# Falling VO2 Max



## Morgan444 (Nov 23, 2021)

I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes a month ago.  I’ve noticed that, over the past year my vo2 max has been steadily falling (as reported by Apple Health) from 43 (above average) to 33 (below average, verging on low).  I exercise all the time - five times a week at least - mainly cycling and walking but some running but this doesn’t seem to work in increasing vo2 max.  I know there is a causal link from unfitness and type 2 but can type 1 have an impact on my fitness and, if so, will getting stable blood sugars help me retain my previous fitness?


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## Inka (Nov 23, 2021)

Type 1 is a serious condition @Morgan444 so it would make sense that it had an effect. I didn’t realise how rough I’d been feeling until I started on insulin. Do give your body time to recover from the shock it’s had. I found it was a few months until I felt totally back to normal exercise/strength-wise.


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## Robin (Nov 23, 2021)

While you were brewing up Type 1 (it doesn’t just happen overnight in adults, it'll have been going on for a while before you notice anything, at least, mine was!) your body has had to contend with glucose not getting into the muscles as it should, and so they’ve been underpowered. I'm not an expert, but I wouldn’t be at all surprised if this had a knock on effect on general fitness levels.
I noticed particularly just before diagnosis that when I was walking uphill with a couple of bags of shopping, my legs ached and I felt like I was wading through treacle, and I had a general sense of losing my fitness. It cost me more effort to achieve less and less.
Once I got insulin on board so that I could use the glucose in my body again, the feeling went away, and I suddenly started feeling fitter than I had for some time.


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## trophywench (Nov 24, 2021)

Yep Morgan - what they said.  Brewing T1 takes its toll on ALL our internal bits and pieces and whilst my eyesight only took about 5 or 6 weeks to recover, goodness only knows how long it may have taken all my other bits.  My A1c was 13+% ie 120 ish on diagnosis and I had palpitations and had had repeated UTIs despite desperately needing to pee every half hour by then.


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