Exercising with Type 1

Exercising and moving our body can be one of the great joys of life, even if it doesn’t always feel like it in the moment! Our bodies were meant to move and there are endless benefits to physical activity – it’s a wonder drug. But we know that exercise can be a real challenge for people living with type 1 diabetes. The good news is there are people with type 1 doing the activities you love right now, confidently and safely and kicking butt along the way.

We Created This Course For You

There’s a lot of information to absorb with a type 1 diagnosis. And it was so comforting to hear how all of it plays out in the real world, from people who actually live with this condition.

What at first seems impossible…

Exercise and type 1 diabetes can feel like a double-edged sword.

On the one hand, it can majorly benefit your health and diabetes management. Regular exercise can make your body more sensitive to insulin. Exercise can also help to reduce the risk of complications such as heart disease and nerve damage as well as improve mental health.

On the other hand, it can also mess with your BGLs for hours and even days afterwards, throwing highs or lows at you… and sometimes both! Its effect isn’t always easy to predict and sometimes it can even feel like it is more hassle than its worth.

The good news is, with the right planning and support, any physical activity you can think of is possible with type 1 diabetes. Whatever activity you love, there are people with type 1 doing it right now, confidently and safely and kicking butt along the way. That is why we developed this Essential Exercise short course.

Knowledge is power

In this engaging and informative course, you will learn how type 1 diabetes can impact exercise, as well as how to manage exercises effect on blood glucose. By completing this module, you will understand the specific benefits of exercise for people living with type 1 diabetes, as well as understand factors to be aware of to stay safe while exercising. The course will guide you on a journey through managing different forms of exercise, from cardio to strength training and everything in between, as well as the general blood glucose pattern associated with each type of exercise.

You will learn the ongoing impact of exercise on blood glucose levels in the hours after exercise, so that you are aware of these impacts, and differentiate between planned and unplanned exercise so that you can develop strategies for maintaining safe blood glucose levels for each. That way, whatever life throws at you, from an intense boxing class to an unplanned game of footy with the kids, you’ll have the right information to tackle it with confidence.

Course benefits

Learn exercise timing
How to adjust insulin
How to test your blood glucose
Learn at your own pace
Access information when you need, any time of day or night, in an easy digital format
Go back and review anything you’ve learned at any time – build your toolkit!

The very best diabetes knowledge from those who know it best

The Type 1 Essentials program was born through a remarkable collaboration between more than 20 pre-eminent clinicians with specialist knowledge of type 1 diabetes alongside a community of people with decades of experience living day to day with type 1 diabetes.

The course represents a unique blend of the latest evidence-based clinical advice and medical knowledge coupled with real-world, practical, down-to-earth experience of what it is like to live day-to-day with one of the most complex self-managed conditions on earth.

Overseen by a pre-eminent Clinical Advisory Committee chaired by Dr Joey Kaye, Head of Department of Diabetes and Endocrinology at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, the Type 1 Essentials Program is the toolkit we all wish we had when we started on our own journeys with type 1.

Course Partners

Our wonderful partners continue to support our mission to bring live saving education to the public.