How does walking help my blood glucose levels (dumb question??)

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zippyjojo

zippyjojo

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Type 3c
Hi there - as a Newbie I just wondered if someone could explain to me how walking will affect my blood glucose levels. I know that it does and fortunately I love walking and having recovered well from my huge op in November I'm now back to be able to walk 5-6 miles in a go. But I'd like to know WHY it's a good idea diabetes wise for those days when it's much more tempting to stay inside and watch telly. Thanks in advance. Jo 🙂
 
It's one kind of exercise. Since we're almost always walking outside, and perhaps somewhere with grass and trees and things there's likely some additional psychological effects (that you wouldn't get from walking on a treadmill, say).

Diabetes and exercise

Being physically active is good for diabetes. Whether you feel able to go for a run or a swim, or can manage some arm stretches or on-the-spot walking while the kettle boils, it all makes a difference. For more ideas on what you can do at home, watch our video showing how some people with...
www.diabetes.org.uk www.diabetes.org.uk
 
Exercise makes you less insulin resistant so helps your body to use the glucose in your blood, because you are exercising you will need that glucose for energy.

Although I believe that anaerobic exercise is more likely to make blood sugars go up, I can’t remember why though!

Walking makes my daughter’s blood sugars drop like a stone so that’s a good one if you need a bit of extra help to get them down.
 
I'm glad you asked that question @zippyjojo as I've been wondering why too. I cover between 5 and 10 miles a day in good weather (only 3 - 5 in the rain!)

@grovesy, what a shame housework is good for you, it would be a great excuse not to do it! I love mowing the lawn, not because I enjoy it but it adds 3k steps to my fitbit if I do both front and back 😉
 
Bruce Stephens said:
According to https://jdrf.org.uk/exercise-type-1-diabetes/ it's adrenalin.
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Its not a dumb question @zippyjojo . All exercise and activity helps your BG.

During anaerobic or very intense activity your body thinks you are in "fight or flight mode" and need the adrenaline boost to get you out of trouble.

For me, no panc'y and thus no glucagon from the panc'y to routinely tell the liver to open its glucose store, adrenaline (apparently) goes into overtime when I sometimes don't want or need it. It adds to the brittle nature of my DM. At the wrong side of 70 I have very little growth hormone any more, so cortisol and adrenaline try to compensate for the lack of glucagon - but not always at the right time.

Generally, I find activity in all its guises the most difficult thing to plan ahead for in my D management. Despite being fully retired no 2 successive days are alike. There are some days when I know I'm going to have a level of activity, with some certainty. On other days I wake up planning to be active, but I might spend a couple of hours fending off an unexpected near hypo, or its raining, or a visitor or phone call happens, or whatever - and the day has to be reorganised. But meanwhile I've carb counted my breakfast, calculated my bolus and applied a % reduction for the assumed activity; which now isn't happening or not in the 4 hrs post bolus. When I'm diligently trying to 'contain' my BG I will go walking in heavy rain or deliberately and repeatedly go up and down stairs (inefficient use of my time) to try and artificially create the activity that has been planned into my bolus. One of the many benefits of Libre 2 is that I can monitor the success (or otherwise) of my diligence.

It took about 10 months post op before I even knew that activity was such a big influence on my BG. I was recovering from surgery, then in chemo and still on fixed bolus and no carb counting. Also no Libre. So I only knew I was repeatedly going hypo, but not why. I still haven't got this fully 'mastered' and probably never will, but I feel happier about my control - usually!
 
Thanks everyone - just realised I haven't been out for a walk today!
 
I got one of those garmin smart watches and I try to do 8000 to 10,000 steps a day as that is just about an hour of walking this is my target despite the tachycardia. Can't hurt... gets the circulation going and must burn a few calories.
 
Sally71 said:
Exercise makes you less insulin resistant so helps your body to use the glucose in your blood, because you are exercising you will need that glucose for energy.

Although I believe that anaerobic exercise is more likely to make blood sugars go up, I can’t remember why though!

Walking makes my daughter’s blood sugars drop like a stone so that’s a good one if you need a bit of extra help to get them down.
Click to expand...
See this is interesting to me. I’ve lost an awful lot of weight and have been feeling dreadful. Housework used to lower my sugars too but now everything I do is so exhausting that my sugars rise and stay risen while I’m active then drop a short while after resting.
 
Hi @zippyjojo I found that the Libre showed me the spikes that I was having after meals. We started to do at least 15 min of exercise after each meal (As well as timing the bolus before meals) . The exercise reduced the post meal spikes as I used up some of the glucose that was forming from my meal, and this consequently improved my time in range. All this helps to reduce risks of long term problems.

I heard Dr Rob Andrew’s talk about how you can manage glucose levels in three ways
- eat carbs (raises levels)
- have active insulin on board (reduces levels)
- do anaerobic exercise (raises levels)
The last one seemed counterintuitive. However if I was lower on route to a Pilates session I ran for a while and saw my levels riseby the time I started the exercise.
 
SB2015 said:
Hi @zippyjojo I found that the Libre showed me the spikes that I was having after meals. We started to do at least 15 min of exercise after each meal (As well as timing the bolus before meals) . The exercise reduced the post meal spikes as I used up some of the glucose that was forming from my meal, and this consequently improved my time in range. All this helps to reduce risks of long term problems.

I heard Dr Rob Andrew’s talk about how you can manage glucose levels in three ways
- eat carbs (raises levels)
- have active insulin on board (reduces levels)
- do anaerobic exercise (raises levels)
The last one seemed counterintuitive. However if I was lower on route to a Pilates session I ran for a while and saw my levels riseby the time I started the exercise.
Click to expand...
Can Dr Rob Andrew's talk be found on line?
I suspect there was a fourth, normal aerobic exercise and activity, which is how your post-meal spikes are abated. Or just 3 of which exercise includes both aerobic and anaerobic, with their different responses. Despite the anaerobic initial response, it ultimately leads to a fall in BG because the anaerobic exercise has significantly reduced your insulin resistance - eg warm muscles demanding glucose.
 
Proud to be erratic said:
Can Dr Rob Andrew's talk be found on line?
I suspect there was a fourth, normal aerobic exercise and activity, which is how your post-meal spikes are abated. Or just 3 of which exercise includes both aerobic and anaerobic, with their different responses. Despite the anaerobic initial response, it ultimately leads to a fall in BG because the anaerobic exercise has significantly reduced your insulin resistance - eg warm muscles demanding glucose.
Click to expand...
I know he did one for Libre (Abbott) and have tried to find it. I will flag @everydayupsanddowns and @MrDaibetes who are more techy and may be able to post the link. I will have another look and put it in if I find it.
 
Vonny said:
I'm glad you asked that question @zippyjojo as I've been wondering why too. I cover between 5 and 10 miles a day in good weather (only 3 - 5 in the rain!)

@grovesy, what a shame housework is good for you, it would be a great excuse not to do it! I love mowing the lawn, not because I enjoy it but it adds 3k steps to my fitbit if I do both front and back 😉
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I think tidying my room might actually make things go thd other way.
 
everydayupsanddowns said:
One of the Diabetes Technology Network series of education videos for Libre 1
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Abbott have produced a few, too.

Diabetes & sports: How to control glucose levels through diet & exercise
Webinar: Understanding exercise using the FreeStyle Libre system
FreeStyle Libre live webinar - Understanding exercise using the FreeStyle Libre system

The last two are rather similar but with different speakers. The guest for the first is an athlete, the second has a rugby player. (So more intense activity than a typical walk but I think they cover lighter exercise too.)
 
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