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What Part Does Exercise Play in Controlling Your Diabetes?

9K views 25 replies 14 participants last post by  Hearts Jounrey 
#1 ·
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A major clinical study called the Diabetes Prevention Program studied people at risk for diabetes. It showed that lifestyle changes involving 150 minutes of exercise per week decreased the risk of progressing to type 2 diabetes by 58 percent. healthline.com
Exercise Makes It Easier to Control Your Diabetes. When you have type 2 diabetes, physical activity is an important component of your treatment plan. ...Exercise has so many benefits, but the biggest one is that it makes it easier to control your blood glucose (blood sugar) level. endocrineweb.com
Diabetes and exercise go hand in hand, at least when it comes to managing your diabetes. Exercise can help you improve your blood sugar control, boost your overall fitness, and reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke. mayoclinic.org

What part (for you) does exercise play in controlling your diabetes?

How important is fitness to you? Why?
 
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#2 ·
For me, it's about focusing on the whole picture, which includes me wanting to be able to be able to do the things I enjoy doing, especially camping and hiking. Right now, I am just walking every day (which does seem to help my blood sugar levels) but I want to start some strength training soon, and I am seriously considering riding bike again - I haven't done it since childhood.
 
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#3 ·
None. Diet is the only thing that keeps me on track. I try to stay at least moderately active usually meaning at least a few thousand steps in a day. I'd love to work on muscle tone and get stronger, but it doesn't fit my timetable right now and in any case has nothing to do with living with diabetes for me. Maybe at some point.

Anecdotally, it always seems like the really long-lived folks (100 years plus) were those who were always calm and sat on the porch a lot - not those who huffed and puffed around the block or the gym all the time.
 
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#4 ·
I used to play tennis but as my blood sugar became more unstable, I had to stop. Then the rheumatoid arthritis started up which has prevented me from doing my usual weight lifting for the past year.

I moved to a new house last year and am right next to a nice gym with an indoor swimming pool and tennis court. I'm working with a rheumatologist to get the right combo of meds so I can use my hands again. In the meantime, I am walking and swimming so that I'm ready to go at it again once my hands are usable.

When I do workout, it really mucks with my blood sugar. Having an insulin pump, and being able to both suspend my basal before cardio or do a quick correction after lifting weights has made playing around much easier. The real test will be when I start up tennis again, hopefully this summer.
 
#6 ·
I know exercise played a big part in managing my diabetes. I lost a lot of weight in just 3 months in 2010 and have never looked back.

Although this approach doesn't work for all it has for me, so much so that my local health care team have signed me off from yearly check ups.
 
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#7 ·
I'm still figuring that out. :plain:

I know that my 2hr poke number is higher when I don't move much after a meal. Even just doing housework is enough to make the numbers stay even or go down.

But I've also learned that heavy exercise -- there's one place I volunteer where my job was moving a few thousand pounds of stuff over a couple of hours -- will leave me with a higher BG reading than when I started. So I have to find a middle ground.

The other consideration for me is that "motion is lotion". Keeping moving, even if it's not strenuous, makes it easier to -- umm -- keep moving. It hurts less. I can do more. I want to do more.

Exercise does not have to mean anything specific. I can lift weights -- or boxes of food at the food bank. I can walk the neighborhood -- or go folk dancing. The result is the same. If I have fun and feel accomplished while I do it, so much the better.
 
#8 ·
This is the next thing I will be testing.

Although my morning fasting numbers are still lower than they used to be, it is the one number I am still not pleased with.

I noticed when I was camping for a week recently, that my morning numbers were very nice. Since my eating habits didn't change while camping, that leaves 2 things to test. (1) reduced stress (2) I was much more active while camping.
 
#10 ·
For me exercise is everything and to put it in perspective my non-active days are likely more active than most people's active days.
I can't prove it as we would need two of me - one active and one not - so I will use the word "Believe". I believe one of the reasons why I have escaped complications over the years is because I've been extremely active all my life and aside when I was a "new" dad where I hit the 220 pound mark for 6 months my eating habits have traditionally been low carb high protein.
But here again, this is more of a belief and than a fact. I can't really prove it.
 
#11 ·
I'm not very active. Light housework and walking to and fro when I am volunteering at a (large) thrift shop. I try to walk on the treadmill, but my back doesn't allow for more than a mile, and at the moment I'm doing less than that.

So, I exercise doesn't have much to do with my BG control. It's all diet.
 
#13 ·
Exercise plays a significant role in my BG control. To the extent, that in the summer months when I do my wilderness canoeing or hiking - where you don't eat much and are continually moving - I can skip shots with no repercussions. Unfortunately I'm not getting any younger so my activity levels have slowed down a bit - especially this winter - no snow and very cold!
 
#14 ·
Like many things for us diabetics, I think this varies for many of us. I have lost over 60lbs. without doing any exercise. I followed the LCHF protocols. Because of the weight loss my BP and BS improved dramatically, as did all my health indicators...

Since I lost weight my activity level has increased. When I do go down to the YMCA to swim some laps for ride a lateral bike, I have to be very careful or my BS goes up substantially, and that is never a good thing....(or is it ok)?

I had a minor surgery earlier this month and cannot start regular lifting until Mar. 1. I will begin my every-other-day trips to the 'Y' in March. It is my theory that if I start very slow, as far as intensity, in time my body and BS will allow me to slowly, but surely increase time and intensity without getting high BS spikes....I will let you all know how that plan works out....my long term (6-12 mo.) goal is to lose another 60 pounds......without messing up my A1c.....
 
#15 ·
None. I don't exercise at all, really, unless you count walking around the house doing housework, and walking around a large thrift store a couple mornings a week for my volunteer work.

I have some physical limitations which doesn't allow me to do much formal exercise at all. Even walking over a mile, even at a stroll, is problematic.

LCHF is essential to my BG levels and also weight control.
 
#16 · (Edited)
The body recognizes intense exercise as a stress and releases stress hormones that tell your body to increase available blood sugar to fuel your muscles. You may not notice elevated blood sugars if one has on board insulin when doing intense exercise. With continued moderate exercising, however, your muscles take up glucose at almost 20 times the normal rate. This helps lowers blood sugar levels
 
#17 ·
"however, your muscles take up glucose at almost 20 times the normal rate. This helps lowers blood sugar levels
Exactly when does this lowering start? I read this a lot, but I also here that yo-yoing blood sugars is also bad....

When I do gardening or swim a few laps my BS shuts up, like over 200...then in a few hours 2-3, it comes back down to my normal around 105-115...

Or are you talking about over the long run, if one get's in an exercise program and over 6-12 months you will see an overall lowering of BS...?
 
#18 · (Edited)
you strictly on oral meds or insulin as well? if only oral meds, perhaps taking 1 unit of fast acting insulin before you garden or swim will keep your bs from going over 200 and when it comes down in 2-3 hrs, your blood sugar would be more in range of 80's to 90's. For me as a type 1, moderate exercise of 30 min can reduce my blood sugar 35 to 50 points in 45 min or less. Im sensitive to insulin.
 
#22 ·
For me as a type 1, moderate exercise of 30 min can reduce my blood sugar 35 to 50 points in 45 min or less. Im sensitive to insulin.
That's where I am at. If I get a high number the bike the gym for weights or just get out and move.

I am only a few months in and that sliding scale thing made me fear anything over 120 so 120+ I get up and push it down with exercise. 35 to 50 points in 45 min or less. I must be sensitive to insulin too cause that is what happens.
 
#19 ·
Thanks HJ....sorry I did not see you were type 1. Luckily, so far, I am only on Met. and Slow acting insulin....I will talk with my Dr. about exercise and fast acting....but I have tried to avoid that next step until I need it....

Maybe that time is now, to take the next step...in weight loss and overall health...
 
#20 · (Edited)
Type 2 not only has a insulin resistance component to it but over time (based on how well the blood sugars are managed), impairment and or damage of beta cells can occur as beta cells become exhausted and not function When we don’t have diabetes and our fasting blood sugars may be between 100 and 120 – even at that early stages we may have lost 20-30% of their beta cell capacity.
 
#23 ·
Insulin resistance is a hallmark of T2 diabetes. But usually T1s aren't insulin resistant but insulin deficient (or non-existent). The only exception I've seen is T1s who eat too many carbs over a fairly long period of time and take too much insulin to cover them, and eventually their cells become insulin resistant as well. But that quickly resolves once they reduce carbs and insulin.

Obviously, exercise impacts the BG of T1s and T2s differently.
 
#26 · (Edited)
Acute and chronic pancreatitis elevates blood sugars. The development of diabetes can occur as pancreatitis damages beta cells that produce insulin Almost half of people with chronic pancreatitis will get diabetes. If one is taking steroid based meds (corticosteroids/glucocorticoids) this will also raise glucose.
 
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