I had an IDEA

This past week, I attended the IDEA Health and Fitness Association's 2005 Personal Trainer Conference in New York City. My wife Kim is a personal trainer and fitness instructor at a local club. She attended the conference to continue her education. I attended because it featured a presentation on training diabetic clients. I was hoping to gain some valuable information for my own use in training. The presentation was fairly general which is understandable. Most personal trainers need education in the disease types and management. I found the overall material basic but did get a few nuggets to share. Those recently diagnosed may find this information useful. Those with some "experience" are probably already aware of the following and I offer it for your consideration. Of course, always consult with doctor to determine the proper guidance for your exercise regimen. Given that caveat, here are some things to consider:

1. Be aware of the insulin you take and when it peaks. In most cases you want to avoid exercise during peak insulin action to help prevent hypoglycemic incidents.

2. Be cognizant of your injection site. If practical, avoid exercising that particular muscle group as insulin uptake will occur more rapidly as the muscles consume glycogen.

3. If you take Beta Blockers, be cautious of hypoglycemia as Beta Blockers tend to mask symptoms.

4. If your exercise is short duration and low to moderate intensity (less than 1 hour) and your blood glucose is:

Less than 100mg/dl increase food intake by 10-15 grams of carbs

Greater than 100mg/dl it is not necessary to increase food intake

5. For moderate intensity exercise and your blood glucose is:

Less than 100mg/dl increase food intake by 25-50 grams of carbs and include some protein per hour of exercise

100-180mg/dl increase food intake by 10-15 grams of carbs

180-300mg/dl no extra food

Greater than 300mg/dl DO NOT EXERCISE UNTIL BLOOD GLUCOSE LEVEL IS UNDER BETTER CONTROL

6. For Strenuous exercise and your blood glucose level is:
Less than 100mg/dl increase food intake by 50 grams of carbs per hour of exercise and closely monitor your glucose levels. Be sure to include some protein in the additional uptake of food

100-180mg/dl increase food intake by 25-50 grams of carbs depending on duration and intensity. Include some protein

180-300mg/dl increase food intake by 10-15 grams of carbs

Greater than 300mg/dl DO NOT EXERCISE UNTIL BLOOD GLUCOSE LEVEL IS UNDER BETTER CONTROL

Always consult your physician and endocrinologist before starting any exercise or training program. The above are general guidelines and will vary by individual. I am a classic example. During strenuous exercise, my glucose will actually increase--very high. It took some trial and error to figure out how to manage it. Basically, I need to time my strenuous exercise to coincide with the peak action of my insulin--which is contraindicated from the above guidelines!! Ain't this a great disease!!

Stay tuned for more from the conference on this subject.

Greetings Athletes with Type 1 Diabetes

Greetings Athletes with Type 1 Diabetes. I've created this blog site to serve as a means for Type 1 athletes to share and exchange information. Personally, I have found very little practical guidance on the internet related to management of athletes with Type 1 Diabetes (nutrition and blood glucose control). It's difficult to find fitness and even medical professionals who understand the unique needs of athletes with type 1 diabetes.

I play club soccer one day/week, workout at a gym about 3 days/week and cycle 1-3 days/week. My glucose reactions are varied under each type of workout. Conventional wisdom says glucose levels go down during exercise but while playing soccer my glucose increases during play and has been as high as 297 after a game. Only recently have I begun to figure out how to manage it--again by trial and error on my own with a little guidance from my endocrinologist.

Ultimately, I hope to create a website that will serve as a meeting place, a virtual community if you will, for us that will provide a place to connect, interact maybe even network and do business together.

I'd love to hear what sources of information others have found useful to manage their nutrition and glucose during exercise and competition. I too will pass along any meaningful websites, links, books, etc. I would also be interested in hearing any thoughts or comments you may have on my website idea as well.

Live well and stay tuned!

Steve