# Realised how much I loved walking today and how good it is for me



## Taffyboyslim (Jul 23, 2022)

Very overcast here near Cardiff today but got out and did 5 miles . Came back and have had a lovely natural high all day . Had a salad for tea . Going to have a nice early night . Walking is my number 1 exercise .


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## Cornwall1964 (Jul 23, 2022)

Taffyboyslim said:


> Very overcast here near Cardiff today but got out and did 5 miles . Came back and have had a lovely natural high all day . Had a salad for tea . Going to have a nice early night . Walking is my number 1 exercise .


You can't beat a lovely walk to bring that well being feeling


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## Eddy Edson (Jul 24, 2022)

It's addictive!


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## Cornwall1964 (Jul 24, 2022)

I envy you so much I love walking our coastal paths but have been lucky to walk to car these last few months. But fingers crossed I will again once the meds kick in


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## Taffyboyslim (Jul 24, 2022)

Eddy Edson said:


> It's addictive!


It is . I struggle with running , gym , 5 a side football , squash etc but walking is so easy and user friendly !


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## helli (Jul 24, 2022)

I enjoy walking, especially when I can get out into the countryside for a good hike.
Unfortunately, life and work don’t always allow me the time so I also enjoy a short run or jump on the bike trainer for 30 minutes.

In addition, I walk when others would drive or use the bus. My Monday evening exercise is a walk to the supermarket for the weekly shop which incorporates weight training when I carry it up the hill home again. Likewise, I walk to the train station with my laptop on my back when I have a meeting in London … and, again, a walk back up the hill when I get home. On Friday I walked to an appointment at the hospital - 40 minutes each way (which was spent on a work conference call) in the pouring rain. It saved me the car parking and the drive round and round the car park to find a space to park.


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## arthurocannon (Jul 30, 2022)

Taffyboyslim said:


> Very overcast here near Cardiff today but got out and did 5 miles . Came back and have had a lovely natural high all day . Had a salad for tea . Going to have a nice early night . Walking is my number 1 exercise .


Walking is great for the mood, and 5 miles is a real power walk. Good for you. The sun usually beams down on me when I go outside (I'm 6'5" lol), so i enjoy a good 1 mile incline walk on the treadmill when I do go to the gym.


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## harbottle (Jul 31, 2022)

I do a lot of walking, in fact, during lockdown did at least 10,000 steps a day and usually more! Most people I knew hardly left the house, but we did a lot of exploring - it was quite nice walking around the deserted city with no cars on the roads.

Now I walk around the university campus I work on (It has a country park) and tend to walk to work if I can.


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## Eddy Edson (Jul 31, 2022)

My target is 14K steps per day. 

I had a few days of zero steps in June when  I had COVID, so I've spent July clawing things back, walking 15.5K+ steps on average, and yesterday my avg for the year tripepd the 14K mark again.  

Dopamine micro-rush!


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## littlevoice359 (Jul 31, 2022)

What’s the best source of carbs to bring along on a walk?   Currently I make sure to have jelly beans and/or glucose lozenges with me, but I wonder if there is something else I should be taking?  At the moment I usually take shorter walks (30-40 minutes) so there’s rarely a problem.  But I’m curious if I should do something different for longer walks or hikes?


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## Lucyr (Jul 31, 2022)

littlevoice359 said:


> What’s the best source of carbs to bring along on a walk?   Currently I make sure to have jelly beans and/or glucose lozenges with me, but I wonder if there is something else I should be taking?  At the moment I usually take shorter walks (30-40 minutes) so there’s rarely a problem.  But I’m curious if I should do something different for longer walks or hikes?


You can reduce the bolus at the meal before the walk to prevent going low


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## helli (Jul 31, 2022)

littlevoice359 said:


> What’s the best source of carbs to bring along on a walk?   Currently I make sure to have jelly beans and/or glucose lozenges with me, but I wonder if there is something else I should be taking?  At the moment I usually take shorter walks (30-40 minutes) so there’s rarely a problem.  But I’m curious if I should do something different for longer walks or hikes?


without knowing what happens to your blood sugars, it is difficult to answer that question because we are all different. Some people find strenuous exercise such as trudging up a steep mountain can make their levels to rise.
I usually carry some sort of nut type bar with me wherever I go, including walking. This is helpful to top up my levels if necessary.
If you find your levels are dropping due to the exercise, you could try adding some fruit squash to your water bottle. I find the constant intake of carbs better for keeping the hypos at bay than a large carb intake in one go. It is also less of an imposition to my fellow hikers - i sip some weak squash as they stop to sip their water.
When I was first diagnosed with Type 1, I would often carry a bag of dried fruit and nut mix in my pocket on a walk. Unfortunately, I was not very good at rationing myself so it rarely lasted the whole trek.
And, of course, I never go anywhere without my hypo treatment. If we go too low we need fast acting carbs like jelly babies.

As for reducing bolus before you go, that only works if you eat something before you go - I don’t carb load before exercising, in fact I prefer the opposite - no food for 3 or 4 hours beforehand to ensure I have no bolus on board. Plus the effect of reducing bolus wouldn’t last for a half day hike so it is not something I find useful, although it can be helpful for shorter exercises such as a workout at the gym, especially if you find you need fuel to get going.


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## littlevoice359 (Jul 31, 2022)

Thanks for that.  Much appreciated


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## PhoebeC (Aug 9, 2022)

I take a banana for walks, I don't really eat them otherwise, either before or during my walk if I go below 6 is a good time for me personally.

I love walking and if I am having a random high, first thing I do is chug a glass of water and wait a few minutes if no difference shoes on, lead on the dog a quick 30 mins normally does the trick. Love seeing it in action on my Libre 2


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## nonethewiser (Aug 11, 2022)

PhoebeC said:


> I take a banana for walks, I don't really eat them otherwise, either before or during my walk if I go below 6 is a good time for me personally.
> 
> I love walking and if I am having a random high, first thing I do is chug a glass of water and wait a few minutes if no difference shoes on, lead on the dog a quick 30 mins normally does the trick. Love seeing it in action on my Libre 2



Yes walking is great way of reducing spikes.

Just love walking, out everyday with dog for at least 2 hours come rain or shine.


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## zuludog (Aug 11, 2022)

PhoebeC said:


> I take a banana for walks


Do you put it on its own little lead?


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## Bloden (Aug 11, 2022)

PhoebeC said:


> I love walking and if I am having a random high, first thing I do is chug a glass of water and wait a few minutes if no difference shoes on, lead on the dog a quick 30 mins normally does the trick. Love seeing it in action on my Libre 2


Same here, or I whip out the hoover and give the poor carpet a good scraping - works wonders for highs!


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## PhoebeC (Aug 12, 2022)

Bloden said:


> Same here, or I whip out the hoover and give the poor carpet a good scraping - works wonders for highs!


Hovering and gardening


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## Eddy Edson (Aug 12, 2022)

PhoebeC said:


> Hovering and gardening


I find that hovering is mainly good for my wing muscles


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## Bloden (Aug 12, 2022)

Eddy Edson said:


> I find that hovering is mainly good for my wing muscles


Beats hoooooovering any day (blimmin auto-correct).


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## everydayupsanddowns (Aug 12, 2022)

If I have a stubborn high, and correction(s) are seeming to do nothing a short walk (even just going up and down the stairs for 5 minutes) often almost instantaneously switches my insulin ‘on’.

Otherwise I can sit for several hours just watching my IOB disappear but my numbers cruising at the same high level!

Coincidentally... this happened earlier this week after a (possibly slightly misjudged?) pub meal.


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