When Mike runs long distances, he knows to check his blood sugar frequently. He carries energy gels in his running pack and uses several of them in almost every long run. He’s got the routine down to as close to perfect as you can get with diabetes. But what often takes him by surprise is the fact that many times even hours after a long run his blood sugar will continue to drop.
According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), depending on the duration and intensity of the exercise, you can continue to burn glucose up to 24 hours after exercise.
The ADA recommends checking your blood glucose about every 45 minutes after a hard workout to gauge whether your blood glucose is going down, going up, or leveling off. If it is going down, eat a few carbs and keep checking until you level off.
