Hello everyone...so in the past couple of weeks since I've been a member here I've read numerous stories of members who are involved in physical fitness...my partner is a bodybuilder and I'm chomping at the bit wanting to do something...my question to you all is "when to start"? Do I start in the morning? Do I eat something first? Do I take any insulin? Is it better to w\o before or after a meal? I'm so confused. I know that excersise affects everyone differently I'm just looking for some quick tips from other diabetics to get started.
I like to work out before I eat, with little or no insulin on board for cardio exercises. Weight training or other anaerobic activities can give my BG a little boost so I try to either start lower for that or put a small basal boost on to "cover" that, like 150% for 1/2 hour. I try to eat some carbs after I lift or do pushups or whatever as that is supposed to help build muscle although you wouldn't know it to look at me!!
RE managing insulin, etc. I try to keep my BG pretty flat most of the time. This is, of course, easier said that done but I can go about 3 miles on 10G of carbs and sort of follow that "target" for running and have had numerous runs where I've stayed flat doing that. I've had plenty of runs where I *didn't* stay flat, while experimenting and all of that so it's important to test your BG or, if you are confident in the telemetry, use a CGM or maybe both. http://www.raceready.com/ sells shorts that have a mesh pocket that will hold a One Touch Ultra Mini securely for running, I dunno about Zumba or other types of activities.
Hi Tami! thanks for the friend invite, with exercise i think if you try to find the perfect time, situation, you find more "excuses" not to! i would suggest testing before, if you are under say 150 maybe have about 10-15 carbs depending on what you are going to do. jacob lifts weights no sig effect on his bs, or possible bump up, if we go for a hike depending on how long or how intense we might give his a few extra carbs but usually not necessary for him he ALWAYS carries glucose on him usually jelly beans 1 carb each! the only thing he needs to do a temp basal reduction on is real mountain climbing sig decrease in insulin and extra food!, shoveling snow, the same and mowing the lawn. i think the only way to find how your body responds to different situations is to test and be prepared with fast acting glucose just incase. obviously the longer the workout the more you need to think it through. best wishes and let us know how you are doing! amy
a few more thoughts! if your insulin is peaking when you work out you are more likely to go low, just be mindful and have a little extra carbs. if you are new to an exercise you may have more of a marked response bs wise as opposed to if you have been doing the same workout for a long time. also if you do alot of exercise in one day you are more likely to go low at night, we always give jacob a bit more protein and fat with bedtime snack to protect against this and perhaps a bit less insulin with that bedtime snack if it really has been a super active day, so much to think of but exercise is sooooo good for you for so many reasons just jump in, be mindful and test, test test, best wishes! amy
@acidrock23...I read alot of the info that you post and I am awed at how in tune you are with your D and body! Thank you for your valuable info! I think I will try before I eat to start...that seems the safest.
Amy...I lol at your remark re: finding excuses not to! Very true! Today I will "jump in"!!!
LOL, I was just feeling old and decrepit yesterday (ok, after bounding through the snow when I went running in Tuesday's blizzard...still...) and I also agree that excuses can be a barrier. Exercising with diabetes has been a powerful incentive to keep diabetes in line as it usually takes me a couple of hours to clear IOB so, for that couple of hours, I keep an eye on things, perhaps "cheating" with a CGM to keep things in line. If I get drift either way BG wise, I take very small corrections if I need them or work around it, skip eating if it's drifted up or eat a bit more if it's drifted low. I have also been at it for a few years (since 2004-5 I think? That winter is when I started Tae Kwon Do, which I don't do any more, although the lessons are still there...) and agree that I got more bang for my BG buck back when I started and was not in ok shape like I am now. At first, I'd turn my pump way down and eat, then I cut back on the eating and then turned my pump "up" (less of a cut to the basal, I always think of it as %ages but I will do various "lucky" numbers, e.g. 7%/13% on long runs if it goes down, until I have enough sugar to see it start to come up, 40-60% for long runs when everything is smooth and no adjustment, with a small serving of quick acting carbs (8-10G) before a 3 mile run, which is typically 25 minutes or so. But everyone is different, none of this is "guaranteed" to work but it's more the method of testing and checking to see how you are reacting to various things and being aware of things. "I had sugar at mile 4, this low at mile 6 isn't too severe, I feel strong [my ability to hold a pace goes away if my BG gets low...] so I'm going to run home to check" may sound dangerous and I wouldn't say to do that if you are on your first 6 mile run, pull over at 4, pause your Garmin (vanity!) and test.
I also have updated my snack photo, of the little bag I stock with Starburst jelly beans and Smarties:
I have an Amphipod belt:
(ooops, itchy trigger finger!)
that I'll take a couple of the little bags in. The bottle I fill w/ powdered gatorade, varying the strength depending on how far I'm going and how my BG is doing beforehand. The powder is way cheaper and I weigh the grams on a scale. It seems sort of pedantic but, at the same time, I don't write anything down (except here...) and just sort of make educated guesses based on experience. I suspect that if you took great notes, you might be able to figure it out much faster but that's a pain in the ■■■.
Hi Tami - @acidrock23 always has great information! I have found that for me, adding some protein prior to workouts help keep me a little more level. Everyone is a little bit different, but I always carry a GU gel pack with me to prevent any lows and in all honety, a CGM has been the biggest eye opener for me to my BS levels while working out. I am a crossfit fan now, so anything is possible, but have to start somewhere :) Check out my blog I just posted. http://www.trainedbyinsulin.com/1/post/2013/03/training-with-diabetes-crossfit.html
Hi Bram...lol actually I checked out your blog a couple of weeks ago and was very impressed! It lead me to look into crossfit which I have to be honest, terrified me! I believe that it is something I would like to try but think I need to work up to...doesnt look like its something for the faint of heart! haha It's funny you know...I have been diabetic for over 20 years and never heard of an CGM...I just love this site for the education I'm continually recieving.