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Preventing Low Blood Sugar During Your Workout
Diabetics who work out regularly find that they are often better able to control their weight and blood glucose levels. One
possible problem during a workout is the risk of running a low blood sugar. I have had a number of clients tell me that they
sometimes have to stop their workout because of low blood sugar. Its effects leave the person too depleted to continue their
workout.
Hypoglycemia is the single greatest risk of exercise for people with diabetes. This holds true whether you take oral
medications or insulin. Here are some guidelines you should follow to help prevent this problem, and keep you on track with
your exercise plan:
1. Always check you blood glucose level before and after exercise. Once you know how much your blood sugar drops during
exercise you can learn to make adjustments in you snacks. It usually takes 15 grams of carbohydrate to raise your blood glucose
30-40 mg/dl. If you find that a workout typically lowers your blood glucose by 60 mg/dl, you will need to have about 30 grams
of carbohydrate before you start to exercise. If you are consistent with your exercise, and you blood glucose drop is consistent,
you may want to work with your doctor or diabetes team to lower your medication doses for exercise days. For this, you will
need a record showing how much your blood sugar drops during the exercise.
2. If you are exercising 3-4 hours after your last meal or snack, odds are good that your blood glucose will drop during
the exercise. Many exercises run out of energy if their last meal or snack was 3-4 hours or more. If this is the case, your
should have a healthy snack that contains carbohydrate and some protein. Many foods can work well for this: an energy bar,
a few crackers with low fat cheese or peanut butter, a small piece of fruit and a small handful of nuts, etc. Having a small
snack before the workout is a good strategy, because even if you get through your workout without a snack, your length of
time without a meal has increased. You will likely be excessively hungry when finished with exercise, and at this point,
you may overeat.
3. Some diabetics working out for 60 minutes or more may need a snack about 30 minutes into the workout. Fruit juice
or sports drinks such as Gatorade can usually fit the need, and prevent a significant drop in the blood glucose.
Blood glucose monitoring before and after exercise and proper adjustments in your snacks and/or medications will enable
you to exercise routinely without the risk of developing hypoglycemia.
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