Exercise is my professional so I’ve been in this situation and I always exercise even if I’m at 240 or higher. I don’t know the science behind it, but personally for me. I’ve found that if I eat a little protein and then calculate my correction bolus and cut that by 50% then exercise or continue exercising, my BG lowers quite nicely, in fact often times I still end up low. But it depends on the intensity of my exercise and what else I’ve eaten that day etc…
hey aaron,
i am also on the pump and i will exercise if i go above 240 , thank god this is a very rare occurence,.
the 240 number refers more to ketones from excess glucose which can lead to ketoacidosis and possible tragic results and not to the release of natural insulin. while excercise will release insulin it will also trigger the release of glucose and with intense excercise it is natural to see an increase in your glucose readings. i always bolus if high before excercise and then moniter every 20 - 30 mins and adjust as necessary, i am a distance runner so my training consists of more low intensity except when doing speed work once a week. i hope this helps , you may also find more info on this subject in a book called “the diabetic athlete” or at american diabetes association website.
john
hey tammi,
as far as an average number i think you need to experiment to find the range that fits you and your lifestyle.
while i like my pre-run numbers to range from 130- 140 others like thiers to be a little higher while my training partner likes hers to be a little lower,100-110, .
we have all had to go thru the experimental phase to find our "magic " number yet once we have found it we know it will work most , not all , of the time as every day we react ever so slightly to our bodies reaction to diabetes and excercise.
all the best with this i hope it can help you,
john
well stated and very accurate
this may seem silly but I know if my blood sugar is higher (250+) and I try to workout, my heart acts weird… well, my body does too. It feels as if my blood is thicker and harder to circulate, so obviously no running for me that day!
Same thing happens to me. The higher my BS is the worse I feel when I exercise. I have to wait until it is around 145 before I can exercise. By that time, I seem to always have other things that I must do. Sometimes I can get it in later in the day, but that really screws things up for me. It’s very frustrating!!
This is because when your blood sugar is that high, you’re above the renal threshold and your body can get dehydrated really quickly - exercising will compound this, and you won’t feel or perform well either. It’s really hard to get rehydrated if you’re exercising AND already dehydrated. I always thought it was only because you might have ketones (which is true, it’s really dangerous to exercise w/ those) but it’s not great even without. (This is the kind of stuff you learn at Diabetes Training Camp :))
That said, I do have a lot of experience exercising with blood sugars WAY over 240 and it sucks, but it’s doable. You just have to be careful and drink as much water as you can handle, and definitely make sure you don’t have ketones (get the foil-wrapped strips). One time I spiked up to almost 400 in the first 10 miles of a century and thought there was no way I could finish it, but once my bg came down and I got rehydrated I felt totally fine!
Sara: Never thought I might be dehydrated. Also, I didn’t realize ketones affected exercise so negatively. I’m T2 for 10 years - you would think I would know this stuff. I don’t think I’m still in denial. It’s just that I’ve always taken care of everyone else first. Then I would take care of myself - and not very well 'cause I was always too tired. Now all the kids are married and out of the house (taxpayers at last!), but I still don’t take care of myself - especially the diabetes. Meanwhile, my medication dosages keep going up and up and my Hg. is always above 8. I’ve decided that 2009 is my year. I’m determined to learn everything I can about this crummy disease, and take control of my life. Thanks so much for your input - it means a lot. By the way, if you only have a small amount of ketones in your urine, is it OK to exercise? And what is the “Diabetes Training Camp” about? I’ve never heard of it.
If ketones are present, you are dehydrated and need water. You need to drink plenty of water to flush the acid out of your body. The only time I get into trouble when exercising is if bs is >250 and I lift weights. If Im doing cardio, they usually come down pretty quick. This also depends on the time of day. I exercise first thing like 5 am and from midnight til 4:30 am, my basal is 0.325. I have little insulin on board compared to later in the day. If I lift weights in the afternoon and bs are>250, I will drop. The best thing is keep an exercise log when you start a routine so you can make adjustments.
Btw, Feeling nausea is just a sign of hyperglycemia or DKA