Today’s topic for Diabetes Blog Week:
Let’s get moving.
“Exercise . . . love it or hate it? Do you have a regular exercise routine? Or do you have trouble finding your exercise motivation? How do you manage your insulin and food to avoid bottoming out during your workout?”
I’m extremely fortunate, in that I love to work out. I love the way it feels to strain my muscles, get my heart-rate pounding, break a sweat, and then bask in the endorphins afterward. I’ve always worked out, even before the ‘betes. So keeping up a regular exercise schedule was no big change for me. But I can imagine how tough it must be to get started if exercise is never something you’ve enjoyed…
For my part, I feel blessed every time I take one of my gym classes — aerobics or spin cycle or “body conditioning.” How lucky am I to still be able to do all this after diagnosis with a chronic illness? When I start getting grumpy about all the time it demands, I remind myself that some people spend those hours in a clinic undergoing dialysis or some other unpleasant treatment. If my “treatment” is enjoying myself jumping around to loud music, or peddling blissfully along the nature trail near our home, then I am one lucky sick puppy indeed!
Did I mention that we belong to TWO gyms? OK, I know that sounds hardcore, but we’ve been members forever at one of them and don’t want to give up our “legacy” pricing. That’s also the one with a great outdoor pool, and also a sports day-camp that really make our kids’ summer. The other one is 24/hr Fitness. Pretty basic. Good spin classes. Either way, I have lots of choices, so I can never use the excuse that “there’s nothing good at the gym today.”
Recent record-keeping has shown me that I work out about 6-7 hours a week. Not bad for a busy mom-lady, I think. And how did I learn to manage my insulin needs around all this exercise? With a lot of trial and error, I tell you.
I just kept playing with temp basal programs on my pump until I got it down to a few fundamental programs: -50% for two hours for an aerobics class (also works for running), and -80% for spin/cycling. If I’m low at the start, I usually eat a handful of raisins or half an energy bar. Or sometimes if I’ve dosed too soon before the start of a workout, I just suspend insulin delivery for up to an hour.
This is what seems to work for me: your mileage will most certainly vary.
Lucky for me, my new expert CDE Gary Scheiner (whom I just can’t seem to stop mentioning of late) is also an expert on tweaking doses for exercise. One of his helpful little tables:
However, his suggestion that I stop using temp basals and simply eat 20-30 grams of carb prior to a workout didn’t pan out so well for me — my results were much more irregular than when I relied on my temp basals. Also, I didn’t want extra food intake when I’m not even hungry. As far as that goes, we agreed: “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
Naturally, my fancy temp basals don’t always do the trick, but on the whole, I’m pretty proud of myself for 1) continuing to exercise regularly, even when I’m at my busiest, and 2) not letting the diabetes ruin it for me.
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Editor’s Note: Please see also, selected posts on exercise and diabetes —
- Dr. Sheri Colberg: Honing in on Diabetes and Exercise
- Dr. Sheri Colberg: “What I Wish Someone Had Told Me About Exercise and Diabetes”
I recently had the honor of attending a Diabetic Boot Camp put on by my favorite endo ever – Dr. Egils Bogdonovics from Torrington, CT (TI himself so he totally gets it). Exercise much discussed and done! He’s a buff sort of guy and exercise is also a passion of his. One really interesting thing he talked about was about heading low at the end of a steady workout – if you up your pace to flat out for a minute or two it will help raise your blood sugar and that also helps steady it out for the the next few hours instead of seeing the continuous BS creep downward forcing consumption of unwanted carbs. At least I think that’s what I heard. Physiologically it makes sense since full out blasts of exercise release hormones that induce the release of glucose into the system. It’s counter-intuitive when you’re having low BS to exercise harder, but maybe this is one solution. Now, if I can just get back to the gym?
Great attitude Amy! I need to remember this post when I’m having trouble getting my self going.
It is indeed fortunate to enjoy exercise given all the benefits that it has in aiding the management of overall health. However, starting exercise when one has not grown up with it can be like pulling teeth as it is a form of work or at least effort. If all children were encouraged to enjoy daily exercise from an early age, it would certainly provide for a considerable amount of prevention towards numerous medical conditions that result from unhealthy living.
Great motivational post, I really enjoyed reading. It will help many no doubt.
I hate exercise; let’s just get that out of the way. However, I’m now at a point where medication and trying to watch what I eat just isn’t getting it done. So on Monday my wife and I joined a gym, and I’ve worked out 5 days in a row. I absolutely hate it, but it’s not so bad when I have someone to go with or will meet there.
But I also have a track record, one I hope I’ll break this time around. However, I know one of these days I’m going to have to have a mindset change to get myself to continue; I’m not there just yet.
i liked your motivational information, I play football 3,4 times in a week in morning ,it helps m alot, i feel good for whole day and i remain upbeat
DEFINITELY! Exercise is the key! One must experiment with their own body and see what works for them. No one’s requirements are the same and must do what works to attain – and maintain – healthy ‘diabetes living’.
Nice post, Amy!
I so wish I loved exercise the way you do. It’s always seems like such a chore for me – and one I often skip. Although reading everyone’s workout posts today is doing a really good job at getting me motivated!!
Great post! I think you gave people a good push today. You are an inspiration to me-also a busy mom. You sound so energetic and it made me want to get up and exercise and remember that those endorphins are a wonderful reward at the end! THANKS!
[...] Amy at DiabetesMine has to get a mention, for writing the way I think so many of wish we felt, and by throwing in some nice practical advice (esp for pumpers). But come on? 2 gyms? I can [...]
I HATE excersie in Gyms, seems like people must have energy to waste.
I manage my type 1 spikes by walking 2-3km (that 1-1.5 miles) after a big meal. This is great for my feet, great for my dog, great for my health – my blood sugar (which could possibly peak at 240) will not go above 150 if I do this.
Swimming saved me. I hate to exercise and since developing plantar fasciitis in my feet, it has become quite painful. I also suffer from fibromyalgia and am always tired, so that doesn’t help either. I moved into a place with a pool a year ago and found that swimming gave me a chance to exercise without overdoing it and kept my feet from hurting. Walking was always my go to exercise before the foot issues and I hate giving it up. I am on oral diabetes medications and so far I haven’t had any issues with that.