Linking things together
In order to exercise and keep your blood glucose levels stable, you need to link all of the information you have been given and work out a plan that will suit your individual needs. The following are the most important points you will have to think about.
Are you at risk of hypos?
If you are at risk of hypos you need to either eat extra carbs or reduce certain insulin doses. Have a look at your exercise and insulin personal plan, and click on the following images to help you work out what to do:
Are you at risk of high glucose levels?
Have a look at your exercise diary. If you are exercising with no fast-acting insulin working in your body i.e. before breakfast, or if you are doing short and sharp exercise, you are at risk of going high. If this is the case, you should first monitor your glucose levels before, during and after exercise.
If high glucose during exercise is happening repeatedly, you may need to take a small extra dose of insulin (possibly alongside some carbohydrate e.g. 10 g) in advance of exercise. You should just try a very small dose of insulin first as too much insulin will cause a hypo.
What if you have high or low blood glucose immediately before you exercise?
You should ideally have a blood glucose level of around 7–10 mmol/L before you start exercising, and you should have taken the right precautions in terms of insulin and food intake to keep your blood glucose stable. However, things can go wrong and you may find that your blood glucose is abnormally high or low before you even start. For more info on how to deal with this, see attached.