Hi! Before I got diagnosed with type 1, I was an avid indoor cyclist. I dropped the hobby since the diagnosis, but am just recently getting back into it, hoping to get my certification within the next few months so I can teach! I am only facing one problem: lows. Extreme lows. Even after drinking an entire Vitawater throughout a 45 minute period on the bike. I guess the only way out would be going in with “higher” sugars, right? But, is that healthy? Does anyone have any tips??
Thanks!! 
Alexa
I have the same problem. I go low but I am a sort of Type 2.
I used to eat cheese before I start and that would keep me going for a moderate ride. But since I had to go on low protein diet I really do not know how to balance all.
So most of the time I know am afraid to go low when spinning.
If you have a small snack before you work out, it can be effective to take a partial bolus? There’s a chart in Think Like a Pancreas (p. 137 of the edition I have?) and Pumping Insulin that has %ages based on the intensity and duration of exercise? So for 1 hour of moderate exercise, you take 67% of the usual bolus amount to cover it and burn the rest off? I think that there’s an element of trial and error to it so I’d suggest testing a lot to figure out where you’d sit?
I find it disheartening when I see fellow T1’s who have dropped their favorite exercise/hobby due to their diabetes. It should never be a reason to quit or slow down… if it’s the physicians’ suggestions, I’d really like to pay them a visit!
If you’re on a pump (I hope so), it would help you to start a temp basal an a hour or so before cycling (I use 60-80% for an hour before, during & then 70-80% for 2-3 hours afterwards). I also eat 30 minutes -1 hour before intense exercise and then change my carb: insulin ratio significantly to compensate (I use 1:10 normally, but 1:15 prior to exercise). Some cyclists find that they still need to eat 20-30g carb every 30 minutes during rides to keep their glucose level as well (pocket shots, etc) as well as drinking gatorade or other sugared beverage. My sugar usually does okay without all that extra sugar, but remember “your diabetes may vary.” Also, after workouts I find that sometimes I need to use 1:12 ratio for meals post-workout as well.
As for starting out with higher sugars, just remember that if your body doesn’t have enough insulin on board (say your sugar is 240 in the morning & you don’t bolus the correction since you’re afraid of going low during exercise), most likely your sugar will continue to rise since you didn’t give your poor cells any insulin to work with! If my sugar is high before exercise, I’ll give 50% of the correction & correct only to a BG of 140 (not 100, my usual) and hopefully wait till my sugar is <240 before exercising. Exercising with a BG> 240 runs you a risk of having your sugar shoot up even higher (ketones, please no!) & the damage a high HR pushing that sloshy, syrupy high sugar blood glucose through your precious organs can cause. But in my world, let me just correct that sugar, drink lots of water & as long as it’s coming down & I have insulin (& sugar pills) on hand, gym/mountains/pool~ here I come!
Remember that as you continue & add exercise, your body’s need for insulin will become more sensitive & you may end up requiring less insulin for the next 24-36 hours after. John Walsh’s book on “pumping insulin” is helpful for learning all about exercise & effects on a diabetic’s body. I think the biggest motivating factor of his book is that he notes the more athletic you become (& gain muscle), the better your body becomes at storing & releasing glycogen in your muscles & liver~ noting improved blood sugars & less severe lows. I know this to be true, even if there’s a lot of trial & error to be had, as my sugar spikes after meals are considerably less & my lows are slowly improving.
Just to add my two cents, I take off my pump when I go to a spin class. No insulin at all for 45 minutes. Put it back on right after I get off the bike. I always like the Sheri Colberg book, The Diabetic Athlete’s Handbook, because she breaks down all sorts of exercise, and offers how other people bolus and basal for what they do. My endo always says, start with a theory and then fine tune. I started with percentages of my basal, and that did not work. So, I tried it with out my pump on just for that spurt and it worked. The many variables come into play, such as starting BG, time of day, etc. Hope that helps.
Wow, this is so incredibly helpful. Thank you ALL of you. Brownie, everything you have described I can directly relate to, and do something about! My 29 blood sugar the other night is now explained by not turning down my basal enough during sleep. A temp basal is the perfect idea for a lengthy exercise like spinning, too. I think I’ll look for that book, also. Thanks for all your help
While suspending and becoming untethered is fine, it is important to understand the limits. The pump uses a rapid insulin to deliver your basal and whatever insulin you have on board will be gone (totally) in perhaps 2 hours. Don’t go out on the river for a 6 hour canoe ride leaving your pump and insulin back on the bank, you can go into DKA fast when exercising with “no” insulin on board at all. Just a word of caution.
And Sheri Colberg’s book is great. She also has a website with lots of articles.
I meant 45 minutes and I totally agree. The idea of not having any insulin going in for any period of time, initially made me nuts. It was only through a lot of trial and error, that I came to that conclusion, not to mention countless hypoglycemic numbers , and the rest of that scene. Glad to hear that there is a website for Sheri Colberg.
I love spinning. I do it 3 days a week and I was only diagnosed last year. I got the book “Diabetic Athlete’s Handbook” and it told me that there are several options for cycling long distances. Firstly, I test in the middle of spin class so I hope this isn’t an issue for you. But what I do is guage how long it has been since my last injection. If it has been more than two hours, I have a peice of toast with cheese. If it hasn’t I keep a bottle of gatorade. Now if I’ve recently injected I would bring a bottle of gatorade and some packets of sugar. What the book says and I agree with (everyone is different), I will take 15 grams of sugar every 15-20 mins. I check my bg level every 20-30 mins. Also drink plently of water, but I am sure you know all about that since you seem to be an avid spinner! Good luck and keep me posted.