Exercise and Type 1 Diabetes with Eric Tozer - JDRF

In this video, T1D athlete, Eric Tozer, shares his experiences working out with type 1 diabetes. Diabetes affects many aspects of your life, including exercise. For people with type 2 diabetes, exercise can be especially useful in maintaining a healthy lifestyle and reducing their blood sugar levels. However, for those with type 1 diabetes, different types of exercise can affect their blood glucose levels and overall health in different ways.

Eric Tozer was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at 22 years old. When he was diagnosed, he found diabetes management was a lot easier when relying on the support of his family, close friends, and the JDRF community.

When it comes to handling sports and diabetes, there are different types of exercises to take into account. Mixed exercises like basketball, soccer, and swimming can send your blood sugar both up and down, making it the hardest for athletes with type 1 diabetes to participate in.

These forms of exercise involve periods of exertion followed by rest breaks, which can have a powerful effect on your blood sugar and may send it towards extreme. However, aerobic exercises like these can still be beneficial as long as you maintain continuous glucose monitoring throughout your training sessions and afterward as well.

Keeping your type 1 diabetes under control in these circumstances will also rely heavily on the eating plan you’ve created with the help of a nutritionist, to ensure you are getting the right amount of protein, fat, and carbohydrates to support your body without pushing your sugar levels up.

Over time, most athletes with type 1 diabetes will know the amount of carbohydrates and insulin their bodies will need to get through a specific workout session.

Another type of exercise is anaerobic exercise, also known as high-intensity training, which includes sprinting and weightlifting, which can push your blood sugar up. Some people will try to take a corrective dose, without realizing that the blood sugar will drop soon after, and then they may end up with very low blood sugar levels a little while later.

For anaerobic exercise, it’s best to work with your doctor or counselor to assess whether you need a corrective dose and how your body responds to this type of exertion.

And lastly, long-duration aerobic exercise is known to lower your blood glucose levels over time. As a result, this can be seen as the best exercise for diabetes type 1, as long as you ensure you are prepared to correct lower glucose levels if they become concerning.

Want to learn more about the impact of exercise if you have diabetes? Visit: https://www.jdrf.org/t1d-resources/li...

And for more information on how to exercise safely with type 1 diabetes, go to: https://www.jdrf.org/t1d-resources/li...

Timestamps:
0:00 - Eric's Type 1 Diabetes Diagnosis and Sports Background
0:30 - The Importance of a Diabetes Support Group
1:02 - Effects of Exercise on Blood Sugar
2:36 - The Impact of High-Intensity vs. Aerobic Exercises on Blood Sugar
4:18 - Benefits and Challenges of Exercise with Type 1 Diabetes