I have finally gotten into a regular pattern of exercising 4 to 5 days a week. However, I just can’t seem to find my sweet spot where I can push my endurance and not bottom out with my blood sugars. When my blood sugars are good, I find that I can’t reach a good heart rate (for me) because my muscles tire too quickly. I have 3 sorts of routines depending on how I feel. I am either 1) on the treadmill for 30 to 40 minutes doing a walk/run (or just walking) with 5 minutes of stretching before and after, 2) on the elliptical for 20 to 30 minutes with 5 minutes of stretching before and after or 3) a combination of 15 minutes on the elliptical and 15 minutes on the treadmill with 5 minutes of stretching before and after. 95% of the time I am low at the end of my workout (BGs between 55 and 48). I usually suspend my pump 15 to 30 minutes before I workout and eat something right before I workout. Today I pushed it knowing that I wanted to do a longer workout and ate almost 100 grams of good whole grain carbs and a banana 30 minutes before I worked out. My BG at the start of my workout was 102. By the end of my 40 minute workout I was at 55. Almost an hour later, pump still off, it is just 64.
What do you eat to maintain through a workout? Please specify how long your workouts are… Thanks!
How soon before exercising are you taking a bolus? Do you still have active insulin from a bolus while exercising? I have to cut back on both my bolus and basal insulin before being active.
Hi Sara I am type 1.5 diagnosed in April of this year. Having previously been quite active and then having to stop exercising altogether as Bg was climbing higher and higher b4 diagnosis, I am also struggling to get things right, now.
My endo has told me to almost halve my bolus in the meal b4 exercise, depending on what intensity I am doing and I guess that is a juggling game. My diabetes educator has told me to not to go out running unless I carry some sort of sports drink with me . . . to continually sip on. the idea being maintaining BGL rather than waiting until BG goes too low b4 takling something. Endo recommended some sports drink I have never heard of from Sth Africa, but then agreed that Endura was also not too bad. Endura is an Australian product, they do gels, and powders to mix with water etc.
On bike rides I have been using carboshotz, (which are gel sachets of carb), and or an Endura drink. I have found that intensity plays a big part in lowering BGL more that does a longer period of exercise done at a lesser intensity.
I guess it can be a bit of trial and error, I find it quite depressing at times and would love to have someone to train with and talk to (in the flesh lol), with the same problems . . . I actually don’t even know anyone local with diabetes type 1 . . .
Anyway all the best, hope you get it sorted
cheers
Yesterday I ran 17.5 miles in 3 hours. I have an amphipod belt with a couple of gatorade bottles and jelly beans I lugged along with me and ended up pulling over to get another bottle of gatorade from a vendor as I was in Central Park, NYC. I had a donut before I blasted off. I was @ 75 when I finished. It was a bit hair-raising as it had gone up to 146 and then the cut bolus for the donut seemed to hit so I was @ 48 about 10 miles in. Quite a spectacle. to it but once I fixed that w/ sugar and sprinting I felt pretty good. I also was a bit of a mess as my CGM blew a gasket so I was bleeding all over the place and my infusion set sweated off somewhere in the last mile or two! I prefer using the short acting sugary stuff. I know whole grains are supposed to be good and all that but in my experience they take too long to digest and hit my bg to be of much use for workouts.
If, I exercise in the morning, which is most of the time, I don’t have any boluses on board. I have tried altering my basals but it doesn’t help. I end up just turning it off all together.
I am going to try a sports drink during my workout and see if that helps. I am a little apprehensive because I hate having to “go” during my workout. But it is worth a try if I can get my workouts to last longer.
Not entirely as I had to run by the second to the last day of the Alexander McQueen exhibit @ the Metropolitan Museum of Art, so there was a quite a bit of traffic to weave in and out of.
So glad you posted this. I by NO MEANS am a runner and I’ve just started my walking regimen 2 weeks ago. I was coming online this morning to look for posts related to exercise! Anyway, so yesterday I checked BG and I was 107. I didn’t have active IOB (insulin on board) so I also didn’t eat anything. I walked 30-35 minutes at 130bpm (fairly brisk I think?); 2 miles. I waited about 10 minutes and checked BG and I was at 117. But I felt like I was STARVING. I had half a stick of a “giant slim jim” and gulped down plenty of water.
I see my Endo tomorrow and was going to ask him how to handle exercise. I do not have a pump–I’m on Novolog & Levemir. I START ZUMBA TONIGHT!!! WOOHOOO!!!
oh, 2 weeks ago I was at 89 when I started walking and I ate a piece of 45 cal bread (Sara Lee) and some peanut butter and was at 116 when I finished my 2 miles. I did not walk NEAR the speed I do now. I’m not sure I really even contributed to the conversation, but again, thanks for posting–I can’t wait to read the responses!!!
I know that its like to want to do a workout amd keep a healthy blood sugar. i am a type one on the pump, i love to work out. for example, i like to ride my trek bike on a bike trainer. My thing is that if i ride the bike for just like 10 minutes at about 15 mph my blood sugar goes down. anything above a 10 minute workout, my blood sugar goes up like nothing. Example… my sugar was 110 pre-workout… i rode for about 1 hour at 20 mph… i was thinking that it would drop like crazy, it never did. I only had water pre during and post ride… my sugar was well over 700+ post workout. The really sad part is that i took 12.0 units of insulin during the workout… sooo… im just like the opposite of you… Good luck finding the sweet spot on your workouts.
WOOHOOO!!!