High-intensity activities such as crossfit are also possible with diabetes. If you want to find out how, keep reading.
Physical exercise is essential for patients with diabetes, in particular those that have less impact on blood glucose levels, such as aerobic exercises. But if you like high intensities and want to know how you can do crossfit with diabetes, this article is for you.
Can I do crossfit with diabetes? Yes, you can!
Crossfit is a sport based on functional exercises that are done at high intensity in short periods of time. In fact, it has a fusion between different disciplines such as athletics, gymnastics or weightlifting, so each training day is completely different.
This, seen through the eyes of a person with diabetes, can be seem as a guaranteed disaster. As these are high-intensity activities, blood glucose levels can get out of control and even rise, causing hyperglycemia. Moreover, the mix of disciplines can be scary at first glance, but it doesn’t have to be in reality.
As long as the exercises are done under continuous glycemic control, with the accompaniment of a professional and regulating your insulin and food ingestion, crossfit is one of those sports that will work out your whole body in sessions of a maximum of 20 minutes and it will help you control your blood glucose levels and your weight.
Tips for crossfit if you have diabetes
If you want to do crossfit with diabetes, here are some tips that you may find useful.
Rely on your doctor
If you want to start doing this sport, the first step is to consult with your doctor. He or she will help you set up a diet and regulate your medication so that you can train with as minimal risk as possible.
Start gradually
Crossfit has the advantage that it adapts to any type of physical form, which allows you to start fitting the activity to your physical capacity and gradually start to increase as your body adapts to the exercise. In this way, you will be able to know how your body reacts to this type of exercise and you will be able to adapt your medication as well as your food.
If you are planning to compete, keep this in mind
It is important to remember that other factors such as stress or emotion can affect your blood glucose levels. Daniel Cázarez, a Crossfitter with diabetes, has participated in several competitions in this discipline and admits that his first competition was a disaster exactly because of this. Therefore, it is important that, if you are going to compete, you have to adjust your medication to the possible variations that you may suffer due to the excitement or adrenaline.
Measure your blood glucose levels before and after training
In order to start training, your blood glucose levels should be between 90 and 250 mg/dl. If it is below or above these amounts, it is not advisable to train. As a high-intensity sport, doing crossfit with diabetes can also still alter your blood glucose levels for up to 24 hours after training.
For this reason, it is advisable to monitor your blood glucose levels after training for possible hyperglycemia due to overexertion. You can do this with the help of virtual assistants such as Cori, which will help you to know quickly and visually what your blood glucose levels are before and after training.
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People with diabetes are especially vulnerable to the dangers of colds and the flu, but there are things you can do to control your symptoms and avoid getting sick in the first place. You may maintain your health even when you’re feeling under the weather by constantly monitoring your blood sugar levels, staying hydrated, getting enough of rest, and adhering to your diabetes management plan. Additionally, you may lower your risk of getting sick and safeguard yourself from any problems by maintaining proper cleanliness, being vaccinated, and generally maintaining good health. Make sure to discuss any worries you may have with your healthcare team for advice and support if you have diabetes and are worried about managing colds and the flu.
Don’t forget to let your trainer know
If you’re going to do crossfit at a gym, making your trainer aware that you have diabetes is very important. This way you won’t have to worry about stopping if you don’t feel well or eating in the middle of sessions.
3 easy exercises to start crossfit if you have diabetes
As mentioned before, crossfit is a sport where everyone does the same exercises but with the intensity adapted to their fitness level. If you are just starting out, here are 3 ways to make the exercises simple:
- Light weight strength exercises: It’s important to start within your means so pick a weight you think you can lift and go from there.
- Squats and push-ups to the max: For the first few days, to test your fitness, you can do as many squats and push-ups as you can for 15 minutes. This will help you know where you are starting from.
- Endurance: Also, to test your endurance, you can run for 3 minutes straight and walk for one minute. You will repeat this 4 times.
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