New to site - T2 for a number of years

[PamS88]

Hi all,

Just wanted to say hello and that I have come to this site looking for a bit of additonal support and help.

Was diagnosed type 2 quite a few years ago and after the initial "bury my head in the sand" got my act together and things were moving in the right direction until I lost my brother then things went off track. Picked myself up with a start when my reading in Jan was 64. Back on the low carb and have lost 20kg so far, last reading was 49. I have just started exercising again (to try and tone up all the loose wobbly bits from the weight loss).

My only question at this moment is how does exercise effect blood sugar levels, i've heard that depending on the intensity it can either raise or lower them. I do gym 3 sometimes 4 times a week. What is the best time to check my blood sugars after exercise - immediately or leave it an hour or 2?

 

[trophywench]

Pam - as no-one else seems to have responded I'm going to jump in and say Hello! There are actually shedloads of folk here who can advise you much better than me cos I'm absolutely not anyone who can advise you properly cos despite having diabetes for over 50 years I have no personal experience of Type 2 and exercise - but I should think it also depends on whether you use any medication (for diabetes and anything else) and whether you need to lose any weight. Adding to the 'it all depends' conundrum one certain fact I do know, is that exercise does affect your BG for up to 48 hours too. I'll have to leave that there as another puzzler until some of our much more knowledgeable people can catch up with you!

 

[Leadinglights]

Hi all,

Just wanted to say hello and that I have come to this site looking for a bit of additonal support and help.

Was diagnosed type 2 quite a few years ago and after the initial "bury my head in the sand" got my act together and things were moving in the right direction until I lost my brother then things went off track. Picked myself up with a start when my reading in Jan was 64. Back on the low carb and have lost 20kg so far, last reading was 49. I have just started exercising again (to try and tone up all the loose wobbly bits from the weight loss).

My only question at this moment is how does exercise effect blood sugar levels, i've heard that depending on the intensity it can either raise or lower them. I do gym 3 sometimes 4 times a week. What is the best time to check my blood sugars after exercise - immediately or leave it an hour or 2?

I'm not sure there is a straightforward answer to that question as your blood sugar will be going up and down throughout the day and night depending on other factors, what you have eaten, medication, what type of exercise etc, etc. Make sure you have a logical reason for wanting/needing to test after exercise, will it be telling you anything useful.

 

[harbottle]

In my experience, exercise generally lowers it. But sometimes there might be a slight rise when I start, which is natural. I mainly just do brisk walking and occasionally a bit of weight lifting.

If I take a reading after finishing it’s sometimes very low, but after around 15 minutes I find it creeps back up to over 5.

 

[PamS88]

Thanks for these replies,

If I take a reading after finishing it’s sometimes very low, but after around 15 minutes I find it creeps back up to over 5.

This is usefull, I don't want to panic if my blood sugars are low / high after exercise if I know that they will return to normal in a short space of time.

Make sure you have a logical reason for wanting/needing to test after exercise, will it be telling you anything useful.

My reason for testing after exercise are two-fold really

1. hearing that exercise can lead to low / high readings depending on the intensity, wanting to know how soon these return to normal to avoid worrying about them.

2. I have gone back to testing before and after meals at the moment as a few 60th birthday parties in a row recently lead to me straying a little and i want to get back on the straight and narrow before "treats" become the norm again. I finish the gym about an hour before I eat so I'm thinking I may get led astray by my before meal reading if it's being effected by exercise.

It is probably one of those things that is different for everyone and will also depend on what I have eaten before going to the gym (allbeit a few hours earlier).

 

[Martin.A]

Hi all,

Just wanted to say hello and that I have come to this site looking for a bit of additonal support and help.

Was diagnosed type 2 quite a few years ago and after the initial "bury my head in the sand" got my act together and things were moving in the right direction until I lost my brother then things went off track. Picked myself up with a start when my reading in Jan was 64. Back on the low carb and have lost 20kg so far, last reading was 49. I have just started exercising again (to try and tone up all the loose wobbly bits from the weight loss).

My only question at this moment is how does exercise effect blood sugar levels, i've heard that depending on the intensity it can either raise or lower them. I do gym 3 sometimes 4 times a week. What is the best time to check my blood sugars after exercise - immediately or leave it an hour or 2?

This might answer some of your questions:-

Blood sugar levels and exercise

Although exercise can lower blood glucose (sugar) levels, being physically active can affect your blood sugar levels in different ways. Depending on the type of activity you’re doing, you might experience your blood sugar level going up or down. We know this may leave you feeling worried about...

www.diabetes.org.uk

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Welcome to the forum @PamS88

My understanding is that aerobic exercise mostly tends to reduces glucose levels, and only much higher-intensity anaerobic exercise (like fast sprints, or heavy weights) tend to trigger a release of glucose from muscle stores.