I got very frustrated by having to give myself a high blood sugar on purpose and then running it down until just shy of hypo. I felt guilty about having to send my blood sugar high on purpose (not good for the blood vessels in my eyes and my kidneys) just to try to do something that was supposed to be good for me. Then, after 12 weeks, I had lost only 1lb!!
In early spring 2008 I got an unexpected bonus at work. I had seen posters around my gym saying "VO2 Max Testing. Results guaranteed in 12 weeks." I was sceptical. I had just put in 12 weeks of intense exercise and got precisely nowhere. I asked one of the trainers about the terms and conditions of the offer. She said, "If you turn up and do the exercises on the programme and you don't get closer to your goals, you get the money back." I was already in the habit of going to the gym so I was confident that I would show up enough. If the programme didn't work, I would lose nothing. So I went for it.
After 3 weeks of training according to the programme based on my VO2 Max test, I could tell a difference in how my clothes fit. By 6 weeks I lost 4 lbs. By 9 weeks I was getting compliments from female friends when we met up. By 12 weeks I had lost 10 lbs. Best of all, my blood sugars were practically flat every time I worked out! (I used my DexCom to verify what my glucose levels were doing during exercise).
Since then I have been convinced that all people with type 1 should learn about the relationship between exercise intensity and heart rate, and the relationship in turn of heart rate and glucose utilisation during exercise.
What a difference heart rate training makes!
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| Spring 2008: "then" |
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| Spring 2012: "now" (with Pat Leahy of ProVO2, Fulham) |
