to this year.
 
Thanks @runJorun (great user name !) will give that a try, I seem to be getting slower each week, this morning was my slowest park run in a year so anything is worth a go at the moment. I did have a couple of slices of toast this morning and did a 70% bolus and seemed to get myself in a pickle over going hypo which didn't help, which is why I normally prefer two run without quick acting n board as I feel more secure, I went lousy but not hypo but didn't feel comfortable in my run this morning because of this.
 
I do competitive indoor rock climbing, so training 3-5 times a week which means also doing weight training/calisthenics type of exercises. Because rock climbing is quite intense and at times, strenuous, it doesn't make my blood sugars go down as often as you might think. A lot of the time I actually get that initial spike in sugars, which can be a bit frustrating. I would love to implement more cardio into my regime, but it's hard to find the time/willpower because it's just not that fun for me
 
@sbr0001 do you have a pump?
I do weekly climbing ... not at a competitive level.
I have found my BG is much easier to control when climbing with a pump than injections as it allows me to increase my basal for the climbing to avoid the spike and then reduce my BG overnight to avoid the hypos.
I have a special "climbing" basal profile.
 
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Please look at Dr Phinney's You tube videos on nutritional ketosis etc (3 in all) for some ideas about what may be happening before you abandon the low carb approach.
 


I run three times a week, usually 5k each time but throw the odd 5 mile in now and then. If I run in the morning I just inject basal and don't have any breakfast, I have something to eat when I get home. If I run at dinner time then I won't have my meal till after the run.
 
Hi @sledge121 if I don’t eat something no matter how small in the morning then I find my BG levels shoot up into the teens but if I just eat say some berries and plain yoghurt then it keeps me stable after my run, how do your levels pan out ?
 
Juicyj said:
Hi @sledge121 if I don’t eat something no matter how small in the morning then I find my BG levels shoot up into the teens but if I just eat say some berries and plain yoghurt then it keeps me stable after my run, how do your levels pan out ?
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They pan out pretty good. I was worried about the basal having a big effect with the running but its so slow acting its fine. I also don't adjust the rapid down after my first meal, just eat a small snack if it does go a bit low, I eared the extra snack on the run
 
Sounds like you've got this sorted @sledge121 I did a 5km this morning, started it at 8.3, finished at 7.3mmol/l and then dipped to 4.8 about an hour later, was time for a snack by then though !!
 
This is so me, except I have coffee and cream. Exercise is not something to worry about on long-acting.
 
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