Walking and sugars

[Amberzak]

A friend said to me that when my sugars are a bit higher, to go for a brisk walk before correcting. She's type one and that's what she does. But I find that if my sugars are, say, 12 and I go for a brisk walk, often they end up going higher. Is this normal?

 

[Robin]

I have read that you shouldn't exercise if your numbers are very high because it can make them go higher, but I've no idea why this should be. I'd love to know what the science is behind it. Everyone's different, ( which is why this condition is so frustrating) so I guess it's finding out what level is safe for you personally.

 

[DeusXM]

The answer, as with so many things with diabetes, is 'it depends'.

There are several possibilities.

Firstly, exercise doesn't affect all people in exactly the same way. Some people find certain activities will actually, counter-intuitively, raise their blood sugar. That's because some people will actually find their liver releases more glucose into their blood because of the exercise they are doing. I've yet to find a foolproof system for working out which exercises do what to which people. Some people find they can run for ages and end up with high blood sugar but give them five minutes in a pool and they're hypoing straight away. Other people could swim the Channel and still need a corrective bolus at the end but put them on a treadmill and they'll be chugging Lucozade. It's a highly individual thing.

Secondly, it also depends on the nature of your blood glucose spike, whether you've got glucose in the tank, and how much insulin you have in your system. If I eat a lot of pizza and don't quite bolus enough, a walk probably isn't going to help because for me personally, pizza just sits in my stomach spewing out glucose into my blood for hours and hours and this will outweigh any exercise effects. Also, your blood sugar can only go down through exercise if there's enough insulin in your blood to push it into your muscles. If your basal is already overwhelmed and you don't have any bolus on board, a walk is unlikely to help because there is no way for your muscles to access that glucose for fuel.

Where exercise can be beneficial is it increases your muscle insulin sensitivity - vigorous exercise can make your muscles crave glucose for hours after, so walking briskly for a bit and then injecting may mean your body uses that insulin more effectively than if you hadn't had a walk. But that doesn't necessarily mean your blood sugar will be lower immediately after walking and before you inject.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Also, your blood sugar can only go down through exercise if there's enough insulin in your blood to push it into your muscles. If your basal is already overwhelmed and you don't have any bolus on board, a walk is unlikely to help because there is no way for your muscles to access that glucose for fuel.

I think that's a really important point. And if there's little insulin and a major high exercise might not be the best plan.

There seems to be a *relatively* predictable difference between anaerobic and aerobic exercise. Really intense sprints/weights (anaerobic - without breathing) will tend to release glucose from muscles/liver because you can't release it through digestion fast enough. Some people successfully prevent low BG at the end of a jog with a minute or two of flat-out sprint. Aerobic exercise (jogging/walking/swimming) will tend to reduce BG through extra energy expended and increased insulin sensitivity - though as DeusXM suggests it's nothing like as simple as that for each individual.

Personally I find that much more than 30 minutes of fairly brisk walking with reduce my BG, so would need to set a TBR if I was in range beforehand to prevent going low.

Good luck at finding something that works for you!

 

[Redkite]

Exercise with insufficient insulin on board will make your BGs go up. And afterwards when you correct, you may need less of a correction to bring you back to normal levels. As DeusXM said, the specifics depend on the person, the type of exercise and, we've found, the time of day. You'll need to experiment!

As an example, my son has enrolled on the Duke of Edinburgh scheme, and we've just started going hiking at weekends to build up to the mileage he'll need to walk on the expedition and to work out how he should manage the D side of things. So far, we've found that if we walk in the morning (5-6 miles atm), he needs to reduce his basal to 50% and test BG hourly, while also eating free carb snacks (unbolused) - approx 80g carb. In the afternoon, the same basal reduction and only 13g of free carb snacks made his BG end up 8mmol higher than when he started, and also left him running higher into the evening and first part of the night! Really frustrating, but we're just going to have to keep practising and logging the results and learning from them. 🙂

 

[Northerner]

Given that I was due to run a marathon the week I was diagnosed, I was anxious to get back into my running as soon as possible. One of the first books I bought was the Diabetic Athlete's Handbook, which I found immensely useful in understanding how different forms of exercise affect the body and what strategies to adopt to try and remain efficient whilst playing the role of surrogate pancreas 🙂

 

[Copepod]

Runsweet website is a very good resource for people who use insulin and want to exercise. Best to start with reading about exercise physiology eg http://www.runsweet.com/StartingSports.html , then look at case studies aboit specific sports.

 

[Copepod]

Exercise with insufficient insulin on board will make your BGs go up. And afterwards when you correct, you may need less of a correction to bring you back to normal levels. As DeusXM said, the specifics depend on the person, the type of exercise and, we've found, the time of day. You'll need to experiment!

As an example, my son has enrolled on the Duke of Edinburgh scheme, and we've just started going hiking at weekends to build up to the mileage he'll need to walk on the expedition and to work out how he should manage the D side of things. So far, we've found that if we walk in the morning (5-6 miles atm), he needs to reduce his basal to 50% and test BG hourly, while also eating free carb snacks (unbolused) - approx 80g carb. In the afternoon, the same basal reduction and only 13g of free carb snacks made his BG end up 8mmol higher than when he started, and also left him running higher into the evening and first part of the night! Really frustrating, but we're just going to have to keep practising and logging the results and learning from them. 🙂

Just one suggestion - I assume he'll be carrying a rucksack with his clothing, sleeping bag & mat, torch, share of tent, food etc? So, it would be wise to practice carrying weight on trial walks, as that adds to energy expenditure. These days, I generally only carry camping kit on mountain marathons etc, so can get my pack weight down to 5 - 8kg, due to skills & very light weight kit I've aquired over the years. Most D of E schemes don't want to lend very lightweight tents [sub 1kg for 2 people who are very cosy at night!] as they need very careful care, and are not teenager proof.

 

[Redkite]

Just one suggestion - I assume he'll be carrying a rucksack with his clothing, sleeping bag & mat, torch, share of tent, food etc? So, it would be wise to practice carrying weight on trial walks, as that adds to energy expenditure. These days, I generally only carry camping kit on mountain marathons etc, so can get my pack weight down to 5 - 8kg, due to skills & very light weight kit I've aquired over the years. Most D of E schemes don't want to lend very lightweight tents [sub 1kg for 2 people who are very cosy at night!] as they need very careful care, and are not teenager proof.

Yes, that's the plan, we're starting off building up the distance and hilliness, and will then add in a heavy rucksack! We've been told 35-40kg of weight 😱. The school is providing the tents, so I'm sure they won't be expensive ultra lightweight ones.

 

[Robin]

Ah, that makes sense. I was told on diagnosis that when you exercised, the body could admit glucose into the muscle cells without any insulin, but it seems that's not quite the case, more like making a little insulin go a long way.
I have also read somewhere that sometimes your liver pumps out too much stored glucose, because, after all, it's no idea when you're going to stop exercising!

 

[Northerner]

...I have also read somewhere that sometimes your liver pumps out too much stored glucose, because, after all, it's no idea when you're going to stop exercising!

Conversely, the liver will suck back glucose from the blood to replenish its stores after exercise, as will the muscles to restore their glycogen stores. One tip that works for me after a run is to have a little carb without extra insulin (usually a Belvita biscuit), this prevents me dropping low afterwards 🙂

 

[BigMalc]

35-40kg - that sounds v v high to me. It shouldnt be more than 1/4 or max 1/3rd of body weight. Are you sure they didnt say lb not kg?

 

[Northerner]

35-40kg - that sounds v v high to me. It shouldnt be more than 1/4 or max 1/3rd of body weight. Are you sure they didnt say lb not kg?

Agreed, that does sound rather high. I went grape-picking/backpacking in France in my early-20s and my pack was about 20kg, with a not particularly lightweight tent.

 

[Copepod]

Yes, that's the plan, we're starting off building up the distance and hilliness, and will then add in a heavy rucksack! We've been told 35-40kg of weight 😱. The school is providing the tents, so I'm sure they won't be expensive ultra lightweight ones.

35 - 40kg is possible for fully grown and fully trained soldiers / Marines, but can not be right for teenagers. 35 - 40 lbs, perhaps, but even that's a bit high. Pack weight hould be no more than 1/4 or 1/3 at very most of body weight. They're only out for 1 night & 2 days for Bronze, 2 nights & 3 days for Silver or 3 nights & 4 days for Gold, so even allowing for 2kg / 4lb of food per day [which is very generous - should be able to carry enough calories in far less weight than that], should be able to keep pack weight well under 20kg, even if carrying a modest [not lightweight] tent of say 6kg & 1 stove [Trangias are very popular with DoE groups, but heavy on meths for fuel] between 3 people. Don't bother with expensive specialist boil in bag meals etc. Regular supermarket own brand noodles / instant pasta with sauce / flavoured cous cous are all cheap, tasty and only need boiling water to be added, not simmering, which takes lots of fuel. Take real food eg pitta bread, which doesn't get squashed as easily as slices of bread, or crackers, with a tube of Primula cheese or tin of pate, some robust fruit eg apples or tangerines, packed in a box, rather than bananas. When box is partly empty, then fill gap with eg spare socks in plastic bag or pack of cous cous.

 

[Sally71]

My hubby goes paragliding, his backpack containing glider, harness and all the other bits and bobs weighs around 20kg and I can hardly lift it 😱

I'm not very strong, don't know how my strength would compare with that of a fit teenage lad but twice that weight does sound like a lot!

 

[Redkite]

Perhaps I was mixing up my pounds and kilos, but I'm pretty sure we were told 35-40kg. If it's lighter, all the better! 🙂

 

[grovesy]

I find that walking does not affect my sugars as much as it does when I was first diagnosed!

 

[delb t]

H did the Bronze D of E and it was mighty heavy I recall !!!!!!

 

[HOBIE]

I always go down 😎 If I am stress about things I go down ! I know every ones different But ?

 

[Copepod]

Perhaps I was mixing up my pounds and kilos, but I'm pretty sure we were told 35-40kg. If it's lighter, all the better! 🙂

If you really were told 35 - 40kg, then instructors / teachers are being completely irresponsible. No teenager should carry more than 1/3 of their body weight at the outside, so unless they all weigh 105 kg, which would place them in overweight / obese category, then it can't be right.

3 x 35lbx = 105lb = 7.5 stones minimum body weight, which is much more believeable. Still, 35lbs is a pretty heavy pack, and 40kg even more so. So, do take advice from people who can help your son cut down weight he is carrying by smart choice of kit, sharing kit between tent mates etc. Eg while everyone needs their own toothbrush, 3 tent mates could share 1 tube of toothpaste with just a little left in bottom. A plastic spork, which you should be able to buy for £1 from budget store, is lighter than a metal spoon and fork.