For most sporting activities
performance will be closely linked to matching
nutrition intake with
energy expenditure.
Insulin is one of the main keys to this
metabolic process. In a normally functioning pancreas it is
released or
withheld in an automatic fashion depending on
blood glucose levels.In a person with diabetes who is dependent upon the delivery of
insulin from
subcutaneous absorption this moment to moment control of
blood sugar is impossible to achieve although a reasonably close match has proved possible with fine tuning of
food and
insulin delivery.
In order to optimise
performance you will need to assess your requirements for both
long acting background insulin and your pre meal
short acting insulin.
In pre-planning for a vigorous activity, the
insulin quantity may have to be
significantly reduced the night before. If you are already using a brand of
pre-mixed insulin, then you will find this task difficult. Ask your physician to consider changing to
multiple injections, which will include separate shots of
long and short acting insulin.
One of the main challenges during
sporting activities is the balance between
food and insulin. One has to take into account the different requirements needed at any given time. These will vary upon the
intensity of training and the stress of the
competition as well as the need to replenish the
glucose stores within the muscles.
Regular and constant monitoring is the key to your understanding of your body in this situation. It is your navigation tool and a way to predict your energy and
insulin requirements.