I am having confusion with exercise and type 1, I have just started walking 3 miles a day, What is the general rule for walking so far? I check my BG while I am waliking, it drops really low by the time I get home. If I snack while walking it is fine when I get home but an hour later it is 200's. I have started having a snack before I walk and it still drops and then later it is high again after I get home an hour later. I need the exercise but the roller coaster with the numbers is crazy. Please any help or advise appreciated.
You have to do lots of experimenting. But be sure to change only one thing at a time, so you will be able to say whether or not that change was good. Also, as time goes by, you will probably find you need to make adjustments to what used to work for you.
Tom Beatson
Bicycle rider for 32 years
To add to what Tom said, it's not uncommon to go low then high later. (although everyone is different)
Don't let it stop you from exercising! Experiment w/ taking less / more insulin, a snack before, etc. Also, I try to work out at the same time each day which helps me, so I can just build the changes into my schedule.
I have to agree with Tom and Sarah....you basically have to go through trial and error to figure out what works best for you. Every diabetic is so different...you just have to find what works best for you. I remember when I was on a pump, setting a temp basal for exercise....wasn't sure if you are a pumper or not??? Good luck! Don't give up!
To echo what everyone else has already said - trial & error is really the only thing that will help you get under control during exercise. It took me quite a while and tons of BG testing to figure out what *mostly* works for me.
One thing that did help me to figure things out was to keep extremely accurate records of everything that I did, ate, felt, etc. for a few hours before exercising through to a few hours afterwards. This helped me look back as I was trying different things and analyze what was working and wasn't working and why.
Good luck & keep it up!
Thanks everyone! I appreciate the advice. I am on a pump and I have been suspending it when I walk, just because alot of the times during the day the basal rate is 0. I will keep keeping on! Thank you all so much
Lavonda
Thanks everyone! I appreciate the advice. I am on a pump and I have been suspending it when I walk, just because alot of the times during the day the basal rate is 0. I will keep keeping on! Thank you all so much
Lavonda
Remember that exercise has a big effect (at least for me) about 8 hours afterward. I usually work out in the evening, so I have to set a lower temporary basal for during the night so I don't go low. I have also found that my blood sugar can go way down during an hour aerobics class, so I either set a low temporary basal or suspend my pump, but then my blood sugar goes high about an hour after I finish exercise. To compensate for that, right after I work out, I set a higher temporary basal for about an hour. Like other people said, you have to figure out what works for you. Good luck!
Thank you! It helps to know I am not alone with this. I did great last night. Suspended pump 15 minutes before walking. Had snack before I went and checked BG at every lap I made. It stayed up during the whole walk. It did go high an hour later so I will try increasing that basal temporarily for that one hour. Thanks so much everyone!
Exercise changes my bg quickly. I always check before I ride my bike. If it is around 180, during exercise it drops so quickly, in a half-hour it can drop to as low as 50. Usually I will take in glucose before I ride, if by glucose is 120 or lower. That seems to work for me. It is an additional challenge, but I do feel much better when I do my daily ride than when I don't. If I don't exercise I feel more tired and actually feel less energy. I guess the answer I offer is to test often during exercise and in your case afterwards.
i go for a run ever Morning Before my mom gets up i just set a temp basal & where i do aerobics with my mom i set it for a 1 basal rate hope this helps.
Yes, I too now lower my basal to zero for the first 1/2 hour of exercise. I have figured out for me, an hour bike ride takes about 30 grams of carbs..