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Sugars and exercise

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Newgirllost

New Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Hi, I've been walking regularly with my friend, building up step practice for the million steps challenge. My numbers are usually high as new to Diabetes and walking has been helping. Tonight before the walk, I was 9.1 which is a low number for me and when we got back I checked my number and it was 5.1. I had my glucose tablets and waited before driving home (went up to 8.6). So obviously I want to keep exercise going but what do you do/ take so the blood sugar levels don't drop too low? Hubby said I panicked at the number being 5.1 but I'm sure I read not to drive if you are 5 or below. Argh!
 
Hi @Newgirllost There are a number of options for exercise. If you’re exercising after a meal, you could experiment with reducing the bolus for that meal. You can also top up with glucose/carbs during your walk as needed.

When you try out various things, do write down what you did so that you can repeat it if it worked for you. It’s easy to forget the details so I always jot them down. If what you did didn’t work, you then have a record of what failed and can use that as a starting point for tweaks.
 
It was before my dinner. But I will definitely look at what carbs I could snack on. Seems crazy though to be eating while walking!
 
It was before my dinner. But I will definitely look at what carbs I could snack on. Seems crazy though to be eating while walking!

Not crazy at all 🙂 That’s just what we have to do sometimes. It’s a constant quest for balance, and with something like exercise, we have to do what we have to do. If you prefer liquid carbs, you could always take something sugary like Coke. If you browse through the exercise section here you’ll see people mentioning the carbs they like. Kendal Mint Cake is good for hikes, Coke, juice, Dextro tablets, flapjacks (good mix offast and slow carbs), biscuits, cereal bars - whatever suits you and is convenient.
 
Will check it out! It's complicated stuff this, balancing sugars and weight! But that sounds great, I miss my juice!
 
Yes, it is - the whole balancing act is the real nuisance of Type 1 not the needles as people without diabetes assume.

If you’re doing long walks, then you might find a combination of reducing your bolus/meal insulin and some snacks works best. Sadly, there’s no easy formula to use, it’s just a matter of experimentation. If you do decide to try reducing your bolus, you would be looking at an initial reduction of 1/3 or 1/4. Again, all a balance.
 
Yes, we are doing around 3-4 miles each time. I eat dinner and inject after the walk. Do I adjust my lunch one or the one before my dinner but after the walk?! I'm only 2 units at lunch and 4 at dinner. Still learning and usually my numbers are high.
 
You’d adjust the bolus for the meal before your walk. The timing of exercise is important to so another thing to consider is moving the time of your walk (if possible). As an example, when I went swimming in the evening after tea, I reduced my tea-time bolus by 1/3 but then went swimming around an hour after eating. I did that because I didn’t want to reduce my bolus and then sit around for ages with a higher sugar, if that makes sense.

If your walk is some hours after lunch, it might not be appropriate to reduce the bolus. You might find it best just to stick with the extra carbs. If you have a half unit pen for your bolus insulin (and you should because they’re very useful), then you could try having 1 and 1/2 units for lunch on walk days. If that leads to you being too high for ages before your walk, then just stick with the snacks.
 
Great advice, as ever from @Inka.
The only thing I would add is to keep an eye on your blood sugars AFTER your exercise. Some of us find that we are more susceptible to lows for the next 24 hours.

I say, the only thing but I have just thought of something else ... if you drink water whilst you walk, you could add a bit of squash or fruit juice to your bottle to maintain your levels as you exercise. With some trial and error (yes, more of that), you can work out how dilute you need the drink to me.

Ooops, I've just thought of something else (sorry). If you are new to exercise, you may find the impact it has on your blood sugars will wane as your body gets used to the distance so do not be surprised if things change. Just keep testing ... and enjoy your walk.

I am going to stop now.
 
Well done for increasing your exercise @Newgirllost

Ideally you will want to be moving towards a position where 9 feels a bit on the high side, and exercise can really help you with that.

As others have said, usually it’s best to dose before your food, even if you know you are going to be exercising later, but you may need to adjust your dose and/or take extra carbohydrate during the exercise.

It is wise to aim for 5+ for driving, and the DVLA say if checking before you set off and BG is in the 4s you should eat some carbs before setting off. If below 4 you should NOT drive, and wait 45 minutes after your BG has recovered before driving. If at any time while driving, you begin to suspect your BG has dropped below 4 or get any hypo warning signs, you must stop the car, take the keys out of the ignition, move to the passenger seat and check your BG.
 
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