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Morning Walks

teacher123

Well-Known Member
Messages
270
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
I am back in university for two weeks and it is about a mile and half/two mile walk to my university campus from my accommodation.

What should I do about breakfast? I have stopped the high spike by taking my insulin 15 minutes before eating, reducing to 4 weetabix and taking some natural yoghurt with a few raspberries. If I am now going to walk this distance in the morning what should I be avoiding/should it be a bigger breakfast?

Thanks, Andy
 
Hi Andy -- assuming you type 1 as you have posted in this section
best bet is to test for a few days following this pattern and adjust your insulin down by 1 unit to compensate for the exercise-- you can adjust this back up if you do not come back into range over the next couple of weeks

remember that this is a marathon and don't make the adjustments after only 1 days results
 
As last poster said it will be a bit of trial and error over first couple of weeks. If it was me I'd probably take a couple of glucose tabs before I set off and keep other things as they are. You could test at the midway point for the first few goes and take the glucose tabs then if you saw you were falling a bit to quick. They might see off a low blood sugar just enough.That's just my approach though. Let's s know how it goes.
 
I do 2 miles every morning and I need about 10g of carbs to cover it. Reduce your breakfast insulin and take glucose tablets with you, just in case. After a couple of days you will see if it works
 
Thanks @himtoo and @Riri for advice. It is only a two week session and not even sure I am in everyday of the week so aslong as I'm avoiding the hypos on the early walk i'll be chuffed!

I am currently on 4 units of novorapid in the morning and eating the breakfast as mentioned above. I know exercising when insulin is reaching its peak is not advised? Had a hypo on a previous occasion because was walking when it was reaching towards its peak.
 

Why would you need a bigger breakfast? What bolus do you take for that breakfast?
 
JRW said:
Why would you need a bigger breakfast? What bolus do you take for that breakfast?
Click to expand...

4 units of novorapid, already reduced from 6 Weetabix...don't know what else to eat in the mornings...
 
teacher123 said:
4 units of novorapid, already reduced from 6 Weetabix...don't know what else to eat in the mornings...
Click to expand...

My BG raises on short term exercise, up to 40 or 50 mins. After that it dips, and my muscles start sucking up the glucose. How long does it take you to do the walk?

Everybody is different, so you should check at the start and finish, and have some glucose with you at all times.
 

Usually around 20-25 minutes if I remember correctly from the last time. So, just to clarify, when you exercise your body doesn't need insulin to convert into energy it just takes the available glucose from the bloodstream?

Trying to understand the relationship and this forum is proving invaluable!
 

How it was explained to me is that when exercising your body can convert carbs into energy to feed muscles without insulin, I don't know the scions behind it though. With regards to BG levels and exercise, the exercise intensity also alters the effect, sorry to throw another layer of complexity in, but it does change things.
 
I think you may need to reduce your breakfast bolus by anything up to 50% on the mornings that you walk. It depends on what you want. Do you want to lose weight? Take the reducing bolus route. Is your weight fine but you just want to avoid a hypo? Carry extra supplies.
 
Hi - everyone is different but if that was me and knowing how my body responds, I would eat your breakfast as normal and do a couple of things: firstly I would inject insulin right before you eat and then go straight for the walk. If you inject early and then walk you may find you have problems. You may also need to reduce the insulin. Take something with you like glucose tablets or lucozade
 

Hey man - Thanks. Yeah, one morning I took my novorapid and had breakfast but then waited a while before starting to walk. Obviously I was walking when insulin was starting to really peak so I just hypo'd haha. Next day, I sorted everything out first that needed done, had my novorapid, breakfast and went straight on the two mile walk. Sugars were perfect, guess it's just trial and error with everything until I find out what suits my body.
 
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