Diabetes and Fitness
Diabetes and Fitness
Why Does Exercise Increase Blood Sugar?: Tips From a Personal Trainer With Diabetes
Healthcare providers often advise people with diabetes to engage in regular exercise due to its numerous health benefits. However, exercising with diabetes requires some caution. While it is commonly known that hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) can occur during physical activity, there are instances where blood sugar levels may actually rise during or after exercise. This raises the question: why does your blood sugar rise, instead of fall, and how can you effectively manage it? Keep reading to find out!
Manage Your Diabetes by Getting Active
(stanvpetersen / pixabay) Did you know that an active lifestyle is one of the best things you can do to manage your diabetes effectively? Not just that, increasing your activity level comes with a variety of other benefits. Regular exercise can improve your sleep, lower your blood pressure, improve your cholesterol, and improve your mood and mental health. Some people might think that people with diabetes can’t be active, but we at Skin Grip know that can’t be further from the truth! We work daily to help people with diabetes live fearlessly, get out, and get the most out of life. Getting Started The best way to start increasing your activity level is to find something you enjoy doing. While the CDC recommends 2.5 hours of moderate-intensity activity during the week, exercise doesn’t have to be picking up weights to put them down again or running on a hamster wheel at the gym. Exercise can be playing a sport with friends, going for a nature walk, or working in the yard. Anything that gets your heart rate up will do. Starting slowly will help you stick with whatever activity you choose. While it can be tempting to go all out on your first day, soreness the next day can prevent you from exercising for much longer. Starting with a more moderate workout can help prevent fatigue, injury, or soreness that causes you to miss the next workout. Programs that start small and build your tolerance for exercise over time are a great way to challenge your growth at regular intervals without overdoing it. Getting Active with Diabetes Diabetes can present unique challenges while working out. The primary challenge is maintaining stable blood sugar levels during exercise. Many with diabetes like to exercise but struggle with keeping their blood sugar under control. Some find that exercise causes their blood glucose to drop rapidly, while others can experience a paradoxical rise in blood glucose levels. Because every individual is unique, there is no one-size-fits-all method, but some tips can help you find ways to make exercise a regular habit. Testing your blood sugar with a finger-stick glucometer before, during, and after exercise can help you determine how exercise affects your blood glucose level. If you know that exercise frequently drops your blood sugar, keeping juice or sugary snacks in your gym bag can help you manage your blood sugar on the go. You may also incorporate a pre-exercise snack to prevent unnecessary lows. If your blood sugar is below 100 mg/dL before starting exercise, consuming approximately 15 grams of carbohydrates can reduce your risk for hypoglycemia. High blood glucose levels can be particularly problematic for people who perform high-intensity activities. To avoid problematic highs, check your blood glucose level before beginning your workout. If it is high, you should check your blood or urine for ketones. If ketones are present, you may need to skip your workout. If you are ketone-free and feel fine, you may continue to work out, though be sure to follow up on your blood sugars during and after exercise to monitor for unsafe highs. Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGMs) can help people with diabetes track their blood sugars in real-time during activity. A CGM is a diabetic sensor that is attached to the skin with adhesive tape and used for tracking blood glucose levels in real-time. These sensors can display blood glucose levels on smartphones and watches, as well as be set to alert users when their blood glucose level rises above or falls below a certain level. The convenience of these devices makes them popular with diabetic athletes. With the help of heavy duty adhesive patches for Freestyle Libre, Dexcom G6, or the Medtronic Guardian, these devices can stay in place and do their job while you are running trails, in the kayak, or at the gym. Benefits of Exercise for Diabetes Making exercise a habit comes with benefits that are particularly important for people with diabetes. Regular exercise can lower your A1C and improve insulin sensitivity. People who exercise regularly also experience diabetic ketoacidosis and severe hypoglycemia less often. Lastly, regular exercise increases your chances of meeting blood pressure goals and maintaining a healthy weight. That all sounds like a good deal to us. Lastly, exercise helps us maintain a healthy mental attitude. Skin Grip believes that people with diabetes deserve to live fearlessly. Getting active helps us realize that people with diabetes really can do anything they want to, whether it’s a stroll in the park or free-soloing a rock wall. With Skin Grip, the last thing on anyone’s mind during a workout should be whether their CGM sensor is safe. Skin Grip’s adhesive patches for the Freestyle Libre, Medtronic Guardian, and Dexcom G6 sensors keep devices in place so you can focus on pushing yourself to the limit. If you are interested in trying Skin Grip, you can order a free sample. Get active and never waste a sensor again. Video
How to Manage Blood Sugars While Exercising with Type 1 Diabetes from a Certified Personal Trainer
Let’s face it, at some point or another your endocrinologist or healthcare provider encouraged you to start exercising more. You heard all of the great benefits physical activity has for your insulin sensitivity and overall health that you decided to give it a shot. But you soon figured out that there was a huge learning curve when it came to managing blood sugars and exercising.
Tips for Athletes with Type 1 Diabetes
(roxanawilliams / pixabay) Exercise can be a confusing topic for many people with diabetes. Managing blood sugar on a normal day is difficult enough, but accounting for fluctuations during a workout can feel counterintuitive, if not impossible to get right. These fluctuations can make exercise difficult, which usually means we skip it. Unfortunately, skipping practice is not a possibility for athletes. We’ve collected some information to help anyone who wants to pursue physical activity while keeping their blood sugar under control. While every individual is different and must manage their diabetes in a way that works for them, these tips present a few options for improving training. Timing Did you know that different kinds of exercise can affect your blood sugar differently? While moderate exercise may cause your blood sugar to fall, periods of intense physical activity can actually cause your blood sugar to spike. This is because of a hormone called glucagon, which is released by the liver during a hard workout and causes the body to release its stores of glucose. Timing your workout can help you avoid some of the highs and lows of exercise. Many find that beginning with a strenuous warmup, then transitioning to less intense activity allows them to spike their blood sugar temporarily, then lower it naturally via further exercise. Beginning with activity that lowers blood sugar may cause you to fall into hypoglycemia, which prevents you from raising your blood sugar through strenuous activity, as the shaky, queasy feeling of hypoglycemia is unlikely to lead to a quick sprint around the field. Learning to order your workouts by prioritizing certain kinds of activities over others can help stabilize your blood glucose level naturally, avoiding unnecessary highs and lows. Try More Carbs If practicing at a certain time of day leaves you consistently hypoglycemic, it may mean that you should simply consume more carbohydrates before or during training. A small snack before a workout will give a slight bump to your blood sugar that lets you get through a workout without feeling the effects of low blood sugar. Additionally, planning around insulin shots may help you predict whether or not a snack might be helpful. Exercising just after a bolus injection may result in a dip that must be compensated for with extra carbs. Thinking carefully about what you eat around your workouts can help you prep ahead of time, so you’re ready for anything. Try Less insulin On the other side of this equation, lowering insulin may be an option for preventing training-related hypoglycemia. Particularly if you exercise near mealtimes, lowering your bolus injection means you can use exercise to compensate for slightly higher blood sugars. If you exercise within 2 hours of a bolus injection, you may try lowering your insulin by 25% or more. Consulting with your care team can help you fine-tune the adjustments in your insulin to help you get the most out of your training and sport. Try a CGM Continuous Glucose Monitors, or CGMs, are a great way to monitor blood glucose levels without guesswork. As many modern devices are smartphone compatible and update your blood glucose level nearly instantly, these devices provide highly accurate readings to inform you of how to best manage your blood sugar. With a CGM, you can even set alarms for when your blood sugar is falling outside of a set range, whether that is too high or too low. The problem is that these sensors are often quite expensive, even with insurance, so losing one to play pickup basketball is rarely worth the risk. Fortunately, accessory supplies such as adhesive patches can be used to prevent the loss of a CGM. Check out our overpatches for Dexcom G6, Freestyle Libre, and other CGMs. Users place them over their sensor to protect it during physical activity. These adhesive patches are waterproof, so sweat, mud, rain, and river water can splash the patch without weakening its hold. With a protected patch, users are able to keep the blood sugar monitored and in control minute-to-minute, taking the guesswork out of blood sugar management. While diabetes can seem to make working out more complicated than it already is, many of the changes and adjustments necessary will become obvious as you learn to manage your condition. A study done by Yurkewicz, M., Cordas, M., Jr, Zellers, A., & Sweger, M. in a 2016 edition of the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine demonstrates that people with diabetes are able to perform competitively in sports as long as they are taught to manage their condition. With a little knowledge, there is no reason why diabetes will keep anyone on the sidelines or off the trail. Knowledge combined with a little trial and error is all it takes to get your blood sugar stable and your competition sweating while you demonstrate diabetic excellence. As we always say, live fearlessly, friends.
Can You Manage Type 1 Diabetes with Yoga?
(NatureFriend / pixabay) If you have spent much time in the fitness world, you have likely heard of or dabbled in yoga. From free university classes for stress relief to strip mall studios, the popularity of yoga has exploded within a matter of decades. Several yoga channels on YouTube receive millions of views each week. Though westerners typically think of yoga as a low-intensity way to exercise, the practice has a history that is older than the Roman empire and encompasses a wide range of philosophical and spiritual practices. Advocates for the practice suggest that yoga is not just a spiritual practice, but it also improves physical health. Research indicates the claim is valid, as yoga leads to improvements in circulation, muscle development, and blood pressure. For people with type 1 diabetes, improvements in circulation mean that the body can more readily absorb insulin into the body's tissues. Additionally, yoga’s positive effects on the cardiovascular system can lower your risk for heart disease, a condition that people with diabetes are more likely to develop and develop younger than average. Yoga also has well-researched benefits for mental health. Meta-analysis and reviews of scientific literature around yoga show that it measurably improves the quality of life for individuals with a wide variety of conditions, including diabetes. Yoga’s effect on mental health seems to derive partly from its physicality. Exercise generally improves mood and alleviates stress and depression. Yoga also happens to emphasize meditation and self-reflection during each workout. With a combination like that, it’s hard not to walk away from a yoga session feeling better! When we feel better, we are more likely to actively focus on self-care, which includes taking medication, managing blood sugar, and paying attention to our diet. Are you interested in starting yoga yet? We love being active, so if you’re excited to join a yoga class as a type 1 diabetic, here are some things you should know: 1.) Yoga Can Affect Your Blood Sugar Significantly Like all exercise, yoga can lead to drops in your blood sugar. Depending on the type of yoga or the speed of your instructor, yoga can be quite strenuous. You may need to reduce your meal insulin bolus accordingly. Typically, hot yoga or classes that involve challenging poses—or rapid changes in poses—will lead to more significant drops in blood sugar, as they are more physically demanding. However, everyone is different, so it’s best to be mindful. 2.) Your CGM or Pump May Fall Out You’ve seen how bendy yoga can get. While the back of an arm is normally a secure spot during day-to-day life, during yoga, the back of your arm is used to jack your leg behind your neck. If you plan on becoming a full-time yogi, you may need to reconsider where you’re applying your CGM or insulin pump. Alternatively, you can use adhesive patches to protect them. Skin Grip makes a protective overpatch for the Freestyle Libre, Dexcom G6, Omnipod, Medtronic Guardian, and other devices. These patches of medical tape for insulin pumps and diabetic sensors will keep them secured to your body during a yoga session and last for the full 10-14 day lifespan of the device—definitely a must-have for any aspiring type-1 contortionists. 3.) You May Become Addicted The feeling of falling into a corpse pose (yes, that’s a real thing) after a challenging yoga session is indescribably sublime. Yoga may look like a slow, easy series of stretches, but it can make you sweat and leave you just as sore as a grueling resistance workout. Every day you find muscles you didn’t know you had, and feeling them strengthen is a reason to celebrate. If you already work out in the gym regularly, yoga will improve your mobility and help break plateaus on the treadmill or in the squat rack. Most of all, you will find the self-assured knowledge that each day of meditation will help you transcend just slightly above your peers and loved ones. You vibrate on a higher plane than those poor, sad, non-flexible chumps. In all seriousness, yoga is a practice that will lead to tangible benefits in your physical and mental health and can help you live an active, healthy lifestyle. One of the missions of Skin Grip is to empower people with type 1 diabetes to live fearless lives of adventure in the yoga studio, on the trail, or in the water. We know that involves keeping our sensors and devices where they should be, so less time is spent worrying about losing or replacing a sensor, and more time is spent worrying about whether we have the hamstring flexibility to get into a downward dog. If you would like to try Skin Grip, we’ll send you a sample for free. Our waterproof, hypoallergenic adhesive patches are designed to give people with type 1 diabetes the peace of mind to do anything. Video
How to Exercise Even When You Really Don't Want to
(Pexels / pixabay) For people with diabetes, regular exercise and a healthy diet can make a drastic difference in their treatment outcomes. Exercise not only helps you feel better mentally and stronger physically, but it can help regulate your blood sugar and decrease insulin resistance too. Even if you are only pre-diabetic or show no signs of diabetes whatsoever, forming a habit of daily exercise is one of the simplest and most effective things you can do to improve your health. Everyone knows exercise is good for us. The trouble is actually doing it. Between work, school, kids, and maintaining a social life, it can be difficult for anyone to find time and energy to do something that's intentionally exhausting. So how do we do it even when we're ready to drop before starting? Here are some tips. 1. Find Your Reason Why. One of the best ways to motivate ourselves to work out is to have a good reason for it. The reason can be as practical or silly as you want, as long as it will motivate you. Do you want to lose 20 pounds before your wedding? Do you want to gain 20 pounds to look like a superhero? Do you want to run a marathon, lift 300 kilograms, or just look good naked? Whatever the reason, remind yourself of the end goal when you don't feel like working out. Close your eyes and visualize yourself pressing your high school nemesis over your head and then throwing him like a rag doll. Then go to the gym and do some cleans. 2. Start Small. If you have never exercised before or you are returning to exercise after some years away, remember that you can do something easy. Go for a short walk. Do 10 minutes of yoga. Lift 1 set of nothing but the bar. Will this be a SHREDDING workout for EXTREME MASS? No, but it is better than doing nothing. Doing a small workout will still get you some results, even if you aren't guaranteed to be a hulking mass of muscle in 90 days or less. What matters is forming routine daily activity. Once you have the habit, you can slowly work your way up to more vigorous workouts. Small daily habits will amount to much more than an extreme program that you start in January of each year and forget about by February. 3. Do Something Fun. Who said that working out has to suck? Who needs the pain to gain? If the gym isn't your thing, you can go for a jog outside. If you don't like to exercise alone, get a pal to play tennis with you on the weekend. If you like the outdoors, hike on some trails as much as you can. There are endless ways to exercise, so there's no reason to get stuck in a routine you hate. Many sports require a relatively small cost upfront, so it might be worth trying something new as many times as it takes to find something that sticks. We like frisbee golf, throwing shotput, and hiking as our almost-free ways to work out. 4. Get a Partner. Going alone is an easy way to avoid going to the gym, just like never having a relationship is an easy way to avoid cleaning your dorm room. Getting a partner invites accountability into your routine. If you have plans to meet your friend at the gym and then get coffee afterward, you won't bail and let your friend down, will you? At the same time, you get to support your friend by keeping them from bailing. If competition is your thing, you can turn your workouts into games or long-term contests to see who can run the most miles, lose the most weight, or set the best pr. Or you can turn your exercise time into mini-therapy sessions and discuss each other’s problems. Getting a partner makes working out more enjoyable for both parties. 5. Find Some Inspiration. There are a million fitness influencers on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, so it's easy to find someone whose style will give you some motivation. If Dwayne Johnson can work out four times a day and still find time to sip tequila, we can do it too! We can watch former Olympians like Lindsey Vonn hit the gym every day and get inspired to do the same. Some influencers will post workouts, programs, or recipes you can follow if you want to replicate their lifestyle exactly. Even if you choose to pursue slightly different goals in your workouts, filling your social media with other people pursuing fitness can encourage you. Seeing the successes and failures of other people offers a sense of solidarity on our fitness journeys. Working out isn't always easy, and there are off days for everyone, but the important thing to remember is that exercise isn't something we have to do; it's something we get to do! Working out and moving our bodies can be a real pleasure as long as we remember to make it something enjoyable, instead of simply going through the motions for a vague idea of “health.” Ultimately, it's as fun as we make it, so why not make it fun? And if you’re tired of worrying about losing your diabetes device while exercising, check out our adhesive tape. You won’t find a stronger waterproof adhesive, and it won’t irritate your skin. Whether you’re looking for a Dexcom G6 sensor overpatch or adhesive for your FreeStyle Libre device, check out our products and start living without limits. Video
Do different type of workouts actually affect blood sugar differently?
Guest Post By: Samantha Tarantino Well, yes. Energy for exercise is provided by glucose and fatty acids (aka fat). Glucose enters your muscles (thanks to insulin!) and your muscles have the energy to kick your workout’s butt. What your body is doing: During the first 15 minutes of exercise, glucose is used from blood stream and muscle glycogen. After 15 minutes, glycogen from the liver is converted to glucose to be used for energy. After 30 minutes, fat is also used as an energy source. So, if the process is similar, why do different types of workouts impact blood sugars differently? Well, it depends on the intensity. Higher intensity workouts stimulate glycogen in the liver to release a surge of endogenous glucose. -Utilization of glucose cannot keep up with the production of glucose. -Furthermore, without enough insulin in your system, the glucose will not be able to be converted to energy for your muscles. This leads to excess sugar in your bloodstream…aka a hyperglycemic episode! Glucose production >> glucose utilization Lower intensity workouts can lead to hypoglycemia. -There is endogenous glucose production increase, however, utilization of glucose works a lot faster than its production. -Glucose levels, even endogenous ones (from your liver!) are attenuated more quickly. Glucose production << glucose utilization. But wait! What is considered intense? Intensity depends on timing, format, and max heartrate (HR). If you’re above 80% of your max HR, then you enter an anaerobic state. Anaerobic exercise does not use oxygen for energy. Glucose is released at a faster pace than the body can use it. Aerobic exercise, where oxygen is used for energy, has a HR less than 80%. Since it is less intense, a surge of glucose does not outweigh use of glucose. Having oxygen as a primary energy source also helps lower that glucose surge! How do I calculate my max heartrate? Calculating your max heart rate: 220- Your age= Maximum heart rate For example, I am 24 so my max HR is 196! Then I based my intensity percentages on that. If I work at 85% effort of my max HR, then my HR will be at 166. The chart below gives quick indications! Breaking Down Types of Workouts: HIIT, Tabata, CrossFit: Hyperglycemic Risk; Anaerobic exercise dominant Intense training involving short bursts of all-out effort and small rests. Activities like: Sprints, jumping, burpees, high knees, Steady state cardio: Hypoglycemic risk: Aerobic exercise Consistent, moderate intensity for longer periods of time Activities like jogging, swimming, rowing, power walking, elliptical, biking at a steady, lower intensity. Strength training: Most likely Hyperglycemic Risk Although an anaerobic exercise, it depends on what type of movements you are doing. Compound exercises (like squatting, deadlifts, bench press) require more energy and increase your HR. You’ll be at risk for hyperglycemia. However, doing just less intense exercises like triceps extensions (or any accessory muscles) you won’t likely see a spike in blood sugar. BUT, you typically use compound movements in your strength training routine along with accessory exercises. Therefore, you’re more like to have a hyperglycemic episode. What can I do to combat my crazy blood sugars? Hyperglycemia: If you are a pump user, I suggest a higher temp basal starting 15- 30 minutes before you work out and ending an hour after you’re done. If your blood sugar is over 120, give a small correction of insulin. Workout later in the day. Your cortisol levels (a stress hormone that inhibits insulin) are highest in the morning- ESPECIALLY if you don’t eat). Consult with your doctor to come up with a solution. Hypoglycemia: If you are a pump user, I suggest a lower temp basal starting 15 minutes beforehand and ending 30 minutes after completion. Only exercises if your blood sugar is over 100. Eat a 15 carb snack with protein with no correction. Try not to work out if you have excess insulin on board. Consult your doctor to come up with a solution. About the Writer: Samantha Tarantino is a certified personal trainer and diabetic health coach. She has battled type one for over 19 years. She received her BS in Neuroscience and is now continuing her education with a PhD in Bioengineering. She is nominated for Type One Diabetic Fitness Influencer of the Year by Myabetic.
How to Prevent Exercise Induced Hypoglycemia
For individuals with Type 1 Diabetes on insulin, low blood sugar due to exercise is highly likely if the appropriate preventative measures are not taken. However, diabetes and the fear of exercise induced hypoglycemia should never deter someone from engaging in any type of physical activity. In this blog post we will discuss 4 tips on how to prevent low blood sugar while exercising.
