Exercise questions
CherrycandyO
Posts: 5 Member
HI, need some advice on exercise as a type II diabetic. I've been exercising to lose weight (19.2lb down so far), and I also notice huge drops in my blood sugar from exercise. I usually exercise in the evening, before dinner. This will drop my sugar to about 101-108... then I eat my dinner, which invariably raises it. My fasting sugar is usually 130-140. Would I be better served to exercise at a different time of day? Is exercising a way of directly controlling my sugar, or is that just a "side" benefit of the weight loss? (I'm not sure if I'm asking the question right.) I know exercise has a million health benefits... I'm just wondering if I am doing it also for sugar control or is that something that is only improved with diet and medication. (On 1000mg of Metformin daily.)
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As I understand it, exercise lowers blood sugar in the short term (up to about 24 hours, I've read), but also has a cumulative positive effect if you do it regularly. I've found that my usual workout (one hour on the stationary bike at a moderate speed) drops my blood sugar around 50-70 points. I always test before exercising to make sure a 50-70 point drop won't put me too low, and have a small carb snack if necessary to cover the drop. I usually work out in the late morning/early afternoon because of my work schedule (2nd shift). Experiment with times and before/after meals to see what works best for you.
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It's great that you're exercising and losing weight! Many people find that exercise at different times of day affects their blood sugar differently. The American Diabetes Association has excellent information on exercise for people with diabetes at http://www.diabetes.org/food-and-fitness/fitness/?loc=ff-slabnav and states that exercise helps manage blood sugar levels along with other health benefits. ~Lynn /Glucerna0
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The best time of day is the time that works for you. Finding a time that fits with your schedule will help make exercising sustainable.CherrycandyO wrote: »Would I be better served to exercise at a different time of day?
Yes. A combination of diet and exercise is good approach for controlling blood glucose levels.CherrycandyO wrote: »Is exercising a way of directly controlling my sugar, or is that just a "side" benefit of the weight loss?
It sounds like your current plan is working well. Keep up the good work.
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My exercise raises my blood sugar and it stays up for about 2 hours. My Doctor (who is also a certified diabetic educator) told me that this is common. Apparently it takes about 15 minutes of exercise for most people to deplete the glucose in the bloodstream, then your muscles dump glucose into it in order to fuel your exercise. Eventually, the muscles will draw glucose from the bloodstream and store it for the next time it is needed so the number will drop again. She told me not to worry if I get a high number an hour or so after exercising because the A1C is the important test since it averages the glucose over a 3 month period (and mine is fairly consistent at around 5.5). Your body is constantly using, storing, drawing on those stores, replenishing them, using them again, etc.
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I went to a diabetes class and they had us test our bg and then go for a 10 minute walk. When we were done, we re-tested so we could all see that even a small amount of exercise had a direct impact on our glucose levels.
I now do a quick walk around the parking lot at work around 10 and 3 each day during my breaks in conjunction with my exercises I do after work.0 -
It can be eye-opening to see how much 10 minutes of exercise can decrease blood sugar levels. It's great that you're using your work breaks to fit in exercise! ~Lynn /Glucerna0
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