Exercise and diabetes

[doegirl]

Hi all,
I'm reading Dr. Bernstein's book and am overwhelmed about the exercise section. Do you check your blood sugars during exercise as he suggests?

I am a newly diagnosed diabetic and my BG levels are not in control yet. So I gather from the book I shouldn't start vigorous exercise yet. I am just walking 15 min / day for now.

What kind of exercise do you do, if I may ask? (Looking for something I can get excited about - I am very sedentary.)

thanks
Doreen

[eddiemcm]

I do aerobics in the morning and weightlifting at night.
For me,aerobic exercise after breakfast usually causes a significant BG decrease but sometimes it causes a slight
increase.Weightlifting always seems to cause a slight BG
decrease.
That's how it works for me
Eddie

[pamlynn]

For sedendary people I think the "Walk Away the Pounds" DVD is a good way to start. It's just walking or really marching in place and incorporates some knee lifts and small kicks and some side to side movement (which you don't have to do if you can't or just don't want to at first). The DVD I have has a 1, 2 and 3 mile walk on it. As your fitness improves, you can move on to the longer walks. Its by Leslie Sansone.

[Squid]

Dance Revolution video game. It's a hoot!

Check out the American Volksport Association (ava.org) for a walking club where you can earn patches and medals for walking. It's very motivational and you meet nice people.

My blood sugars always go down, sometimes waaaaay down (low 50s) when I exercise vigorously. If I walk, I have to take a little snack if I'm going for more than about 45 minutes at a time.

[doegirl]

Thanks all for the good advice - and it's been a LONG time since I was on a Volksmarch, but what a great idea. They also seem to find good places to walk which I never would have found.

[RobLL]

And for some of us an hour of moderately low or intense exercise spikes our BGs, ambling or hours of intense exercise does lower mine. Upshot: meter before and after various exercise routines, it is useful, even essential information to know about you and YOUR diabetes.

[Sunflwr1]

For sedendary people I think the "Walk Away the Pounds" DVD is a good way to start. It's just walking or really marching in place and incorporates some knee lifts and small kicks and some side to side movement (which you don't have to do if you can't or just don't want to at first). The DVD I have has a 1, 2 and 3 mile walk on it. As your fitness improves, you can move on to the longer walks. Its by Leslie Sansone.I have the same set along with the weights and I love them. 2 years ago I was up to the 3 mile tape... now I'm starting over and am up to the 2 mile. They're great for the wintertime when you can't get out to walk. I too have trouble with my BG spiking with exercise. Frustrating!

[Lottadata]

I am currently doing a brisk 40 minutes walk around a town near me which has a lot of steep hills.

I learned the hard way that the best exercise is one that does NOT cause injuries. Mess up a joint (as I have done) or tear some tendons and you are all done with exercise for a long time.

I recently saw a study reported in Science Daily that found maximum fat burning in obese youngsters was higher with less intense exercise. For thin fit people this was not true, but it turned out that there was no more fat burning with intense exercise for the obese kids than when they exercised less intensely.

There are a lot of studies suggesting that 30-45 minutes of brisk walking 4 or 5 times a week is all it takes to be fit, too.

So if you are serious about making this exercise a long term thing, you might want to try walking. Bring your meter and some Sweetarts along, test if you feel woozy and correct with 2 or 3 Sweetarts and you'll be fine.

I do not find that I go dangerously low on my brisk walks even when I do a bunch of hills.

[dancinbr]

Getting exercise as everyone suggests is good for you be it to help you with diabetes or simply to help you be fit even if you weren't diabetic.

Until you get yourself completely under control or at least know more about how you react to various foods and exercise go cautiously and measure your BG frequently such as before exercise and after to see what it does for you.

When I walk my mile up and down hills I usually get a dip in BG.

When I played golf for 9 holes and walked and pushed a cart, my BG went way down. So you have to know yourself and be prepared to do the right thing to keep your BG in a safe range. Most folks who do not take insulin usually see a drop in BG after exercising; just become aware of your body and how it reacts.

Some folks see BG go up after exercise, but sometimes this has to do with not having had breakfast and still fasting.

So many factors.

Just approach it slowly and measure and journal and you will be fine.

Ralph