Physical Activity
Benefits of exercise
You'll benefit from exercise in a number of ways. It'll lower your blood sugar and your need for insulin. Your insulin will work more effectively and you may lose some weight. Exercise also lowers your blood pressure, which is good for your heart. It'll strengthen your muscles and joints. Finally, being in good shape will increase your self-confidence and help you feel good about yourself.
Before exercising consider
It is important that you choose the kind and amount of exercise that is right for you and that you will enjoy. Before you begin an exercise programme, you should consider your general health, your current physical fitness and how well your diabetes is controlled. Discuss your choice of exercise with your diabetes care team. If you have complications from diabetes or other health problems, there may be some sports that are not the best for you.
Physical activities
If your diabetes is under good control, you should be able to participate in the same kind of physical activities as people without diabetes but remember that these activities affect your blood sugar. The extent of that effect depends on the duration and intensity of the exercise. It differs from person to person. Try to learn how your body responds to different kinds of physical activities.
Delay exercise if
Your diabetes must be well controlled before exercise. You should not exercise if your blood sugar is more than 15 mmol/l and ketones are present in the urine. In that case you lack insulin and your blood sugar will rise, whether you're exercising or not. The liver will produce sugar and ketones and your muscles can't use sugar as they should. You should take extra insulin and delay your exercise until your blood sugar is normal and the urine is ketone free.
When physically active
When you are physically active, your body burns sugar faster and can lower your blood sugar. To help prevent hypoglycaemia, you should test your blood sugar before the exercise session. You'll usually need to eat more before - and maybe also during and after - exercise. You may also need less insulin than usual but you can't exercise without taking some insulin.
Take less insulin if
Taking less insulin than usual before exercise may be a good idea if you're overweight and your blood sugar is either normal or low but this is often only possible when you know the duration and intensity of the exercise beforehand. So, when you do unplanned physical activity, it is important that you eat an extra snack - such as pasta, fruit or bread - to avoid hypoglycaemia.
Exercise for a long period
When you exercise for a long period of time, it is usually necessary to take less insulin and to eat extra food. Ask your diabetes care team how to do this. There are no fixed rules, so you might try some different combinations to see what's best for you. If you're going to exercise heavily, you may need to lower your insulin dose by as much as 50% and you'll need extra water and fuel every 15 to 30 minutes. Juice, or other sugary soft drinks, work well.
Precautions during exercise
Take some sugar, biscuits or juice with you when you exercise. Take your diabetes identification card. It has information about what to do, if your blood sugar becomes so low that you need help. If you are exercising with other people or have a coach, you should tell them that you have diabetes, what the symptoms are when you have low blood sugar and what they should do if you suddenly need their help. Tell them where you keep fast-acting sugar and your glucagon injection kit. Make sure you use the right footwear for your particular type of exercise.
Precautions after exercise
It's a good idea to test your blood sugar after exercise. If it is normal or low, you should eat some more food. Be aware that hypoglycaemia can develop several hours after a hard exercise session. If you exercise late in the day, you should be particularly aware of hypoglycaemia during the night and eat an extra large snack at bedtime. You may also need to eat extra foods rich in carbohydrate, such as pasta, the following day.