Important Announcements

Nondiscrimination Statement Update

Boston Medical Center Health System complies with applicable Federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, national origin (including limited English proficiency and primary language), religion, culture, physical or mental disabilities, socioeconomic status, sex, sexual orientation and gender identity and/or expression. BMCHS provides free aids and services to people with disabilities and free language services to people whose primary language is not English.

To see our full nondiscrimination statement, click here.

Campus Construction Update

Starting September 14, we’re closing the Menino building lobby entrance. This, along with the ongoing Yawkey building entrance closure, will help us bring you an even better campus experience that matches the exceptional care you've come to expect. Please enter the Menino and Yawkey buildings through the Moakley building, and make sure to leave extra time to get to your appointment. Thank you for your patience. 

Click here to learn more about our campus redesign. 

Exercise Tips

617.638.7470

Exercise is important for our general health and is an excellent way to help improve mood and decrease stress. Exercising with diabetes can feel more challenging but there are some ways to help make sure your blood glucose is safe during exercise.

Below are a few tips to help manage your diabetes during activity.

  • Before starting to exercise, make sure your blood glucose (BG) levels are in a range your doctor suggests (for ex. 100-180 ng/dL if not on insulin, 150-200 if type 1 diabetes or taking short acting insulin)
  • If your BG is low, you may need to take extra carbohydrates (carbs) before exercising
  • Your diabetes team might also recommend reducing the insulin dose before you exercise to avoid lows
  • If your BG is high, you may need to wait to exercise or drink extra water
  • Check your BG before and after exercising.
  • If exercise lasts longer than 1 hour, test BG during exercise.
  • If you are using an insulin pump – consider using “exercise mode” features –discuss  with your diabetes team when to activate this
  • Always have a source of carbohydrates with you during exercise

 

Exercise Duration and Intensity

 

Blood Glucose

<100 ng/dL

100-180 ng/dL

>180

<30 minutes

Low intensity

15 g carbs

N/A

N/A

30-60 min. at moderate intensity

15-30 g carbs

15 g carbs

N/A

A 30-60 min. at high intensity

30 g carbs

15 g carbs

N/A

> 60 minutes at moderate intensity

15-30 g carbs per hour of activity

 

15 g carbs per hour of activity

 

After 1 hour of activity, eat 15 g carbs

 

 

  • Examples of low-intensity exercise: yoga, leisurely walking, or biking
  • Examples of moderate-intensity exercise: vigorous walking, swimming, tennis
  • Examples of high-intensity exercise: running, Spinning, aerobics or kickboxing Examples of long-duration (60+ minutes) moderate-intensity exercise: team sports, golfing, cycling or swimming

For more information, visit https://www.jdrf.org/t1d-resources/living-with-t1d/exercise/exercise-impact/