Hi friends! I wanted to share a new discovery with you. Normally my workouts consist of a combination of walking my dogs and strength & conditioning training (heavy lifting, kettlebell workouts, etc.). When I do strength training, I have to take a shot of novolog prior to my workout - those workouts consistently raise my blood sugar (though theydo increase my overall insulin sensitivity over time which is awesome).
On a vacation recently, I started playing tennis again, and have noticed that tennis does not cause a blood sugar rise at all. (YAY!!) I can play easy or intensely for 1-1.5 hours, and don’t need a shot! I typically don’t mind taking a shot for weight lifting, but seriously, sometimes it’s nice to just not have to poke yourself, you know? I know that tennis does not equal weight lifting by any means, but I’m really enjoying having something fun in the mix of things that is so easy to do!
Are you someone who typically has to give insulin prior to working out? (This was never the case for me when I was on a pump - just since being on injections I have had to do them).
What kind of workouts do you enjoy that do not require a shot?
I find that any workout which is heavy in cardio but does not cause an adrenaline rush generally causes a drop in my BG. However, if a workout involves any sort of adrenaline rush, my BGs can go up considerably. For example:
Leisurely distance run by myself = LOWER BG at the end.
Adrenaline-packed road race covering same distance = HIGHER BGs at end.
If I just do some weight lifting, I generally don’t notice a huge change in my BG. Sometimes I’m a tad higher at the end of my workout, but not alarmingly so. If I run a road race or do anything that causes a surge of adrenaline (such as a soccer game), I have to give myself some insulin beforehand to keep my BGs under 200. The trick is always knowing how much to give, and I generally use a temp increase in my basal rate (which has generally worked well). If I’m doing something that is not pump-friendly, I will bolus what I think is a good amount based on the activity and its length and then check about 40 minutes in to see where I am. Usually it’s just a lot of educated guessing based on past experience.
I had previously thought adrenaline was they key, but I feel the same adrenaline rush playing tennis that I do when I strength train. I know adrenaline can cause rises (job interviews have really had me going lately). No matter how much I think I have figured out, it always seems to vary a bit. Thanks for sharing your experiences.
I like playing tennis a lot but don’t do it much at all these days w/ the other stuff. One thing I’d add is that the last two times I played, I stole an idea about non-competitive tennis from Rambo and the Dalai Lama, by Gordon Fellman. We read it for the martial arts classes I’d taken and, while I was a bit skeptical, the first time I went to hit w/ my buddy, he said “let’s play a game” and I said “nah, there’s no fences on the side so we’d chase winners all over hell. Let’s just play non-competitively but try to work together to keep it in play”.
At first, it was almost a reflex to hit it away from the other guy but, after a bit, I noticed that I could improve my form, bending my knees, using my hips and thighs (admittedly, this was like 3 weeks after I’d passed the black belt test, so I was in pretty decent shape and had a lot of mental focus. Plus I was a bit bonkers b/c we were in the middle of a forced move…) to guide the ball more precisely to hit returnable balls. I had a lot of fun and he agreed that playing a game was sort of pointless. I did it again with a different friend and we also had an enjoyable time. The one hazard is that there’s not really an “end” like in regular tennis but that may not be a bad thing either? I am not 100% sure about the BG part of the equation but I figured I’d toss this out there. If anyone is in the western suburbs of Chicago and wants to hit some balls, send me a message!
I don’t ever take shots before working out. I notice spikes to maybe 140-160 sometimes when I run but I think that’s when I overdo the carbs. Sometimes weightlifting (I’ve been doing that again for maybe 6-8 weeks, a couple of times/ week…) does this. Last week I was off and had some extra time so on Thursday, I lifted and then ran 7 miles and finished @ 79, w/ no spike so that worked pretty well?
My husband and I usually start out playing just for fun, no points, but then we have fun trying to beat each other. I like your concept though for sure. I think people are way too serious a lot and miss out on just the fun of things.
Wow I am shocked. I have never ever ever done any type of workout or exercise that raised my BG levels. They always drop a lot. I have to have like 40 carbs before any workout and my numbers barely crack 100. I didn’t realize people’s numbers increase during workouts.
It took me awhile to connect the two as well. I only noticed it when I started doing crossfit. I had never lifted or worked out at that capacity before. Also, when I was on the pump, I think the constant stream of insulin kept those spikes from happening. Now I only take one shot of lantus per day, and novolog when needed, and I find I need to cover for my strength training. Crazy, indeed.
