How do you all handle lows during exercise? I have no problem weight training it actually raises my blood sugar slightly. But if I attempt running or zumba etc my blood sugar crashes after only a few minutes. What do you avid cardio people do to keep your blood sugar stable?
Any suggestions would be so very much appreciated!!!!
PS-I am also on a pump.
Thanks in advance!
-Jenn
I try to exercise without any basal on board. What exactly I do tends to depend on what I'm doing but I like to be 100-120. If it's less than that, or even at 100 now, as I took a month off, I'd have something like a glass of skim milk before I go and just leave my basal. If it's a bit longer, like 6 miles (about an hour, I beat 50 minutes once but that was sort of fluky...), I'll turn my pump down and maybe bring a bottle of gatorade along, drinking 10-15G of carb worth at the 1/2 way point. I vary these a lot, if it's been running high, I won't turn my pump down as much. I often turn the temp basal "off" (back to 100%...) with a mile or two to go, depending on what my CGM says. I've noticed it tends to read low or the gatorade is pushing me up but slowly or whatever so I want more insulin to cover me when I'm done.
Exactly, I don't want to eat while exercising!
So you suspend your pump before and during exercise and have no bolus on board??
I hardly ever suspend my pump.
I should have explained "turn down" though! I mean I usually turn it down to maybe 50-66% of the normal basal rate for a 6 mile run but go back to 100% by the end of the run. Most of my runs involve some uphills from the river trail (currently full of bugs though!) and general adrenaline so I like to run the last couple of miles at 100% basal (normal) instead of low as then I don't see as much of a spike when I'm done. Plus I'm sort of an impatient person so I will "fire" any gas I have left in my tank to get done faster which probably also pushes BG up a bit.
Thanks for the suggestion! Hoping to hear more feedback from others :)
Like Acidrock, how I handle exercise depends on what kind of exercise - and also what time of day I'm doing it. I continue to experiment because of course we never get the same results every time even if we've done everything exactly the same :) You'll need to do that too, but here's what I generally aim for:
First thing in the AM (before breakfast): I have a Basal program set to give me a shade less basal than normal for a few hours before I get up. If I'm doing a cardio video that works fine usually. If it involves weight training, the adrenaline usually causes the BG to go up and I'll correct a bit or add a temp basal (~200%)for an hour or so afterward.
After a meal (within 2 hours): If I'm planning to do some power walking or something like that in the afternoon, I'll reduce my lunchtime bolus. This also requires experimentation. I usually shave off 10g carbs for a 30 minute walk. So, if I'm eating about 40g of carbs, I'll bolus for 30g instead. Totally not scientific, but I've found that seems to work.
For other times of day, reducing the basal rate in advance could help. I don't generally reduce it more than 50% unless I have a few units of Bolus on Board, otherwise I end up chasing down highs later.
Hi Jenn.
Your options are pretty much on the table here. Start with a higher BG, eat or drink some carbs throughout, turn down your pump/adjust your insulin dose, some combination of all three.
Adjusting my basal is tricky. If I make a mistake, it will put me on a roller coaster the rest of the day. So, unless I know my activity is going to be over an extended period of time, like an extended hike, I'll leave my basal program as is. That leaves starting with a higher BG and consuming carbs along the way as needed for me.
I go with starting with a BG that is a bit higher, usually between 120 and 140, then checking my BG and consuming carbs as needed.
Like others have said, depends in the exercise. If I’m running (usually 3 miles/30 mins) I’ll turn down my basal rate 50% about 10 mins before I go, and bring it back up when I’m done. If I’m doing my cross fit class, I turn down about 70% (assuming I’m starting with a BG around 100) about 30 mins before I start and come back up to normal basal when I’m done. I often go low during that class though, so I’m looking forward to using my new CGM to fix that.