cldarling Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 I do high intensity training ~4x/week and I am type 1 diabetic. I am following the protocol in ISWF for pre-workout protein/fat snack (usually don't need to give insulin for it) and I am finding that my numbers rise significantly during the workout (50-70+ pts). I could correct this by giving some insulin before the workout, but I thought the goal was to not increase insulin levels prior to working out? This may just be something that I will have to not reap the full benefits from, and that is ok, but I wondered if anyone else has some input on controlling blood sugar during workouts... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimS Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 High intensity exercise can increase blood glucose levels. The intense exercise stimulates your liver to release glycogen which bumps blood glucose levels in the near term. There are innumerate ways to program an exercise routine... what are your goals, and why have you chosen high intensity training 4x per week? Were you doing this program prior to your Whole30? if so, how did your blood glucose level respond to training then? Here are some links I found related to blood glucose and high intensity exercise... some with a focus on Type 1 diabetes. http://www.livestrong.com/article/383302-rise-of-blood-glucose-with-exercise/ http://www.runsweet.com/HighIntensityExercise.html http://www.lifeislikeablogofchocolate.com/interval-training-and-diabetes/ http://aworldlymonk.wordpress.com/2012/01/10/exercise-intensity-and-t2d-hit-me/ http://healthcorrelator.blogspot.com/2010/06/exercise-and-blood-glucose-levels.html Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cldarling Posted August 14, 2012 Author Share Posted August 14, 2012 Thank you for the resources and response, Jim! I have read some similar stuff on the subject and found that many people experince hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) after intense exercise and/or crossfit type workouts. I am trying to figure out a way to still be able to exercise this way and stay pretty close to the w30 guidelines. I have been doing this type of high intensity training (basically crossfit style workouts, but at a non-affiliate gym) for 4 months now, so yes before I started my Whole30. I really enjoy this type of exercise and I can feel myself gaining muscle and getting stronger which is a great feeling. Before starting at this gym I was going regularly to a Golds Gym and doing the same old run for 30-40 min then do a strength training set that never changed-- boorrrinnnggg!!! The classes are offered 4x/week so I usually go to every one and do kickboxing classes 2x/week as well (more of a cardio effect that doesn't raise my blood glucose). I was managing my numbers pretty well prior to the Whole30 by having a carb snack and giving insulin for it before working out-- it seems that if I had insulin and carb on board then my numbers wouldn't climb. BUT the downside of that is I was relying on that carb for energy, not burning fat stores and liable to crash (hypoglycemia) once that snack ran out! I have found that my numbers overall are much more stable (not inclined to crash if I walk around the block) while eating the whole30 way, which is awesome. The only trouble I'm still having is with my workouts causing high's... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee Lee Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 Robb Wolf has some really good stuff about T1 diabetics that would be good for you To read. You're basically on the right track: an insulin bolus before you start working out. The standard recommendation is to not increase insulin preworkout, but you aren't part of the "standard" population. Check out those RW posts and check in with your docs if you continue to be concerned! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimS Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 Here are a ton of links from Robb Wolf's site. His basic prescription is to dial back the intensity, focus on a strength-based program and low-moderate intensity cardio (walking, hiking, etc). That's a far cry from HIT or HIIT, but the prescription is based around a health and longevity approach rather than pure performance. Specifically related to Type 1 Diabetes and exercise programming: Paleo Solution Episode 47 Transcript (p. 7) - http://robbwolf.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/the-paleo-solution-episode-47.pdf http://robbwolf.com/2009/08/05/type-1-diabetes-and-crossfit/ http://robbwolf.com/2009/10/14/type-1-diabetes-more-info/ Type 1 / Paleo Testimonials... some include exercise-related info: http://robbwolf.com/2011/10/17/type-1-diabetes-the-numbers-dont-lie/ http://robbwolf.com/2011/02/14/real-life-testimonial-controlling-type-1-diabetes-with-the-paleo-diet/ http://robbwolf.com/2008/09/17/paleo-vs-type-1-diabetes/ http://robbwolf.com/2009/10/19/type-1-diabetes-update-and-progress/ http://robbwolf.com/2011/08/15/its-actually-become-a-way-of-life-controlling-type-1-diabetes-with-paleo/ I would evaluate your goals for exercise around the paradigms of health, performance, and longevity (credit to Robb Wolf for that phrase). Determine what programming brings you closest to your goals. If it continues to be primarily HIT/HIIT training, you may need to add insulin prior to your workouts to help manage blood glucose levels. Here's a great article from Robb Wolf on the economics of health, performance and longevity. Hopefully this information helps! http://www.nickivioletti.com/2011/07/22/the-economics-of-performance-health-and-longevity/ Take care and keep working hard! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cldarling Posted August 15, 2012 Author Share Posted August 15, 2012 Jim-- Thank you so much for your thoughtful response and resources, I really appreciate it! I've been reading through all of these links since you posted them last night. What a wealth of information and anecdotal advice in the comments sections. I am hoping that by keeping with the Whole30 plan as much as possible that I will be able to achieve some of the success that others have told about. I do think that adjusting my exercise goals would prove to help me achieve the level of control that I am aiming for. So that means more recovery days, cutting back on intensity, etc. I have to say I am not super excited about this though... I think if I wasn't so damn competitive this would be much easier for me, but the thing I really love about high-intensity training is THE HIGH-INTENSITY... ha! It is completely counterproductive to be type 1 and have a tendency towards being an adrenaline junky. The overall goal though is my health, and like you said above, longevity. I plan on continuing at the gym, but not focusing on beating my times, or really, my times at all. I hope to report back after a couple of weeks with some better control and a little less stress surrounding workouts. Thanks again, you have been incredibly helpful! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimS Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 I have been doing this type of high intensity training (basically crossfit style workouts, but at a non-affiliate gym) for 4 months now, so yes before I started my Whole30. I really enjoy this type of exercise and I can feel myself gaining muscle and getting stronger which is a great feeling. Before starting at this gym I was going regularly to a Golds Gym and doing the same old run for 30-40 min then do a strength training set that never changed-- boorrrinnnggg!!! The classes are offered 4x/week so I usually go to every one and do kickboxing classes 2x/week as well (more of a cardio effect that doesn't raise my blood glucose). I totally get the allure of intense workouts, and how boring stereotypical cardio and machine-based weight training can be. From my experience, the key to finding something sustainable is to find exercise modalities that resonate with you and ignite your fire. I was also quite bored with typical globo-gym workouts... what really clicked for me was mastering my own bodyweight. I do a lot of calisthenics and gymnastics style training for core and upper body strength. I find it humbling that I can't yet press to handstand, hold a strict front lever, string together several muscle ups, or perform many other basic A level gymnastics skills. That desire to master those skills (and my own body) are what drives me now. I also I still do squats, front squats, and deadlifts for my lower body, but I'm not a slave to the gym. Most of my bodyweight work is done at home or work. If your old routine wasn't inspiring, try something new. Don't completely abandon your HIT/HIIT training... just consider dialing it back some. Brainstorm new strength-based ideas to try ... calisthenics, gymnastics rings, parallettes, kettlebells, resistance band training, basic barbell training (squat, deadlift, clean, press, bench), olympic lifting (clean and jerk, snatch, and variants) or something else. Try it out, see what you like. I do think that adjusting my exercise goals would prove to help me achieve the level of control that I am aiming for. So that means more recovery days, cutting back on intensity, etc. I have to say I am not super excited about this though... I think if I wasn't so damn competitive this would be much easier for me, but the thing I really love about high-intensity training is THE HIGH-INTENSITY... ha! It is completely counterproductive to be type 1 and have a tendency towards being an adrenaline junky. The overall goal though is my health, and like you said above, longevity. I plan on continuing at the gym, but not focusing on beating my times, or really, my times at all. I hope to report back after a couple of weeks with some better control and a little less stress surrounding workouts. Thanks again, you have been incredibly helpful! If you like the gym you're going to, do they offer any other programming besides the HIT training? Explain your situation and see if they can recommend some strength-based programming to replace some of the HIT stuff. Whatever you do, don't resign yourself to a similar routine that you were burned out on before. That probably won't last long... Good luck, and glad to help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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