Dinking with Diabetes

Having diabetes and playing pickleball or engaging in any type of exercise can have a dramatic effect on blood sugar levels. It’s very important to keep your blood sugar levels in check while exercising. Start preparing one hour prior to playing to ensure you are ready to handle unfavorable sugar levels. Here are some helpful tips that work for me. Note: this is not medical advice and prior to starting any exercise routines you should consult with your personal physician.

Carb up!

Raise your target blood sugar before you start playing, because you usually drop 50-100 points over the course of a 1-hour medium-intensity workout. If you’re below this range before playing, eat a power bar, yogurt, or any other snack to raise your blood sugar. Experimentation is key as to what snacks work best.

Exercise Basal Rate!

It is also important to note that wearing an insulin pump during pickleball play is ideal for precisely managing blood glucose levels. An Insulin Pump – coupled with a continuous glucose monitoring device (CGM) – makes it possible to anticipate and monitor fluctuations, and easily balance out glucose intake and the dose of insulin that needs to be administered to stay within optimal levels. Your optimal level during play is based on your personal preference, but many like to keep it around 150. Keeping an