Diabetes and Exercise

It is recommended to check your blood sugars before, during and after your workout.

Guidelines for pre-exercise blood sugar levels.

• Lower than 100 mg/dL- Eat a small snack containing 1 to 30 grams of carbohydrates to bring up sugar levels. A small fruit juice, fruit or crackers can help.
• Levels 100 to 250 mg/dL- this is a good range for most people to exercise.
• Levels 250 mg/dL or higher- blood sugars may be too high to exercise. Test for ketones in urine. Exercising while ketones are high can lead to ketoacidosis. Focus on correcting blood sugar levels and wait 10 mins before checking urine again.

During exercise

• Check blood sugars every 30 mins if you have a long workout. If blood sugar is 70 mg/dL or below, stop exercising and have 15 grams of carbs such as ½ cup of fruit juice or soda.
• Continue to check blood sugars every 15 mins to get them above 70 mg/dL
• Avoid injecting insulin into the primary muscle that will be used, because it will be absorbed too quickly, and you could have hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) levels.

After exercise

• Check your blood sugars immediately after exercise and for the next few hours to ensure it’s not too low. If it’s low, try having a slow acting carbohydrate like a granola bar or trail mix.

Source:

Acentra Health

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