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Hey Ginger,
I was diagnosed a year ago. I'm 19, and I've been searching around the site and realizing how much I really don't know! I want to get back into sports, 'cause I kind of stopped for a while...afraid of lows and not really sure how to do my blood sugar at the same time, and then food, and insulin...I guess I was curious as to what you do and how you started learning everything so you could balance and stay so active?
-Michele
Hey Michele,
You're actually on the right path right now - simply by asking the question: How can I learn more? A lot of us don't even realize there is so much more to learn. And it's not uncommon for many doctors to sort of skim the basics because their patients either don't take an active interest in learning more, or they don't think they need to bother learning more.
To become and remain really active with diabetes, you've gotta understand how your body works because going high and low throughout the day is going to stunt your progress, drain your energy, keep you from being active altogether that day and put you at high risk for a dangerous blood sugar situation.
Most Important Things to Remember:
In the words of Wilford Brimley, Check your blood sugar OFTEN. When you wake up, before exercise, after exercise, before a meal, after a meal. You won't have to check this often forever, but you need to make sure you're really aware of what your blood sugars are doing during different things and making sure you're getting the right amount of insulin.
Also, as you become more active, add more muscle and increase your metabolism, your insulin needs will probably go down, so you need to be aware of when to adjust based on your blood sugar readings. YOu might need to decrease your long-acting insulin by a couple of units every month or so.
NUTRITION is hugely important too, because as you know, what you eat really affects your blood sugar. Not all food is created equal. I learned the most about nutrition and my blood sugar from my trainer Andrew. Because of his background in studying nutrition & endocrinology, and bodybuilding (bodybuilders have to know a lot about nutrition to succeed!), he taught me much more than a doctor ever did because he didn't underestimate my ability to understand and utilize the information.
These articles cover the major issues around Diabetes and Nutrition:
Changing your eating habits Part I
Part II: Determining Amount of Carbohydrates, Fats & Proteins for Your Body
Eating well in a school cafeteria
Different Symptoms of Hypoglycemia!
The main things I learned were also what is happening during exercise:
1. Higher heart rate/long-duration cardio will burn more muscle and sugar than fat. If I walk at a steady pace with my heart rate under 140 or do short sprints and intervals, I'll use more fat for fuel, and not need to worry about my blood sugar as much.
