Monday, January 07, 2008

Swim Stats

Due to an apparent overcorrection of a high BG last night, I woke up this morning at 1:40 with a BG of 42; I had some milk and cereal and was 62 by 1:50 AM. Somewhere I read that milk works really fast to raise BGs and it seems to be working well for me. My only concern is the extra calories from fat and protein. Anyway, I guess I had a few too many Puffins (the cereal of the moment) since I woke up at 5 AM at 227, feeling much higher actually. Here's how the morning proceeded:
  • 5:07 AM 227
  • 5:15 AM 0.2 U insulin (Humalog)
  • 5:40 AM 170, 20g carbs (chocolate GU, also has 2g fat), left basal rate normal at 0.575 U/hr
  • 5:40 - 7:00 AM Masters swim workout, mixed sets with main set consisting of moderate to fast 200s, felt strong and was swimming 200's in 3:53-3:55.
  • 7:25 AM 176, 1 U insulin
  • 8:20 AM 141
  • 8:42 AM 136
My question is this: would I have had a low if I didn't eat the gel beforehand? I think so, in this case. But in addition to keeping my blood sugars decent (i.e., not low) for the swim, the gel gave me an energy boost, allowing me to work harder and to have a more productive workout. If I hadn't taken the 0.2 beforehand, I probably wouldn't have eaten anything and might not have felt as good in the water. I suspect my blood sugar would not have fallen much, either, and may have even gone up.
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2 comments:

Wingman said...

Anne - always a good idea to have at least something prior to an intense workout. The GUs can work great but you probably burned off all the energy in it after a 1/2 hour. I'm actually surprised with that level of activity that you don't need to take in more calories/ carbs to get in a real good workout and sustain energy.

10/1/08 11:44 AM
Anne Findlay said...

For years, I would run 6 days/week first thing in the morning without eating anything or taking any (or reducing my) insulin, and rarely would have lows while I was running. I felt that it was easier than eating something and trying to figure out the proper amount of insulin. In this situation, my blood sugar would usually rise slightly, actually. But I agree--my performance is definitely better if I eat something beforehand, which I usually do these days.

I can usually get by with one gel for about an hour or 1.5 hours of exercise. If I plan on having a much longer workout, I might eat a gel every 45 minutes or so. A lot depends on my starting blood sugar and how much I have been exercising in the days leading up. Sometimes, I need a gel or equivalent every 30 minutes.

11/1/08 7:55 AM

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