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Starting exercise & BG level help

H

helen louise

Well-Known Member
Messages
155
Type of diabetes
LADA
Treatment type
Insulin
Going to have a go at some form of exercise soon & I have read various reports about bg levels going up or down, can someone please tell me when I should test to check how it effects me?

I am pretty unfit & overweight so not really sure where to start :roll:

I have been offered the use of a motorised treadmill or a exercise bike but no idea which one would be best
 
I started my exercise when I'd had my stroke and needed to lose a mass of weight by walking. I could only walk small distances at first, but steadily built up the distances. I now walk 3 miles+ a day on 5 days out of 7. I also use the Wii, starting with the Wii Fit programme and progressed onto other more intensive programmes. I have an exercise bike, but it hates my knees so I never use it. if I had to pick between a bike and a treadmill, I'd go with the treadmill.
 
I'm jealous. I'd love a treadmill :)
 
Have a look at http://www.Runsweet.co.UK and http://www.diabetesnet.com The former is dedicated to sport & has a section on starting exercise. The latter is a US site which has a very good section on carb replacement, insulin reduction & the carb usage of various activities.

In general, short Sharp intense activity (sprinting) will make you BG rise, where as moderate exercise will make it start to drop fairly quickly after about 20 mins.
Test before starting and aim for a BG between 6 & 10. If below 6 eat fast acting carbs, if above 12 don't exercise until your BG has come down as you may not have enough insulin in your body to metabolise the glucose released by your muscles so your BG will only rise further.
Test every 20-30 mins during exercise (not that mine ever lasts that long!)
I certainly find that I don't need any extra carb for 20 mins x-training & I go full pelt.
If you exercise less than 2 hours after eating consider reducing your meal time insulin some (up to half, but you'll heed to see what works for you) instead of taking extra carbs.
Remember that the effects of exercise last for to to 48 hours, so you should test before bed & during the night & maybe reduce your long acting insulin by up to 20% the night after exercise.

Of course, I'm assuming you're on insulin! If you aren't, the websites will still help you with how exercise affects a person.

Good luck.
 
Thank you cheryl

I have booked marked those sites & will have a good read later, I'm not on any insulin at the moment as I am being treated as type 2 but waiting for the results of a c peptide test as my GP was concerned how quickly I have developed it & I apparently had a pear drop smell about me when I saw him :shock:

As I am completely unfit at the moment I am going to start today walking 15mins on the treadmill & increase that weekly by 5mins, I will do this mon - fri as I am a lot busier at the weekends anyway,

I have only been officially diagnosed for 3 weeks today at a BG of 18mmol & the last few days hasn't seen by bg past 10.2 which I am really pleased with :D
 
Had I read your signature properly, I'd have known that you're not on insulin!! sorry for the long ramble which is probably useless, though I'm sure you'll find the websites some help.
 
both sites are interesting!

My 20min stint on the treadmill resulted in a drop of 1.8mmol tested after finishing & a 2.1mmol drop 30mins after finishing which I am rather pleased with!

On the other hand the heart rate monitor I bought last night did some rather strange things! was ticking along nicely at 65% which for me was 117bpm when all of a sudden it went up to 239bpm & wouldn't drop down no matter how much I slowed down :problem:

I just knew £20 was too cheap! :roll: back to the shop it goes!
 
helen louise said:
On the other hand the heart rate monitor I bought last night did some rather strange things! was ticking along nicely at 65% which for me was 117bpm when all of a sudden it went up to 239bpm & wouldn't drop down no matter how much I slowed down :problem:
Click to expand...

239bpm? That means that you're either dead, or just about to die.

I once bought some "training pills" off the internet. You were supposed to take a maximum of one every 24 hours.
I took 4 in one go, before the start of a 10k. My heart-rate was 192bpm on the start line, and my average was 199bpm for the 6 mile run. I sat in the cafe afterwards, and honestly thought I was having a heart attack. Never again, I run clean now.
 
Its obviously a quality piece of equipment! the difference between a good price & too cheap!

Going to dig around on the net today
 
I once bought some "training pills" off the internet. You were supposed to take a maximum of one every 24 hours.
I took 4 in one go, before the start of a 10k. My heart-rate was 192bpm on the start line, and my average was 199bpm for the 6 mile run. I sat in the cafe afterwards, and honestly thought I was having a heart attack. Never again, I run clean now.
Click to expand...

That's scary.

The best heart rate monitor I ever had was a Polar one.
 
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