Which part of the day is best for using my exercise bike?

This is something that will be different for everybody. For me it is first thing in the morning before food and drink exepting water. I find this kick starts my day and focuses me.

I exercise in the morning, I figure it might burn off my dawn phenomenon

Ceppo said:

Hoping to gain some knowledge from all your insights into which are the best times of day to do light/moderate exercise - indoor upright bike or walking. Aiming not to stimulate appetite or raise glucose levels. So what is optimum in your experience.
I haven't yet tested before and after exercise just in relation to meals. Thanks to all who contribute to my learning.

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Personally walking doesn't stimulate appetite so anytime
For exercise bike, as I have got fitter my watts have increased (From 65 to 200) and that does increase my appetite. So, i try and do that before food.

I find that I have to fit that in to the day, so walking generally around lunchtime and then exercise bike early evening

For me though exercise bike has the opposite effect and seems to lower my blood glucose levels. Not tried to see what walking does

I suggest that you try different exercise times and intensities to see which suit you best, and which best fit in with your daily schedule and lifestyle.

For me, exercise on an empty stomach has NEVER worked, despite being told repeatedly that fasting exercise is THE BEST.
So I don't set much store on what works for other ppl. I will try it and see, but I never assume that their body behaves like mine will.

Ceppo said:

Thank you all.
@Brunneria why is fasting exercise the best? Can you point me in the direction of some reading?

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Sorry.
Since it doesn't work for me, I have never been particularly interested in why some people think it is a good idea.
Besides, you will find just as many people saying 'breakfast is VITAL' and 'you should never exercise on an empty stomach'.

Why not just experiment and find out what works best for you? That is what we all end up doing eventually.

Ceppo said:

Hoping to gain some knowledge from all your insights into which are the best times of day to do light/moderate exercise - indoor upright bike or walking. Aiming not to stimulate appetite or raise glucose levels. So what is optimum in your experience.
I haven't yet tested before and after exercise just in relation to meals. Thanks to all who contribute to my learning.

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As a PT my advice would be a) the time of day that you find you can consistently do some exercise because consistency .i.e getting out of breath for 20 mins 3 x weekly is going to improve your cardiovascular health in general and we know this is important for diabetics b) in relationto burning up some glucose you may find that if you are naturally a little higher in the morning then doing it fasted is a good way to beat the effect of stress hormones that nauturally are higher first thing in the day. Conversely doing exercise just before bed can get you quite wired and disrupt sleep.
c) doing exercise after a meal can gently reduce your blood glucose so a gentle walk after lunch or evening meal could be effective. Equally a gentle cycle ride.
d) I'd add a high intensity session in at least once a week. Protocols vary but the idea is to cycle to a 9/10 effort level for up to 30 seconds with at least 30 seconds recovery (enough time to normalise your breathing!) . As you get fitter your recovery time can be as short as 10 seconds. You should only try this out if you have a good base level of walking/cycling for 6 weeks or so prior i.e. don't try it if you've been highly sedentary for ages or have very high or untreated blood pressure (200/100+ ).
d) Its a great idea to test but be aware you're looking for an overall reduction in insulin and blood glucose levels so should not fret about the spike you may get after doing a high intensity session!
Other good indicators of progress could be notincing its easier to run up a flight of stairs or feeling more energised and in a better mood (short term), reduction in blood pressure, better fasting glucose numbers and hba1c or even needing to stop taking certain medications (medium to long term).
Note that you won't lose weight this way unless you combine it with dietary changes and yes you are right to be concerned about appetite. There's a reason why we get told to go for a walk 'to build up an appetite' which is a great reason to eat well and then go out for a stroll!

As Nicole above says, I reckon it's when you can fit it in and when you WANT to! Once it becomes a regular activity your body will probably adapt and although there may be times when your glucose levels increase because of it, in my view the overall benefits FAR outweigh any short term raise in glucose levels. I exercise at all times of the day (and sometimes in the middle of the night) because I work shifts. x

Ceppo said:

Thank you all.
@Brunneria why is fasting exercise the best? Can you point me in the direction of some reading?

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Fasting exercise isn't always best, but if you are in nutritional ketosis then fasting exercise is possible without running out of energy.
That is, if you aren't using glucose as your main energy source then you don't need to load up on carbohydrates before and during exercise.

I find that exercising before noon amplifies my dawn phenomenon and I have a rise in BG levels.
I have put this down to my body producing more glucose to boost energy which my body then doesn't use.
I'm not sure if this is a good or bad thing; the exercise is certainly good.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Art-Science-Low-Carbohydrate-Living/dp/0983490708 is one reference for low carbohydrate living.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Art-Science-Low-Carbohydrate-Performance/dp/0983490716/ is one reference for low carbohydrate exercise.