Swimming for fitness

[SB2015]

I started doing an intensive (for me) swimming for fitness course. First such after pump. It lasted one hour once a week. I attended two sessions but was then interrupted by spinal problems. I am planning to return to this as soon as I get the okay from physios. So I thought that I would do a bit of homework while I am laid up. I use a pump (so this might be better in the pumping section) and set it for 30% for I hour before the swim. Started at 10.6, ate a chewy bar, half the insulin for Cho and no correction, disconnected, swam, finished at 5.8. All good.

Tried the same next time, hypo after 30 min and needed double dose to get back up

Any advice from what others have tried and found worked very welcome.

 

[Matt Cycle]

Hope your spinal problems get better soon. I'm not on the pump myself but what were your levels before the second session? I think it would also depend on which way your levels were heading each time. If say for the second one they were also 10.6 but heading downwards then the swim could have pushed them into hypo territory even with the bar and half the bolus. It's probably going to be a bit of trial and error. The more you do then hopefully patterns will emerge. This is diabetes however so unexplainable events are entirely possible. 😉

I'm still using pens at then moment so haven't got the benefit of setting reduced TBR's when out on the bike. It's a useful facility to have. Someone on the pump with exercise experience may be able to offer advice on that side of things.

 

[Adrasteia]

Were there any differences in the two sessions intensity wise? I often find if I'm doing drills - working with a pull-buoy or kickboard - that I'm much more exhausted than if I'm doing lengths. Although you're likely going slower, you're isolating muscle groups and working at your stroke properly which means using more muscles. If you haven't already, try a couple of sessions using the pace clock to see how your BG fluctuates when you are swimming at a consistent rate. It's so easy to lose count of lengths, I'm often out by 10 or more!

My son finds the effect on his BG doesn't kick in until hours after swimming, and because you naturally have to regulate your breathing in swimming it can be quite tricky for him to know how intense the session was - he really relies on how out of breath he is with all other sports. Also different strokes really take it out of him, breaststroke for him is a horror.

Very best of luck with it!