# Exercise and hypos!



## Salb (Oct 20, 2012)

I'm trying to lose weight for my wedding so am trying to eat healthier and excercise. I'm type 1. I'm looking for tips on how to avoid hypos when excersising. When I do aquagym I have an OJ before and not inject and that works. However, I do Zumba and do the same and somedays I just need one before but sometimes, like last nite it went down to 1.6 during the class. Any ideas what I'm doing wrong? I've also tried to vary what I have for dinner before hand.

Help Sarah


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## Northerner (Oct 20, 2012)

Hi Sarah, it can be confusing and exercise can affect people in very different ways. It's quite common for certain types of exercise to make people's levels fall whilst other types may have the opposite effect, or keep levels steady. When I run my levels rarely change if I'm running less than 6 miles, but above that I need a little extra sugar boost like a jelly baby or two  But if I am do strength exercises, or something like gardening, my levels will fall much faster and I need more frequent energy intake. The different intensity of exercise will also have different outcomes for me - more intense exercise may produce an adrenalin response, which in me will cause my levels to rise - but in others, their levels will fall! So, very confusing and really it is just a case of trial and error to establish what works for you as an individual. Perhaps you could take frequent sips of lucozade or similar in your zumba classes? What insulin do you use, and how long before exercising would you have it?

I found the book The Diabetic Athlete's Handbook useful as it helps you understand exercise when using insulin, plus the website Runsweet may be able to offer you some suggestions.


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## MCH (Oct 20, 2012)

I agree with Notherner that it is a lot of trial and error.

Another thing I find is that it depends what time of day I exercise, so if your classes are eg a morning and an evening, you might find they are completely different because of that.

Good luck - for the time being, remember to take CHIO with you, keep testing during your exercise - and HAVE FUN - Oh yes, and good luck with your wedding.


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## Copepod (Oct 20, 2012)

Another vote for using Runsweet website - good pages about underlying principles of physiology, using injectable insulin etc, plus some case studies - this page has links to several activities, including gym, which might be close enough to zumba to help you http://www.runsweet.com/DiabetesAndSport.html


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