Help!!! Exercise Fanatics Inquire within

[Gina]

I need advice. What do you all do to prevent a low at the gym. I know I keep harping on this subject but I seem to really be struggling.

Last night I turned my pump to a 50% basal an hour before working out. I checked my blood it was at 115 before going into the class, so I took some sips of Gatorade and turned my pump to a basal of 0% for the remainder of the time I would be working out just like the diabetes team told me to do.

Halfway through the class I am in, I am sweating. Not your usual sweat over the brow kind. Its so bad my pants are soaked all the way through. (This is a very intense class just so you know.)

I take in some more Gatorade and make my face hit the fan that is directly behind me for a minute. I am thinking to myself that its got to be because I haven’t worked out this intense in a long time and I’m just tired.

She started doing a lower impact exercise with just arms. I went to pick up the body bar and I can’t even hold it.

Shit. I have to be low. I actually start to panic at this point. Now I am starting to feel a bit faint. My head feels like someone is squeezing it and my eyes starting seeing spots and my breathing is getting very short.

Now, my bag is all the way upstairs with my blood machine, and I do have my Gatorade with me along with a bottle of water. So I chugged the rest of the Gatorade that I had. And actually left all the equipment and even my water to proceed upstairs.

My legs are so weak going up the stairs I swear I thought I was going to pass out. (I’m not being dramatic either) I made it up and I went straight to the front desk and she knew something waas wrong right away.

In a faint voice I said, I am diabetic.

I didn’t even have to tell her anything else. She went to the fridge and got a Gatorade for me right away. I try opening it and I couldn’t. So she said here give it to me I will open it for you. I said thanks and chugged some.

My husband was doing his exercises, so I had to go over and tell him yet again that I had a low and interrupt him during his workout.

I am trying everything to keep my blood sugars up. Please if you have any advice let me know.

Either comment back or email me gcapone1(at)optonline.net

[Patrick O'Donnell]

i would take a glucose tablet with me in my pocket you can get them at walmart.they are fast acting.i like the rasberry flavored ones.and they wont bring you up to far.about the same as a small glass of orange juice.candy bars take much longer to work so the tablets are better and they are accurrate dose fat free gluten free no sodium no caffeine and are chewable.my doctor told me to keep some in my test case or in my pocket if i bike or hike or exercise.

[Morgan]

Hammer Gel, pick your favorite flavor and eat it right before the gym. Not much fast sugar (avoids the spike) but enough carbs for a good workout. Very portable, too. Also, I am not associated with Hammer.

[Gina]

lol ivan thats pretty funny i mean about the starburst. thanks for your suggestions.

[iroseland]

yea, gatorade is good stuff, buit not very good for fixing a sudden onset workout low. Also, remember there is a effectivness curve for the insulin that it already in you. You are not adding new stuff so fast but whats already there is still working, now extra hard from the workout.

I usually bring a fix for the dire emergency and keep a few starbursts on my person at all times. Back in my ninpo days the instructor was often amazed by how out of nowhere I could suddenly have starburst.

Ivan!

[tmana]

I don't know if you do weights and cardio, or weights and classes, or cardio and classes, etc. the same night. When I am able to routinely do reasonable (aka, 2-hour) workouts, I make sure I'm at a safe level and start with weights. Weight work will usually sink me, but if I consume carbs before doing weights, I'll spike a terrible headache that will cause me to abort the entire rest of the weight session. Another reason for doing weights first is that I'm fresh and can do more. I will usually consume about 1/2 l water in a 20 minute weight session. After I've done weights and stretched out, I'll pretty much always have a fruit (fresh banana or cold apple) before going on to cardio. The mid-workout consumption will slow me down during the "warmup" phase of the cardio session, but will power me through it and keep me at reasonable levels.

If you are going low a lot during your gym sessions, you may need to look at (1) starting with your glucose levels a lot higher, (2) keeping a monitor with you for at-apparatus testing (takes up less space than the magazine you'd be reading on the treadmill or elliptical!) and/or (3) using a replenisher beverage that has a higher concentration of glucose than Gatorade... or as an alternative option, one of the "power drinks" or "power bars" that professional endurance athletes use (PowerBars, Gu, etc.) You may even need to create a custom mix of half fruit-juice and half Gatorade.