Post Time: 2025-07-29

Understanding how blood glucose levels interact with your body during exercise is paramount for optimizing performance, whether you’re an elite athlete or someone enjoying a light walk. Simply put, blood glucose, or blood sugar, is your body’s primary energy source, fueling everything from your brain to your muscles. Fluctuations in these levels, especially during physical activity, can dramatically affect your energy, endurance, and overall workout effectiveness. Ignoring this connection can lead to fatigue, decreased performance, and even adverse health outcomes like hypoglycemia.

It’s crucial to note that this is not only a concern for individuals with diabetes. Anyone who exercises can experience variations in blood glucose levels, and understanding how to manage these fluctuations is vital for maximizing the benefits of physical activity. For example, research published in the "Journal of Applied Physiology" has shown that even in non-diabetic individuals, intense exercise can lead to significant changes in blood glucose, affecting performance in both the short and long term. Therefore, blood glucose monitoring should not be exclusive to people with a diagnosed medical condition. Instead, it's a proactive tool for anyone serious about their fitness goals.

Why Monitor Blood Glucose During Exercise?

• Fuel Management: It allows you to see how different types of exercise impact your blood glucose and adapt your nutrition accordingly.
• Performance Optimization: Understanding the connection can help you fine-tune your workout routines for maximum efficiency and avoid “hitting the wall.”
• Hypoglycemia Prevention: Monitoring helps prevent low blood sugar, which can be dangerous during exercise, especially for individuals with diabetes or those doing long-duration, intense workouts.
• Personalized Training: Each person’s body reacts differently to exercise and food. Monitoring blood glucose lets you create a highly personalized plan.

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Understanding How Exercise Impacts Blood Glucose Levels

The relationship between exercise and blood glucose is complex and varies based on the type, intensity, and duration of physical activity, as well as an individual’s fitness level and diet. In general, during exercise, your body uses stored glycogen (a form of carbohydrate) and blood glucose for energy. Here’s a more detailed breakdown:

• Short, High-Intensity Exercise (e.g., sprinting, weightlifting): Typically, this type of exercise can initially cause a rise in blood glucose due to the release of stress hormones such as adrenaline. These hormones trigger the liver to release glucose into the bloodstream. The body then uses the glucose, often leading to a decrease in the later stages of the workout or after exercise has completed.
• Longer, Moderate-Intensity Exercise (e.g., jogging, cycling): These activities usually result in a more gradual decrease in blood glucose, as the body uses up energy from circulating glucose. However, if these are lengthy sessions and fuel stores get low, it could result in hypoglycemia.

Here's a table illustrating these different responses:

Exercise Type	Initial Effect on Glucose	Later Effect on Glucose
High-Intensity (Short)	Often increases	Likely decreases afterwards
Moderate-Intensity (Long)	Gradual decrease	Continued decrease with potential risk of hypoglycemia

The duration of the exercise session, your level of fitness and the nature of your food intake all make a difference here. For instance, a highly trained endurance athlete can often better manage blood glucose levels during prolonged workouts than a novice. Moreover, an individual's dietary intake significantly influences blood glucose response to exercise. Consuming easily digestible carbohydrates before exercise can ensure the availability of circulating glucose, whereas high-fat and high-protein meals may offer sustained energy but do not immediately influence blood sugar.

The Importance of Timing

Timing your blood glucose monitoring is just as crucial as the monitoring itself. Check your levels:

1. Before Exercise: This gives you a baseline reading to see if your levels are within a safe range to start exercising. A common target is between 100 and 150 mg/dL.
2. During Long-Duration Workouts: Checking every hour for very long sessions (e.g., a marathon), can help you avoid dangerous drops and fine-tune your carbohydrate intake strategies.
3. After Exercise: Monitoring after can help you evaluate how your body responded to the activity and allows for you to tweak your approach in the future. Be aware that blood glucose can drop substantially, hours after strenuous exercise sessions as the muscles and liver replenish their glycogen stores.

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Practical Strategies for Monitoring and Managing Blood Glucose During Exercise

Now that you understand the link, let's discuss practical strategies for using blood glucose monitoring to optimize your workouts:

1. Invest in a Blood Glucose Monitor: Consider purchasing a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) or a traditional blood glucose meter. CGMs offer real-time, continuous data, while traditional meters are more affordable but require finger-prick samples. A study published in the "Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology" indicates that continuous monitoring offers improved understanding of glucose variations.

2. Pre-Exercise Fueling Strategies: Aim to eat a well-balanced meal containing carbohydrates a few hours before exercising. A good choice might be oats or whole grain bread with fruits and some protein (a few slices of ham or chicken or eggs, for example). Experiment to see which foods and which timings work best for you to keep glucose levels in the optimal range before starting your physical activity.

   • Avoid Sugary Drinks Immediately Before Exercise: These can lead to rapid spikes followed by a crash, impacting performance. If you need immediate energy for a sudden start to exercise (e.g. at the beginning of a competition) opt for complex carbohydrates with slower release or consider a high glycemic food that won't cause any spikes.

3. During Exercise Fueling Strategies: For workouts lasting longer than an hour, have small amounts of carbohydrates to maintain stable blood glucose levels. This may include glucose gels, small amounts of energy drinks or fruit snacks. The rate you need depends greatly on how intensely you are exercising and on your own personal response. Monitor yourself to find the best solution.

4. Post-Exercise Recovery: After a workout, consume protein and carbohydrates to help replenish glycogen stores and stabilize blood sugar levels. A glass of chocolate milk or a banana with a protein shake are good choices. Rehydration is critical too - and should be in regular small doses during longer workouts to maximize fluid uptake. This will help balance blood glucose and recovery of tissue.

5. Keep a Log: Maintain a workout and blood glucose log. Track what you ate, when you exercised, and your blood glucose levels. This information will be invaluable for learning how your body responds and optimizing your performance over time. Include in the log a feeling of your state - how did you feel prior to exercise, at specific points during the training session, and after.

   • Use Technology: There are apps available that will keep track of all this data and graph it for you, so you can spot any patterns that need to be addressed. This is an efficient approach to use.

Here's an example log entry:

Time	Activity	Pre-Exercise Blood Glucose	During Exercise Glucose	Post-Exercise Blood Glucose	Food/Drinks	Feelings Before	Feelings After
7:00 AM		110 mg/dL	N/A	N/A	Bowl of oatmeal, 1 banana	Restless	N/A
7:30 AM	Warm Up		115 mg/dL	N/A	200ml water	Slightly energized	N/A
8:00 AM	HIIT Training		125 mg/dL	N/A	Small amount of energy drink	Energized	N/A
8:30 AM	End training			130 mg/dL	Protein shake, 1 banana	N/A	Good

6. Consult Professionals: Speak with a healthcare provider or a registered dietitian about personal needs, to get more specific guidance on managing your diet and exercise with regards to blood glucose management. If you are diabetic, this is particularly important.

By monitoring your blood glucose levels and adjusting your exercise and nutrition strategies accordingly, you can optimize your workouts and achieve your fitness goals. Remember, consistency and personalization are key to success.

** The medical views expressed in the video above are views of Dr. Kim and are a small portion of a larger, more elaborate conversation regarding the individual patients’ health and well-being. In addition to being a podiatrist, Dr. Kim is also a naturopathic doctor who focuses on the overall internal health, diet and lifestyle of the patient alongside all necessary foot care. ​​⚠️ CHECK OUT MY FAVORITE AMAZON PRODUCTS FOR DIABETICS! ORGANIC BITTER MELON CAPSULES - GREAT FOR blood sugar 117 2 hours after eating DIABETIC HEALTH! BERBERINE - EFFECTIVE AT LOWERING BLOOD SUGAR: 3-PACK COPPER COMPRESSION SOCKS: CHECK OUT THE 116 blood sugar at night CORONAVIRUS HEALTH TIPS SERIES ON MY NEW CHANNEL, "DR-FUNGI SAVES THE WORLD": Purchase my books, "9 Secrets of Health" and "1 Minute Wellness Messages" for more health tips: Hi everyone, we hope you are doing well and staying safe! This week, we had a diabetic patient in the office with us and are eager to share their story! In this episode, Dr. Kim discusses with her how to keep your blood sugar A1C down and other diabetic related health. Enjoy! To learn more about Kim Foot & Ankle Center visit: Experiencing ankle pain, heel pain, ingrown toenail or want to see us for a visit? Stop by we’re located in Long Beach, California! Our office is located at: 701 E 28th St #111, Long Beach, CA 90806 Business Hours Monday -Friday from 9 AM-12:30 PM and 2 PM-5:30 PM Got a minute? Subscribe to receive FREE 1-minute Daily Wellness Messages to your inbox! Click here: Follow Us & Stay Connected Kim Foot & Ankle Center: Instagram: Facebook: Want blood sugar test during pregnancy to Follow Dr. Kim and his wellness tips? Follow him at: Instagram: Facebook: The SECRET To Keeping Your Blood Sugar A1C Down At 6.3 [6cef9a]