Execise's effect on BG
brendacshiver
Posts: 12 Member
I'm finding that when I check my blood glucose before and then after exercise that my numbers drop by about 50! Pretty cool, eh? Is this what you notice?
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Replies
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Mine usually shows a drop but depends on the exercise as to the amount. Your drop of 50 is fantastic. Lately I've been trying to do a little exercise, about 15-20 minutes worth, 1-2 hrs. after dinner so I can have an evening snack and lower the morning FBG since I am prone to that "dawn effect" it seems. So far it seems to help...but it's too early to be sure.
Glad to see how much difference exercise makes for you as well!0 -
It depends really - I do love seeing the # drop but at the same time sometimes I see a higher # - I suspect I dropped low enough that my liver kicked out some sugar and it spiked me.
For example last week I had dinner with my sister then we did about a 45 min walk. Her neighborhood is pretty hilly and I was pushing the stroller so it was a better workout than the 20-30 mins I usually do on a flat path or a treadmill. When I got back I tested and was at 168.
BUT I tested again a hour later and I was down to 119.
Two days later we did pretty much the same thing - dinner then 45 min walk on trail and up and down hills etc. This time my reading was only 133....but my predinner reading was 123 so it was still up. This was about 90 minutes after we ate a pretty low carb dinner (salad + chicken & pepper kabobs... the most carbs probably being the few croutons in my salad).
I am trying to get into a regular exercise routine so I can see trends even more. Part of my problem is the most convenient time for me to work out is near a meal so then some of what I ate comes into play as well I think, as well as how long I'm working out. Some days I am able to walk at lunch time for 20-25 mins and I walk to walk before I eat lunch so I know I will have time but that is usually my lowest reading of the day so I don't want to dip too low - spike and then eat lunch.0 -
djshari, I don't know if this answers your concern about blood sugar going up during exercise but, typically, studies have shown that moderate exercise lowers blood sugar. More intensive exercise can temporarily raise it. It is believed that this is due to stress hormones that are released as your body perceives intense exercise as stress. It's still OK to do intense exercise as long as your BG levels aren't too high before you start. This is 250 and spilling ketones or 300 without spilling ketones. If it's that high, you shouldn't exercise unless it's a very easy, moderate walk.
Anyway, even if your BG levels raise during more intense exercise, it's still good to do for general fitness and it does help your body become more receptive to the insulin your body is producing so the long-term effects are still very positive. Add to that, as your fitness improves, that intense exercise will be less stressful for your body and your blood sugars won't raise as much because of it. In fact, if you keep it up on a regular basis, it should help lower your overall blood sugars (with good diet too, of course).
Hope that helps and makes sense.0 -
Hi Brenda... I do very intense exercise 3-4 times a week on Schwinn Air Dyne Bike. Anywhere from 40-65 minutes at a time and doing 14- 17 miles burning 575 calories to over 700. I never check my blood before or after exercise, however the intensity of mine over the last 9 months has really tightened up my numbers. My A!C had always been 5.6- 5.9, then last August it jumped up to one reading of 6.5. Because of my family history, the endocrinologist I went to said one more test of 6.5 or over and you will be officially diabetic. I am not on any medication and I went from 202- 181 pounds in 3 months. I tested 3-4 times a day and saw I had some problems with certain foods. Therefore, I started exercising which helped pull off the weight and tried to keep carbs between 150- 200 per day.
Where I am gong with this; My first A1C 2 weeks ago was a 5.5 and the doctor did all and I mean all blood work was normal. The doctor said it was perfect. Cholesterol was 140 HDL was 57 LDL was 71 Tri's were 96.
So the intensity of my exercising has allowed me to only test 2x a day. Fasting and 2 hours after dinner. My averages are as follows;
1 day- 96
7 day101
14 day-98
30 day99.
It has been like that for months. So if you can do intense exercise and talk with doctor, I hope it helps you as it has me.
Good luck.
WCUCATS770 -
In addition to a proper diet exercise is important for controlling BGL.
A combination of resistance training and cardio can help lower BGL.
http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=186960
There are also quite a few studies that suggest that high intensity exercises work well for lowering glucose levels.
I'm not willing to go hard on my joints due to arthritis. I do walk 3 days a week and do resistance training 3 days a week. It has helped the management of my diabetes immensely.
I think exercise is important. It doesn't matter if you don't want to lift or run a marathon, just pick something that you can do on a regular basis. Ride a bike, swim, hiking; any form of exercise is far better than no exercise at all.0 -
I'm finding the exact opposite. When I take my sugar in the morning, and then work out, my sugars go up by about 15!!!
I've read on livestrong that this can be normal when you first start working out, but decreases over time.
Anyone else have this problem currently or when they first started working out?
HELP!!!!0 -
I'm seeing spikes after my workouts too. I stopped taking my sugar after a workout because I was getting very frustrated to see my sugar level go up.
I read on Livestrong that raised BG levels are common for a while when you start working out, but that eventually your body gets used to it and goes normal (Whatever normal really is!).
Here's to hoping
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after my workouts mine goes way high also, its very frustrating!0
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Just saw your response. I won't stop exercising because of spikes - the ones I've seen after exercise aren't huge - so far that 168 was the highest I've seen and it still came down after another hour. I am looking for better control via losing weight but still documenting all my readings as I go along so I can adjust as needed. Already learning that if it's been a few hours or more since a meal that a snack will help keep it down. I also tend to do shorter workouts most of the time because I get bored quickly so 45+ minutes workouts are maybe once a week where the normal 10-30 min blocks spread through out the day get me to my goal without any weird readings.djshari, I don't know if this answers your concern about blood sugar going up during exercise but, typically, studies have shown that moderate exercise lowers blood sugar. More intensive exercise can temporarily raise it. It is believed that this is due to stress hormones that are released as your body perceives intense exercise as stress. It's still OK to do intense exercise as long as your BG levels aren't too high before you start. This is 250 and spilling ketones or 300 without spilling ketones. If it's that high, you shouldn't exercise unless it's a very easy, moderate walk.
Anyway, even if your BG levels raise during more intense exercise, it's still good to do for general fitness and it does help your body become more receptive to the insulin your body is producing so the long-term effects are still very positive. Add to that, as your fitness improves, that intense exercise will be less stressful for your body and your blood sugars won't raise as much because of it. In fact, if you keep it up on a regular basis, it should help lower your overall blood sugars (with good diet too, of course).
Hope that helps and makes sense.0 -
Just got back on the compliance wagon about a month ago after almost a year of denial. I am walking on a treadmill daily. Right now I am walking about 66 minutes for 3.75 mi. My BG is up if I check right after exercise but if I wait until I cool down, I find that it goes down considerably.0
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What I've been noticing is that if I fuel my workout with a high-quality light, low-carb snack just before the workout, I get a reduced BG reading. If I don't fuel it, my liver fuels it for me and far more aggressively than necessary.
Dang liver only comes with an ON/OFF switch and no volume control! :-)
Usually, I work out in the evening before dinner but that snack is critical.
--Wag--0 -
Hi Louwags, what sort of snack are you eating before working out?
Thanks!0
