Did a search for my question but the results were all over the place and didn't really find what I was looking for.
I was wondering what time do most people exercise. Now, I am not really talking about "time of day" here but if that is important to a diabetic than I am interested (I am new at this) but I am wondering what time meaning do you exercise - right after you eat something or after you do your pp test after eating a meal? (sorry I know everyone tests differently)
Here is my general dilemma: I am still trying to get my strength back up and my energy (very out of shape but not overweight). Right now, I am trying to do my exercising between my PP lunch testing and my pre-dinner testing but no snack. Because I thought if i exercised right after I ate (which I never feel like doing anyhow because othewise I get a cramp) than I wouldn't be able to correctly access how the food is effecting my blood sugar.
So, I am wondering how others "schedule" their exercise? If you don't do it right after meals, do you eat something before like a snack and if so, does it help you keep up your energy and strength? I am Type 2 and my numbers are in range and (so far) haven't gone too high or low. Somedays I have energy to do my exercise and some days I am just so tired and have no strength and can't harldy get through it. Like I said, my numbers are in range so I don't think that is effecting me (I am just really - cardiovascularly - out of shape)
I used to understand that is good to have a pre-exercise snack but nothing too heavy but now that I have diabetes I am not sure if I can apply the same rules. Should I? If so, any tips on snacks to eat that will give me more energy and strength (I am a veg). Thanks all!
I am a Type 1 and exercise right before dinner, because if I exercise when I bolus insulin my bgs drop like a ton of bricks. Depending on where my bloodsugar is at right before I exercise determines if I eat 15 carbs or not.
I just hate the fact that any form of movement drops my bloodsugar sooo much and that even my exercise has to be scheduled.
I am a type 2, and I exercise twice a day. Since my morning meal have the most carb allotment for the day, I exercise 2 hours after breakfast. Usually it is a 40-45 minutes cardio or 2 -3 miles treadmill run. Last January, I have been having dawn phenomenon. My doctor advised me to do exercises in the evening. About 1 hour after dinner. Nothing too strenuous…just about 1-2 miles treadmill brisk walk. or 30 minutes walk around the park. Sometimes I get hungry after exercises… that is when I take my snacks. Primarily, my blood sugar dips between 10-20, one hour after exercises. My snacks vary from cheese (cottage, cheddar, string cheese), celery with peanut butter, carrot sticks with Caesar dressing, boiled eggs, or nuts.
Kimberly, had you tried diabetes journal? Wherein you log in your bg every after meals, snacks and physical activity? My doctor required me to do this after diagnosis…did it for a year. It helped us determine which times I needed snacks most (taking in consideration bg level) and what type of food/snacks best appropriate for certain activities.
You said you are cardiovascularly out of shape? First you can check your doctor if there are activities that have to be restricted…like if you have other conditions that you have to take in consideration, Second…start exercises slow…start with warming up and stretching… Then you can increase (gradually) exercises intensity, duration and frequency as time progresses.
Ok, so it seems like eating before some exercise is best. I guess that would make sense - to get your energy. Now that I have been getting an idea of how my meals effect me. I can’t do it in the morning - ugh, I am just NOT a morning person at all. I feel more alert in the later afternoon evening. I think right now my biggest carb meal is probably dinner but I eat later (like 7:30 or 8) so I am not hungry during the night. Mostly my dinner don’t raise my bg too much so I would hate to exercise than have it go too low and have to have a snackie before bedtime. I am trying to eat bigger lunches so maybe after lunch would be better or if I can figure out a late afternoon snack than I can do it before dinner. I am sure once I start working again I will always be doing the exercise at night so I should probably stick to before dinner.
Teena, Yes, I do keep track of my bgs and I do calcualte my carbs, calories, fats, protein and fiber - Right now, I eat a lot of the same meals for ease of convenience but I am slowly adding more variety as I do research and find new things I can eat. RIght now i dont eat my recommendation calories which is 1500 I am closer to 1000.
My physical activity on days I feel stronger is mostly 30 on indoor bike. It either raises my bg a bit or lowers it - can’t really tell why. But my bg will go down even if I don’t do any exercise - which is probably the Metformin at work. So far I can’t see a real pattern but I just started.
By cardiovasularly out of shape I mean, I get tired easily sometimes if I am on the bike or even walking- I was sedentary for quite a while. The doctor checked my heart and lungs and said they were OK. I don’t have high blood pressure or cholestrol - those are both perfect. I think I have just been out of shape for too long and just need to build it up. I am working on having more energy so I can do the full workouts.
Ok, so maybe it is at the beginning when exercise is hard and you get tired easily. Were you exercising alot before you found out you had D?
Did you notice that if you ate before you exercised that you had more energy during your workout? I think you were exercising to bring your BG down right? I dont have that problem. Even with no exercise mine stays down which is normal if you aren’t doing much I guess.
Yep, I usually watch a TV show while I bike -otherwise I am staring at the clock. I do have treadmill too but nto enough room to have both down at the same time. Treadmill is folded right now. Now that it is warmer out I will walk.
Thanks! I was getting discouraged. I am glad I am not the only one having a hard time at the beginning with the exercise. I guess D makes you exhausted in the beginning with the high sugars. Somedays I was doing good with the exercise and other days I just couldn’t do it at all.
So, I think I can work out a routine now than! Yah! I think I will have a snack like maybe a protein drink in the afternoon and do it or do it after dinner for 15 mins to start and see how it goes. Those will be higher carb things.
For T2’s:
Exercise is good for your muscles for a good 24 hrs!: ie to lower your BG
But immediately after a meal, a 10 min light walk, is thought to make up for the loss of the intial insulin response in T2s i.e. to lower your BG.
Saying “after a meal, a 10 min light walk” covers ‘everybody’: those in as well as those out of shape!
T2 and as of now, I control my BG with diet/exercise alone.
I exercise first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. It seems to be the only way to get my morning high numbers down quickly. I may try adding a walk after dinner as well.
I was reading this interesting article, yesterday, on the 10 most common workout mistakes… And they cite that people neglect nutrition by not eating either before, or after exercise… So I think, that one should ALWAYS eat whether it is before, or after the exercise… But, given whichever your regime is with the metmorfin, you may want to eat before… and make it something with simple carbs that can burn right away as you are exercising – and not a delayed kind of burn that may make you go low during the exercise itself, and not give you the immediate energy you need. The whole article is here. http://www.askmen.com/top_10/fitness/top-10-common-workout-mistakes…
I exercise at different times during the day. I don’t like to eat a lot before exrcise, just a small snack. My numbers are usually higher in the morning and I am more insulin resistant so lots of times if I exercise I will spike, but if I eat something like protein after the workout I will come back down pretty quickly
I don’t exercise but I eat a very low carb diet and have done this for the last year. When I was diagnosed, my blood sugar was at 267 and A1C was 11. Almost a year later, blood sugar is at between 90 and 115 and A1C is at 5.5 with my blood pressure at 112/77 and overall cholesteral at 158. Exercise for me is irregular and only if I have to. My height is 5’9" and I weigh around 170 lbs.
I always eat a light meal that includes easy to digest carbs before exercising, then have a snack afterwards. I stay away from processed foods. Tonight it was a serving of cooked spelt with red peppers, asparagus and some chicken breast.
I get my cardio exercise by running, testing my bgls every 20 minutes and sucking on candy if I need to.
I am also T2 - I find that the best time to exercise for me is 1-2 hours after dinner (low BG at night and low BG in the morning which starts me off on the right path all day). However, due to time constraints, sometimes I would exercise right after work before dinner or on weekends, a couple hours before dinner.
I never exercise early in the morning after I get up. I wait at least two hours of waking up to exercise bc it sends my BG high if I do.
so these are the only two rules I have – never exercise right after getting up in the morning and exercise one to two hours after lunch or dinner, preferably dinner.
