Since September last year when I went on the pump I haven’t really been doing any exercise because it was a factor I just didn’t have the patience or brain power to deal with on top of all the other things I was juggling. I wasn’t too keen on the idea of not getting some form of exercise though so I told myself that once I got my HbA1c down below 6.5% that I was going to start again.
So, having got my latest HbA1c down to 6.3% I decided that it was time for me to take another step on the road of diabetes and attempt to do exercise again.
I work literally across the road from a gym which work has a membership at (meaning I can’t use $ as an excuse), 4 of my work mates go almost daily leaving me feeling like a slob and I watched that Jamie Oliver show last week on healthy eating (the one the creepy German guy with a black hat a la Van Helsing dissects a person in) which all had the net result of inciting a surge of enthusiasm to get into it! Besides that fact though, I do actually want to do to regain some body shape on my stomach which injections have decimated over the last 18 years, get a bit of healthy living back in and I’m getting married in five weeks – pressure on!
Mission launch date? Yesterday
Result: Mission failed
It was my first attempt so I’m not going to be overly critical on myself but it really could have gone better. I went into it with a BG that was in hindsight a little low meaning that by half-way through the class I had to stop and have some skittles which was my second mistake because about 1 hour later I was approaching 17.0
I reckon, like Nic, that with trial and errror I’ll get it right eventually but as the title of the blog suggests, Nic – you have my sympathy vote!
-Aaron
Posted in Exercise, Hypos & Hypers
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Sianne wrote
Hi Aaron
Sorry to hear things didn’t go well. I start on my pump on the 16th March and the exercise thing is really worrying for me.
I am doing Ceroc dancing 3 times a week for 2 to 3 hours. Its definitely my passion so the though of giving it up teriffies me. It keeps me sane and the people I have met through it have become very important people in my life.
My nurse said I would need to stop for 2 weeks which is doable but theres no way I am giving it up.
I remember my first appintment at the Diabetes Clinic in South afric where the lovely woman who worked in the shop told me two important things that help me get through:
1. Diabetes is a condition not a disease. I am not sick I just have a condition I need to manage.
2. Don’t let Diabetes live your life for you. Live your life and fit Diabetes in to it.
Its really difficult sometimes but I’m gonna try my hardest to make it work. I’d love to hear your experiences to help me along the way.
Have a great day
Sianne
Misizith wrote
Hi everyone,
Walking the tightrope with food, insulin exercise and diabetes can be a huge drain sometimes. And honestly sometimes the whole diabetes is a condition thing wears a bit thin for me because of all the micromanaging that we need to do to hang in there! .
Every day, everything we eat, do, exercise etc can affect our results. Sometimes it’s a bit exhausting thinking about it eh! The important thing is that you are trying and giving it a go . That shows commitment!
Keep trying when you feel you’re ready and mentally prepared!
I found 1/2 a powerade helped me when i was gyming – just taking alternative sips with that and my water seemed to make a difference.
Good luck everyone!
Tory wrote
Hi – I’ve just got back in to the gym after spending the last few years on the sofa in front of the tele, preceeding an overly adventurous trip booked to walk the Inca trail in 8 weeks. Eeek! However, I have found that ‘unplugging’ from the pump during exercise has really helped me to avoid the lows later in the day (and during). Just finished an hour personal training session and 7.4mml. Bit of a miracle to be honest, but since I have started the exercise my bgls have been heaps better (wouldn’t mind a HbA1c of 6.4 though, well done Aaron), I just have to keep a closer eye on them. I’m really annoyed with my nurse for telling me to avoid exercise. That is just the lazy nurse/doctors way out of having to explain that exercise is perfectly do-able, but definitely involves a bit of trial and error!!
Sianne – don’t be worried. Ceroc is pretty high intensity so I would make sure you have something like powerade (as mentioned by Misizith) on standby but certainly don’t give it up!! I only went on the pump in Dec, and obviously different for everyone but nothing is impossible. They do usually recommend reducing your Basal in the hour or two before the exercise by about 20% – specially for something like dance/running etc. Don’t take my word for it though, definitely speak to your diab nurse and they should be able to help you work it out.
Good luck everyone, and fingers crossed I survive my personal trainer (not to mention the trip to Peru)!!
Tory
Chris wrote
In my 5 years of pumping, I have gone without exercise twice. On both occassions it was for several weeks. Each time, I found that my BGLs grew harder to manage as each week went by. Once I got back into the exercise regime, my BGLs were back to what I am used to. I find that the 2 statements that Sianne mentions are very true as far as I am concerned, but remember that we are all different.
1. Diabetes is a condition not a disease. I am not sick I just have a condition I need to manage.
2. Don’t let Diabetes live your life for you. Live your life and fit Diabetes in to it.
I feel that I am very fortunate in having diabetes in the 21st century. It is so much easier to manage and control than what it was even 50 years ago.
Sianne wrote
Wow Tory you are braver than me. Looked at doing the Inca Trail a couple of years ago when we were possibly doing a trip to South America but was gonna do the easy train option
Macchu Pichu Looks awesome. Definitely a place I want to get to.
Powerade is a great idea. When I go low during exercise I find it really hard to eat anything. I used to take Fruit Juice cartons but Powerade is prob faster?
I do find that when I am dancing I feel better and my BGL’s are better so don’t want to give that up either. I guess I will just need to test heaps.
Thanks also to everyone for sharing their exercise experiences.
The scary thing is I have signed up to do a team Routine at the Nationals in May which will be quite a challenge given I am starting the pump
Nic wrote
Hey Sianne, as I mentioned to you earlier you will totally rock the Ceroc (excuse the cheesy phrasing). I think it’s good that you’ve been given realistic expectations of staying away from exercise for the first couple of weeks though while you get all of the other bits and pieces right, before exercise throws you into a wobbly!
I’ve had a bit of a mixed-up week with the exercise myself this week…. Woke up at 4.2 yesterday. This is awesome for me (I’m normally high) but for once I was a bit disappointed because I’d got up to do 20mins stepping and to get my BG to where it needed to be before I started exercise was (a) going to take to long in the time I had before work and (b) calories-wise probably either equal or exceed what I would have burnt off exercising.
So last night I backed off the basals ever so slightly and woke up at 15.6 (at 5:15am). I was supposed to meet my Mum for an RPM class at 6am but had to cancel because if I got on the bike at that level (or as the correction was working) it would have disastrous consequences either way (either shoot up or go low).
So…. I’m supposed to be meeting a girlfriend after work tonight for a power walk…. Wish me luck!
I think with this condition you just need to try to disengage yourself and your expectations of what is a good BG sometimes, or you would go crazy. As long as you are doing everything you can to get it right, you can’t help the odd wobble unfortunately.
Nic wrote
Update – BGs out of control again this afternoon, went from 10.4 at 2pm all the way up to 15.0 by 5.30pm so my walk is also out. Three strikes out of three this week… the exercise regime is not going well.