Don't Sweat It

Although none of us want to admit it, the lazy dog days of summer are nearly over. We'll soon be back to 6 a.m. wakeups and homework-filled afternoons. I, like many others, have gotten into an exercise routine this summer: I wake up, eat breakfast, and go for a leisurely run or swim. Once school rolls around, I'll have to adjust my exercise routine to fit my schedule.

You'll have to find time for your exercise in your schedule. I like to wake up early, eat breakfast, and then go exercise. However, this means that I have to wake up around 5:00 a.m. Morning exercise wakes me up in the morning, but I'm careful to take in extra fuel afterwards to replenish my glycogen stores so that I'm not tired by lunchtime.

Other people choose to exercise after school. If I'm running after school, I put aside two hours to get ready, run, and shower, as if my run was my job. Exercising on your own shouldn't take the place of doing your homework; regard your workout as your own, flexible sports team: you can only play when you're doing well in school, but you'd never skip practice.

I notice a change in my blood sugar when I exercise at these two very different times of the day. I, like many others, am very sensitive to carbs in the morning. My insulin-to-carb ratio is 4:1 in the morning, yet 7:1 in the evening. This means that even if I eat the same number of carbs pre-workout in the morning as in the evening, I'll need to take more insulin in the morning. Therefore, there is a greater margin for error; if I'm not exact in measuring my carbs, I'll be very high or very low during exercise.

There is also a change in post-workout blood sugars depending on the time of day. This is largely dependent on the person: I experience high blood sugar after exercise because of an adrenaline rush, but others experience low blood sugar because their metabolism and heart rate is elevated. If you begin to exercise at a different time of day, it's important to test your blood sugar more frequently to catch a spike or drop. If you exercise in the afternoon, consider testing your blood sugar in the middle of the night. Check out this post by Anna describing post-workout blood sugar in details.

In addition to the blood sugar changes that accompany a new exercise routine, it's also significant to consider the actual exercise you'll be doing. If you've only got forty-five minutes to exercise, it's tempting to do a grueling, high-intensity workout to burn the most calories during this period. However, this isn't effective in the long run. It's important to build a strong cardiovascular base before moving on to intense exercise. Not only will long, low-intensity cardio improve your efficiency, but you'll also have time to observe the blood sugar changes that accompany exercise. Also remember that aerobic (lower intensity) and anaerobic (higher intensity) exercise have different effects on your blood sugar, as Anna discusses in this article.

Set aside one day on the weekend for long, low-intensity exercise, whether it be running, walking, swimming, or using the elliptical trainer. See this post by Andrew for advice on different types of cardio. Set aside at least one more day for strength training, and other days for high-intensity exercise, such as sprinting, intervals, or hills. By introducing variety to your exercise routine, you'll stay interested and look forward to your break from schoolwork. Additionally, switching up an exercise routine makes sure that your body doesn't adjust to one particular type of training. You'll also be more well rounded in your ability and health.