Adventure, Exercise & T1D: Top of Mind Topics in 2021

Adventure, Exercise & T1D: The Connected in Motion team surveyed the community to find out the topics and themes that were top of mind as we launched into 2021. This is what we’ve learned from you and what we’ll be focusing on addressing in the year to come. Did we miss something? Let us know in the comments! 

We’ve heard you loud and clear that it is so important to have an opportunity to connect with other people who are active, who want to be more active, or who want to be differently active and share challenges, solutions, and stories. This is something that happens so organically through in-person Slipstream programs but is sometimes a little harder to navigate in the digital world. 

When we looked ahead to Virtual Slipstream 2021, we saw the opportunity to facilitate small group connections and conversations on a variety of topics including endurance sport, general fitness and activity, and travel.

Interested in this Adventure, Exercise & T1D topic? Check out the following Virtual Slipstream sessions:

Whether you’re new to exercise, been at it a while but running into challenges, or want to learn some advanced tactics for successfully being on the move with Type 1 diabetes, we heard from you that access to leading experts is important. 

We reached out to Dr Kimber Simmons to share with us the basics of diabetes and exercise. Dr Simmons was suggested to Connected in Motion by a community member who told us she had never heard someone explain about diabetes and exercise in such a simple, easy to understand way. We knew we had to have her join us.

For folks who have been exercising for a while and looking to take things to the next level, we reached out to Exercise Physiologist Dr Jane Yardley. From research on using CGM data to inform our exercise choices to studies on post-exercise low BGs, Dr Yardley’s research is highly applicable to folks looking to tweak and improve their exercise and fitness routines. Plus, she’s joined us at in-person Slipstream before which is always an added bonus! 

Interested in this Adventure, Exercise & T1D topic? Check out the following Virtual Slipstream sessions: 

When planning Slipstream events, one of our biggest challenges is finding balance between providing content at a variety of learning levels, within a variety of themes, and variety of niche topics. Moving programming online virtually has opened up some doors. 

One of the topics that we heard would be valuable was related to lows during exercise. If you exercise, you’ve inevitably experienced a pre-, during- or post-exercise low and the frustration that comes with it. In fact, low blood sugars during and after exercise (specifically overnight) have been identified as a leading reason why people with Type 1 diabetes, and even more so young people with Type 1 diabetes avoid exercise. [1]

Have you ever experienced low blood sugar the evening after a particularly strenuous or out of the ordinary exercise bout? (Or, let’s be real, maybe after every time you exercise?) Have you wondered why that happens? When you exercise, diabetes or not, your body depletes glycogen stores so that it has enough energy to… move! When these stores become depleted, they need to be replenished with more glycogen. That glycogen can come from carbohydrates consumed immediately after exercise. If carbohydrate following exercise is not available, glycogen stores replenish, instead, when the body is most at rest, typically at night, by converting glucose in the blood to glycogen stores.[2] 

There are several strategies that you can use to avoid an exercise-related low with Type 1 diabetes, depending on the type of exercise, time of exercise, and a variety of other factors. 

Interested in this Adventure, Exercise & T1D topic? Check out the following Virtual Slipstream session:

At Connected in Motion, we are big fans of taking diabetes off the grid. We were thrilled to hear that the community is interested in learning more, too! Since CIM was founded in 2008, we’ve strived to decrease barriers to accessing wild places for people with Type 1 diabetes. We’ve had the privilege of guiding hundreds of folks throughout the backcountry of Canada by both water and trail, exploring places including Gros Morne National Park, the Canadian Rockies, Northern Vancouver Island, and the Chilkoot Trail.  

There is a special kind of preparation, both physical and mental that goes into preparing to take your diabetes off the beaten track. We are excited to share more of those resources and help get you outside and moving on your next adventure. 

Interested in this Adventure, Exercise & T1D topic? Check out the following Virtual Slipstream session: 

Living with Type 1 diabetes often means being prepared. Or overprepared. With Plan A ready to go, but also Plan B, and maybe even Plan C. So much extra brain power is spent making sure we’re stocked with insulin, low supplies, and a knowledge of when and where (and maybe even what?) that next meal may be. 

This can get exhausting. It only takes a few zombie movies to realize that we might be in a bit of trouble should the undead choose to wage war in our neighbourhoods. But perhaps there are things we can do and ways we can shift our mindsets to help unexpected life events (like zombies) feel a little less overwhelming. 

Interested in this Adventure, Exercise & T1D topic? Check out the following Virtual Slipstream session: