Whether you’re managing insulin timing and dosages with Type 1, or the metabolic hurdles of Type 2, management of Diabetes can be an exhausting and stressful, but the goal is often the same: stable blood glucose readings and a high quality of life

Using Exercise Physiology (EP), our goal is to utilise exercise as an additional tool in our toolbox for managing type 1 and 2 diabetes. The way we achieve this does vary a little depending on which type you are dealing with, but there is a lot of overlap.

Type 1 Diabetes: Mastering the Balancing Act

In Type 1 Diabetes, the body doesn’t produce insulin. Managing it is a constant calculation of carbohydrates, insulin doses, and physical activity. Historically, some people with Type 1 were recommended to reduce or outright avoid exercise, due to the risk of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). Today, we know that with the right strategy, exercise is safe, effective, and essential for cardiovascular health.

The Role of the EP in Type 1:

·Not All Exercise is Created Equal:

·Aerobic exercise and activities just as jogging, cycling, and swimming tend to result in an increase in insulin sensitivity and glucose uptake with sustained effort. This results in a decrease in blood sugar values.

·Anaerobic exercise and activities like competitive team sports, interval training, and resistance training are typically associated with increased blood sugar values in the short term, due to a rapid influx of glucose for fast-acting energy during these activities.

·Considerations:

·Aligning your exercise with your insulin peaks and carbohydrate intake to minimize "lows" during and after your session can be a useful way to assist with day-to-day management.

·Delayed onset hypoglycemia can occur following high intensity, long duration, or exhaustive workouts.Glucose is “soaked” up into the muscle fibres in an attempt to recover from the strenuous effort, leading to a sharp drop in blood glucose levels. Keeping detailed notes of the type/duration/intensity of your workouts along with blood sugar, insulin, and carbohydrate intakes can help in establishing a pattern and planning management.

Type 2 Diabetes: Turning Muscles into "Blood Sugar Sponges"

Type 2 Diabetes (T2DM) is characterized by insulin resistance. An overused (but effective) analogy is that of a lock and key .For a quick foray into biology, imagine your cells have a locked door; barring entry without a key. Insulin is the key that unlocks this door, regulating blood sugar levels by managing how much or little sugar in your bloodstream can leave into the cells. In T2DM, this lock door (cell walls) is jammed, and no matter how much insulin your body produces, the sugar stays trapped in your bloodstream, casuing damage to your vessals and organs.

Exercise is a Secret Backdoor: When you exercise, your muscles can actually take up glucose without needing insulin. This is known as insulin-independent glucose uptake. Essentially, your muscles act as sponges, pulling excess sugar out of your bloodstream to fuel your movement.

·Muscles That Serve a Purpose: The larger your muscles are, the more effective these sugar sponges become, increasing your body’s baseline ability to manage glucose independent of medications.

·Resistance Training is King: Compound, whole body exercise is most effective as we aim to target the large muscle groups of the legs, chest and back. These get more bang for our buck than the calves or arms for example.

·HbA1c Reduction: Our goal is a long-term shift. Through consistent, supervised programming, we aim for a measurable reduction in your HbA1C value. This is simple a 3-month rolling average blood glucose levels. Since the lifespan of a blood cell is ~3 months, this is a more long term measure of blood sugar progress than a finger prick test, which are susceptible to weird values based water and food consumed before the test is taken.

Considerations When Managing T2DM: People managing T2DM can also often have co-morbidities, these are conditions that can often go hand-in-hand with eachother. Exercise can assist in the management of these co-morbidities, along with management from the GP and/or Diabetic Specialist.

·Joint Pain & Osteoarthritis: Carry extra weight often leads to hip and knee pain. A structured, well tolerated exercise program will likely improve the strength of these joints independent of the benefits weight loss would have on joint health. If there is less stress on the joints, and they’re stronger, the liklihood of pain is reduced.

·Diabetic Neuropathy: Numbness in the feet and hands, or wounds that take a long time to heal, can be a sign of nerve damage (neuropathy).Increased importance is placed on self examination of your hands and feet for wounds that you may not feel due to the altered nerve sensation. Discussions with your GP regarding this topic are highly encouraged, referrals to podiatrists can be literally life saving.

Conclusion: Exercise isn’t Medicine, But it’s Pretty Amazing

Living with diabetes means you are the pilot of your own health every single day. Exercise Physiology provides you with the flight plan and the technical support to navigate the turbulence. While the mechanics differ, the secondary benefits of exercise for both types of diabetes are life-changing for things like cardiovascular and nerve health, metabolism, mental health and resiliance. Doing even a little bit of exercise is better than nothing, but having a structured plan tailored to your specific goals and capabilities, with long term planning and continued monitoring is likely to yield significantly better results.

Book online or call the clinic today on 3112 7700 to book an appointment.