I’ll get straight to the point and say, all the info about Type One Diabetes and exercise has been about weight lifting and cardio. My question is what about the in-between? Or if it counts as in-between? What I’m talking about is abdomen exercises, leg day, fighting (punching bag, not people haha) and everything in between. I know that cardio can lower blood sugar, and weight lifting can raise it. However, I don’t know where the line is drawn between what my body thinks is weight lifting and running on a treadmill. I’ve been working out for about a year, but I’ve just this summer decided I want to get really serious about exercise, I.e. not just curls and speed/endurance training. My numbers are extremely reactive to cardio, but I have a CGM so I’ll know when I have a drop or raise. Any tips would be well appreciated! Thanks everyone!
Happy hunting!
Landen @REESEScups07, JDRF has much information on its Resources section; I suggest that you visit there. “Resources” at the top of this page and enter “Exercise” on the search line.
That said, I have a very fine line where my exercise shifts from aerobic which “usually” causes my BGL to go lower and anaerobic exercise which needs additional insulin. Each of us, being unique, needs to find that switch-point for ourself. This point is not always needle-point sharp and takes experimentation - bottom line, be careful, watch your body language, be prepared with fast-acting and intermediate carbs and enjoy your workout. BTW, what worked for me yesterday may not work today.
Hi @REESEScups07 and congratulations on your increased commitment to fitness! As @Dennis said, as with most everything diabetes related you have to find out just how your body responds by using good old trial and error. I would suggest you start slow and work your way up with whatever you do decide to try, and advance slowly. Late last year I decided to increase the weights on my leg presses: I had been doing 90lbs so long it felt too easy and I decided to try 100. Unfortunately - and tragically - I kept the same number of reps and sets and ended up pulling my right thigh muscle because I failed to give my legs time to adjust. I had to stay off my leg for a week after it happened - could not have gone to work of I wanted to, and was a total couch potato - glued to the chair and only got out of the chair once every 2-3 hours to use the bathroom, get something to eat, etc. It was grueling, and the opposite of what I was going to accomplish, and even after that, when I returned to work I was groaning when I walked - and I have a high tolerance for pain!
Starting - or changing - gradually will keep you from straining yourself, and may lessen the impact on your glucose as you learn just how your developing program affects your numbers. You might check with a trainer to make sure you are making changes safely.
Hi @REESEScups07 any exercise lowers my blood sugar. Weights/running/yoga/ anything. For me it’s about controlling the drop. Depending on what I’m doing I’ll reduce or stop basal 10-45 minutes before. Cardio (bicycle, running) I stop basal, weights I reduce basal. Then I suppose it’s about your goals, if you want to build muscle then it’s about an abundance of protein (I use fish or chicken) after working out. Carbs plus insulin will help you gain weight if that’s a goal. Any exercise is better than no exercise, lots of exercise better than minimal exercise. Good luck.
I think others are right that you will have to get a feel for it. My blood glucose definitely does not go up with any kind of exercise, but it’s far more dramatic for max-effort running/swimming than anything else. In fact, it lowers my blood sugar far faster than insulin alone ever has. Any insulin on board, and my blood glucose will plummet, so practically speaking it means I need to either not have eaten significant carbs recently, or give far less insulin than usual for those carbs. Or else I may have to stop my workout due to a low. So I have to plan. During exercise, unless it’s going to take more than 2 hours, I tend to turn off insulin. The “exercise mode” on the tandem is not low enough. I made an “off” profile with minimum insulin settings if I want to stay connected (no basal, 1:99 correct and carb ratios), and/or I just disconnect it. Can’t tell it to stop insulin or else it alarms over and over. The only issue with this method is you need to remember to change the profile after exercise.
During intense weightlifting (training to failure over and over with rest-pause, staying winded) under these conditions, my blood glucose tends to drop only slightly. But I always carry carbs with me when exercising. For more moderate weightlifting (straight sets, not leg day, 2-3 reps in reserve), my blood glucose doesn’t change much weightlifting.
Some very good tips Trevor @Tephros, like you I use specific Profiles with my Tandem device with CIQ for days when I plan extraordinary activities.
In addition to adjusting basal rates, my Profiles also have reduced I:Cr and I often activate the profile before bed the evening before planned high intensity days - being in my 80s and retired makes planning ahead simple. Did you know that basal can be suspended for extended periods of time without alarms simply by setting the Profile basal rate to 0.0? This also has a side effect of blocking auto-correction bolus while using CIQ. Something else to keep in mind when creating an exercise Profile is the set basal rate for timed-periods prior to beginning exercise; although it doesn’t appear in IOB, basal infusion, just like bolus, has an active duration of 4 to 5 hours.
Stay active and enjoy life!
Like Tephros said, any exercise drops my numbers, especially if I add some up-hill jogging with my hikes, which I do if my body’s up for it. The more intense, the more efficiently my body uses insulin, by a long shot. If I have any Humalog in my system, a 250 blood sugar will plummet with exercise, no correction insulin dose required.
Like you, I was able to ramp up my exercise recently, and not only do my numbers fall during it w/ any fast-acting on board, but b/c it’s more intense and I’ve been able to do it more days per week, my bolus after I exercise–on days that I do–are also needing to be reduced by a fair amount–30-40%. So I would watch out for that as well.
Best thing is, learn the lesson from your own body, as much as possible (with this whacky disease)… Good luck, and kudos!!