Diabetic Athlete Tips (Page 2 of 3)

• During long-term exercise, replace glucose supplies regularly. When swimming, you may want to pop out of the pool after 50 laps to drink a small can of orange juice. During a marathon, you'll need to eat sugar or snacks along the route.
• If you're going to be participating in a one-shot bout of high activity (such as an unexpected basketball game), you should eat food before the game and you may want to reduce your insulin. Through experience, you'll learn about your body and what works best for you.
• To best determine your energy/insulin needs, you'll want to monitor your blood glucose during training (for instance, between quarters of a football game or between laps of swimming). You may also need to re-establish these needs when the weather changes from hot to cold.
• Always exercise after eating, when your blood sugar is on the rise. Do not start to exercise with low blood sugar. Eat a snack first.
• Always carry sugar in some form with you. (hard candies are popular because they aren't messy.) Also carry change with you for a phone call or a vending machine.

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