[dallascowboy]

The number 1 reason I've joined this forum is due to this complication. It was my understanding that exercise was supposed to help regulate BG levels. It used to at first but lately I've been on an intense workout plan designed by my strengthening coach which consists of 1/2 hour intense cardio and 11/2 hours of weight lifting. Shortly after beginning this workout, my glucose levels have been sky rocketing right after my workout session and then plummeting within 2-3 hours after. Taking insulin after my workout only results in hypoglycemia afterwards.

What do you guys recommend?

BTW I'm a healthy 5'10 185lbs with a body fat %of 12.

I have yet to see my doc about this. My next appointment isn't for another 3 weeks.

 

[Strawberry]

Exercise is good for helping to regulate BG levels. However when I was diagnosed, my doctor advised me not to exercise if my BG was 250 or above. I'm not sure exactly why, but I think someone else will come along soon with a good explanation.

Are you Type 1 or Type 2 diabetic? If you are having many episodes of hypoglycemia, you might want to see your doctor sooner than 3 weeks from now.

Welcome to the forum, there are any number of people who are much more experienced than I am. Hope you visit the forum often.

 

[diabetes86]

Intense workouts can raise BG as you found out, that is a normal response.

When you do an intense workout your body goes into fight or flight mode and one of the things it does is a dump of blood sugar to make sure you can run away from the lion!! fortunately we no longer need to run from them, but we are still left with the high BG.

I dont know how to help you.

 

[Adjitater]

It is the type of exercise and the order that you are doing them in. I would recomend doing 15 minutes of light cardio, then do your weights and end with an intense cardio of 45 to 60 minutes and see if that works better.

 

[dallascowboy]

Exercise is good for helping to regulate BG levels. However when I was diagnosed, my doctor advised me not to exercise if my BG was 250 or above. I'm not sure exactly why, but I think someone else will come along soon with a good explanation.

Are you Type 1 or Type 2 diabetic? If you are having many episodes of hypoglycemia, you might want to see your doctor sooner than 3 weeks from now.

Welcome to the forum, there are any number of people who are much more experienced than I am. Hope you visit the forum often.

I'm a type 1.

Intense workouts can raise BG as you found out, that is a normal response.

When you do an intense workout your body goes into fight or flight mode and one of the things it does is a dump of blood sugar to make sure you can run away from the lion!! fortunately we no longer need to run from them, but we are still left with the high BG.

I dont know how to help you.

That's some interesting information. Thanks

It is the type of exercise and the order that you are doing them in. I would recomend doing 15 minutes of light cardio, then do your weights and end with an intense cardio of 45 to 60 minutes and see if that works better.

Hmm I had no idea that made a difference. I'll give it a go next time.

BTW today after my workout I tested right before and after and had readings of 139 and 158 respectively. I guess like Strawberry mentioned I was probably working out with a raised BG since I had just eaten a heavy meal rich in protein prior to my workout.

Thanks guys

 

[goo_stewart]

I have found, when exercising, that I need a carb load before exercise, about 1 hour before. I exercise in the afternoon when my BG is steady. I eat a carb lunch then do some serious exercise. I time my exercise to be done at the same time as my spike. If I am spiking at about 180 after my carb meal then the exercise always bings it down, and very quickly. It is just a matter of timing. I run for about 5km (in 25 minutes currently) and thn do 20/30 minutes of cycling. I have had no problems if I time thing correctly.

One question I want to put out there about exercise (kind of) is saunas. Anyone know how it affects us diabetics, if at all? I am not sure as I always take my sauna after my, reasonably heavy, exercise, so I can't tell whether a sauna has any affect on my BG. Anyone know? Are saunas good or bad for diabetics?

 

[breezeonby]

I have found, when exercising, that I need a carb load before exercise, about 1 hour before. I exercise in the afternoon when my BG is steady. I eat a carb lunch then do some serious exercise. I time my exercise to be done at the same time as my spike. If I am spiking at about 180 after my carb meal then the exercise always bings it down, and very quickly. It is just a matter of timing. I run for about 5km (in 25 minutes currently) and thn do 20/30 minutes of cycling. I have had no problems if I time thing correctly.

One question I want to put out there about exercise (kind of) is saunas. Anyone know how it affects us diabetics, if at all? I am not sure as I always take my sauna after my, reasonably heavy, exercise, so I can't tell whether a sauna has any affect on my BG. Anyone know? Are saunas good or bad for diabetics?

A trip to the sauna is a great way to relax after your workout. I don't see any reason that you can't get into the sauna. Enjoy!

 

[Richard157]

I am 71 and cannot do intense type exercises., but even doing an hour of walking will raise my BG level, unless I eat something beforehand. The best time for me to exercise is 15-30 minutes after a meal or snack.

If you do not have enough carbs in your system before exercising, your liver will provide glucose to compensate. That is sometimes called a liver "dump". The problem is that the dump gives more carbs than you typically need, unless the exercise is very strenuous and/or for a long duration. Having the carbs on board before exercising will prevent the liver dump. You can experiment to determine how many carbs you need for the particular exercise you will be doing. I need to reduce my premeal bolus a little, to keep my post meal exercise from dropping my BG too much and causing a hypo.

 

[wheysted]

The number 1 reason I've joined this forum is due to this complication. It was my understanding that exercise was supposed to help regulate BG levels. It used to at first but lately I've been on an intense workout plan designed by my strengthening coach which consists of 1/2 hour intense cardio and 11/2 hours of weight lifting. Shortly after beginning this workout, my glucose levels have been sky rocketing right after my workout session and then plummeting within 2-3 hours after. Taking insulin after my workout only results in hypoglycemia afterwards.

What do you guys recommend?

BTW I'm a healthy 5'10 185lbs with a body fat %of 12.

I have yet to see my doc about this. My next appointment isn't for another 3 weeks.

I'm new to this forum mate and I saw your post regarding gymming which has kinda really intrigued me all my life under the period of diabetes..can you tell me what sort of a schedule you follow and what kind of a diet is recommended for someone who is a type 1 diabetic?? cheers!

 

[thcri]

Read this thread here.

In a nut shell I now drink a glass of Whey Protein before and after a tense workout. With the testing I did I found I keep my levels the same or even less at times by doing this. Try it and see how it comes out for you. Just make sure you test your self before and after a bunch of times.

 

[jwags]

I have given up intense exercise and high impact aerobics because of high bgs. It was told to me that about 30-45 minutes into a routine your body produces stress hormones which signal liver to raise bg. I would recomend testing at different intervals and finding when you spike and adjust insulin accordingly.

 

[Guest]

hi jwags... that must've been my problem too. I don't do lengthy exercise routines anymore as a result. I got into such a strict routine of exercise 7 days a week (2 hours of cardio in total is all I could do with time constraints) and I used to get so frustrated, so I would increase exercise, etc. I did also went through period of doing weights at the gym and an hour cardio and I would find it didn't really help my BGL's improve at all. I must have had the liver dumping probably and the stress thing. These days I have trouble trying to find time to exercise... I don't seem to cope that well exercising later in the day... I used to get up 4.30 am in the mornings to do my cardio... nowdays I'm lucky to get up before 5.30 and don't have long to get myself to work. I now do small sessions throughout the day when I can... do all the sensible things like take the stairs, etc. too.

 

[Richard157]

I am 71 and my muscles are weak, due to aging and nerve damage from 65 years of D. I have joined a physical fitness club in my home town. There are about a hundred machines there for exercising various body muscles. I have a trainer who is helping me to use the machines properly. She is watching my progress carefully. It costs only $49 as an initial fee, and $19.95 per month. I can go to the club as often as I want and stay as long as I wish.The trainer's fee is $40 per half hour. After I am well on my way and do not need a trainer it will be costing me only $240 per year. I thik that is a real bargain. I am currently going there 3 days per week and working out for one hour each visit. I really enjoy it!!!

 

[jwags]

I have always been a member of a gym for the past 20 years or so. Our gym is about 20 minutes away. I find I end up spending too much time there because I figure well I'm here, I may as well do an hour class and an hour on the machines. My bgs were continually high. I stopped the gym last April because I was ill and didn't really get my $50 a month worth. I just started to walk in the neighborhood. I am up to 4 miles now and have lost more weight and have much better bgs than using the machines and the intense aerobics classes. My husband keeps pushing me to go back to the gym, but I kinda like my routine now. I do notice though if I do an intense session at home with weights and bars my morning bgs tend to track higher. My doctor thinks this is from too much growth hormone. So having more muscle doesn't always mean lower bgs.

 

[wheysted]

I started facing the same exact problem nowadays and as rightly pointed by the members and mods, exercise does produce stress busting hormones and hGH which result in the elevation of blood sugar. I buy that point completely but somebody please help me as to how I can fix this problem of mine.

Here it goes..I used to go to the gym for intense exercise sessions during the evenings earlier (I used to take 2 shots of my insulin (Before Brkfast and Before Lunch) and I used to eat a shit load of oatmeal which is complex carbs so that I get sustained energy throughout the time there. My blood sugar levels were always under good control once I got back from the gym.

Now I go to the gym early up in the morning and drink just a glass of milk before going to exercise. My fasting blood sugar reads like a 100 or 110 max but once I get back from the gym, wearing myself out completely, I still find my sugar to be in the higher 200s. How should I go about correcting this?? I know the reason to the problem but what would be the solution if I just wanna continue working out during the mornings coz the gym is relatively vacant and I get to use anything and everything I want

Cheers!

 

[Richard157]

Wheysted, this happened to me a few years ago. The high occurring after my long walk was caused by my not having enough carbs before starting the exercise. My body needed more carbs to produce the needed energy, so my liver produced extra carbs to compensate. the problem is that the liver usually produces too many carbs, and then there is high blood sugar after the exercise is completed. I started eating more carbs, about 20-25 fast acting carbs and some protein too. That was enough so that my liver no longer produced additional carbs. My blood sugar was at a good level after exercising.

You can experiment to see how many carbs you need before exercising. I test before , during and after exercising.

 

[onaughmae]

When I am going to work out I always eat some carb before that I do not bolus for. I like to be around 140 when I start that way when I finish my blood sugar is almost always perfectly normal. I love my gym! I pay 21/month, its open 24/7, I can bring a guest as often as I like *and* I get unlimited use of the tanning booth! Woot!

 

[beefy]

What I'm finding works for me is a LONG cooldown period of slow-cardio after exercise, especially intense exercise.

It's my hypothesis (at least in my situation, everyone is different) that the cooldown helps continue to use any liver-dumped BG for fuel, but due to the lower-intensity of it my liver stops releasing any stored BG. (Not being an expert in the field I can only theorize at this...)

I do MINIMUM of 5 minutes of very-low-intensity (only enough to raise my heartrate by like 15-20 bpm above normal) after even as little as 15 minutes of exercise. Sometimes I'll do 10 minutes of cooldown cardio. When I cycled competitively I usually did 15-20 minutes of cooldown before I felt good enough to walk properly, LOL. But that's me, everyone is different.

 

[wheysted]

What I'm finding works for me is a LONG cooldown period of slow-cardio after exercise, especially intense exercise.

It's my hypothesis (at least in my situation, everyone is different) that the cooldown helps continue to use any liver-dumped BG for fuel, but due to the lower-intensity of it my liver stops releasing any stored BG. (Not being an expert in the field I can only theorize at this...)

I do MINIMUM of 5 minutes of very-low-intensity (only enough to raise my heartrate by like 15-20 bpm above normal) after even as little as 15 minutes of exercise. Sometimes I'll do 10 minutes of cooldown cardio. When I cycled competitively I usually did 15-20 minutes of cooldown before I felt good enough to walk properly, LOL. But that's me, everyone is different.

I did just the same thing today mate and it kind of worked. I can see where your hypothesis is coming from coz I burnt a lot of that superfluous sugar with some intense cardio. I hope I can stick around with it now

Wheysted, this happened to me a few years ago. The high occurring after my long walk was caused by my not having enough carbs before starting the exercise. My body needed more carbs to produce the needed energy, so my liver produced extra carbs to compensate. the problem is that the liver usually produces too many carbs, and then there is high blood sugar after the exercise is completed. I started eating more carbs, about 20-25 fast acting carbs and some protein too. That was enough so that my liver no longer produced additional carbs. My blood sugar was at a good level after exercising.

You can experiment to see how many carbs you need before exercising. I test before , during and after exercising.

When I am going to work out I always eat some carb before that I do not bolus for. I like to be around 140 when I start that way when I finish my blood sugar is almost always perfectly normal. I love my gym! I pay 21/month, its open 24/7, I can bring a guest as often as I like *and* I get unlimited use of the tanning booth! Woot!

Thanks for the valuable input guys..I ll try and sacrifice some sleep of mine next time to wake up a tad earlier, so that I can pump in some calories before I leave for the gym. Will report back if it works out fine!! Also just so that I inform you once again..I go to the gym having taken no insulin. Do you think exercise alone would be good enough to compensate for all those calories I consume?

Cheers!

 

[dallascowboy]

I'm actually relieved to find that I'm not the only one with this problem. What I found that works for me is a meal before my workout as Richard said (about 45 minutes before) consisting of complex carbs and protein. Then I test before going to the gym and if my blood glucose is around 120 then I'm good to go. Anything above that I need to take some insulin to bring it down to that level. This really helped out alot.