An important question for diabetes patient

[Yumin]

Hello all:

  I am re-posting my question, it is very important for the diabetes patients.

  Days ago I posted a question "Which is the imputation?" suggesting that strenuous exercise may increase your glucose!!

  From the suggestions and replies, some friends said yes, strenuous exercise is no good to diabetes patients, it increase bloos-sugar. But another seemed that they don't know it at all.

  Who is experienced or expert at this question and give an exact answer!

  Thanks!

[snowbunnyy]

i exercise regularly and find that it causes a drastic drop in my blood sugars, especially when i participate in aerobic exercise.  I always suspend my pump and have to consume at least 20-30grams of carbs beforehand to avoid going low during my work out.

[Larry68]

Sometimes it amazes me how I can have been a diabetic for over 40 years, and not come to understand subtle facets of the disease until they slap me in the face. I had never put blood glucose rise and exercise together until just now, though I clearly understand the physiological processes involved. Unfortunately, this is another facet of diabetes management my physicians have never mentioned, even though they know I exercise strenuously once or twice a week with their encouragement. I ride horses (jumpers), often in high heat and humidity as I live in the south. The muscle exercise in the legs is extreme (and provides my heart the most benefit) but I find my blood glucose levels do not behave at all as they do when I exercise normall). I begin exercise with a BG level of 130-140, and end with one of 280 to 340 on a hard riding day. On a less strenuous day, I consume 16-20 ounces of O.J. and barely keep above 100. I will be modifying my routine with mid-ride blood checks from now on.  Thank you, Yumin, for the observation and you, LRS, for the insight.

Larry

[JDRF-Team-LRS]

Hello again, Yumin,
I'm not certain, but I think that you may have misunderstood some of the responses to your earlier questions concerning strenuous exercise.

Strenuous exercise, if allowed by your physician (some folks with, say, heart conditions, are cautioned about how much exertion is safe for them) is very beneficial for diabetics, as is aerobic exercise.

An important point about the physiology of strenuous weight-training type of exercise is that, our muscles will demand glucose to order to perform the exercise.  In response to that signal from muscles, the liver will convert stored glycogen into glucose to provide the fuel.  If we diabetics are not well-trained on how to exercise, strenuously, while maintaining our blood sugar in a target range, we will be more likely to see rises in blood sugar.

Exercise is an important component of maintaining our good health -- keeping our vascular system as clear as possible and keeping our muscles strong.  Most exercise regimens require that the person get clearance from their physician to begin it.  For us with diabetes, that "clearance" should include instructions on how to adjust our medication dose, how often to test during a long workout, what blood sugar levels to target, and how to make sure we're eating the right foods at the right time to support our exercise plan.

I have never heard that exercise is bad for diabetics; in fact, I hear very often that LACK OF exercise is very dangerous for us.  

As you know, none of us here is a physician, so please do check in with a qualified medical doctor for specifics on your situation.  YOur doc may also refer you to a diabetic exercise specialist.

Good luck!