Hello! I am a newly diagnosed TID and just wondering if anyone has tips for working out and not dropping sugars then spiking and having energy! Thanks!!
"The Diabetic Athlete" book is a great resource. Written by a type 1 whose an exercise physiologist.
Lower basal rates or suspend as early as a half hour to an hour before starting the workout. Consume a high carb (15-45g) snack before workout. Also, pay monitor sugars closely over the first several days of beginning specific workout and adjust rates for insulin sensitivity. You will need less insulin for the same number of carbs. You will also need lower basal rates. Make sure to eat low glycemic food throughout the day to help stabilize sugars. Exercise is great, but you should know that it makes it MUCH more difficult to control bg. If you are experiencing trouble controlling sugar, know that it's not your fault. You just need to pay closer attention, check more often, and use less insulin. Good luck!
Elie, thank you so much! I am actually someone of a runner and hiker, haven't really been working out over an hour though because I am scared to drop too low! I am actually already on the lowest amount of novolog I can be on at 1 unit with my pen because I don't have a pump yet? Do you have a pump and are able to exercise with it and like it? What type do you have? I guess this honeymoon phase is making me really sensitive and at some point I will need more than one unit! Thank you SO much for the advice!!
Kristen, I have the Minimed Paradigm. It's awesome! It makes things a lot easier. Do you eat anything during your workout? Most endurance athletes consume some number of carbs at intervals. Everyone's different, though, so you sort of have to experiment a little to figure out exactly how much to eat and when to eat it. But somethings will always be true. For instance, during your workout you want to eat sugar that your body will absorb quickly, so don't eat anything with fat or protein. Gatorade is a good choice. Some people like glucose gels. It's up to you, really. If I could give you one piece of advice it would be to switch to the pump as soon as you can. When your honeymoon phase ends, it will be more difficult controlling everything.. Btw, I'm not an endurance athlete but there are a few runners and cyclists on here who could give you good advice. Also, the book Jenna mentioned is pretty good.
Elie,
Again thank you so so much. I have been doing G2 while running which seems to be pretty good at keeping my sugar up, I also learned I can't exercise with my sugar below 95 because I simply have no energy! Do you like the minimed? I am not to familiar with all the different types of pumps yet, but am going to a class on them the middle of August. The past few days have been strange in that even if I do run my sugar stays higher than I would like it to be so I am not sure if I am just producing less or needing more. It seems like a constant balance but overall exercising really helps! Do you go hiking or anything prolonged? I just was wondering in the heat what a good way to take insulin hiking is!
Again, thanks for your advice!
Hey, Kristen. Always happy to help a fellow T1. The minimed's great. Best decision I have ever made. I don't know much about the other pumps, except for the OmniPod, which I used to use, but I have the feeling they're all great choices and are all far superior to shots.
Currently, I'm sticking with mostly anaerobic workouts, but I've done a good deal of aerobic stuff lasting up to an hour as well. To be honest, I don't usually have a lot of time, so most of the time I opt for high intensity interval training (HIIT) instead of long-endurance.
As far as your sugar is concerned, it could be a number of things. (1) Exercise can actually raise your blood glucose if your body is releasing epinephrine. Usually this occurs only with high intensity workouts. (2) It could also be that you've lowered your basal too much. (3) It's also possible that your sugar is elevated because of the meal you ate earlier. Did you not bolus enough? If you're getting low in the middle of your workout, it could be that you gave yourself the correct bolus but ate a relatively high glycemic meal... Basically, there are a lot of possibilities, factors... I suppose this is why we have endocrinologists haha
I'm not sure what your last question is. But since you mention heat, you'll find that you'll need less insulin on hotter days. And as you continue to exercise, you'll find your insulin sensitivity will increase (and fluctuate).
Have fun!
Elie,
Ha... so my last question if it was in English would have said something like this "If you are going to go hiking and its really hot out and the hike lasts like 5 hours what is a good way to bring your insulin along? Doesn't sun burn it off or something?
I am surprised to hear about the epi raising the blood sugar, but sure does make a lot of sense! Does it usually stay elevated longer or just while you are working out? My endo did just lower my basal, so yes this is all making sense. Today I tried the gatorade and snack while running like you had suggested and it worked well!
Thank you again so much also that diabetes and athletes book was awesome! Read it cover to cover today Kristen
Oh! Okay. Yeah, the heat does affect potency. When I was on shots, I would just bring some sort of cooler or something with an ice pack. I suppose that's not really an option if you're pumping unless you disconnect. Sorry I can't give you a better answer. I've actually wondered that myself and never really gotten a good response.
Also, I can't really comment on my experiences with epinephrine because it's only happened to me on a few occasions. From my limited experience, I can tell you the correlation is not so much with the workout as it is with that feeling of the adrenaline rush. As soon as I calm down, I see my numbers coming down. It's largely a mind game. I've actually had more hormonal problems outside of the gym, for example, right before job interviews or on the day of a big exam. ...back to your question..I typically have long workouts (about 2 hours) and my sugars usually level off mid-workout. This is largely because I have rests built into my routine. So I wouldn't be surprised if endurance athletes such as yourself didn't see their sugars lower until after the workout.