Kids with diabetes can play all sports and do the same activities as kids without diabetes, you just have a few extra things to think about.

Why be active?
There are lots of reasons why it is good to be active. Being active can help you to:

• Be happy, relaxed and sleep better
• Grow and develop well
• Feel good, inside and out
• Have better sports skills
• Make new friends
• Be a healthy weight

Active Kids & Diabetes
Being active can help with managing diabetes and keeping blood glucose levels (BGLs) mostly in the normal range. Being active usually lowers BGLs but sometimes BGLs may go up before and after sport because of being nervous or excited. Sometimes BGLs can drop low and stay low later in the day or night after sport.

There are some important things you need to think about before, during and after exercise, like…

Blood Glucose Testing
Testing tells you more about your body and what different sports do to your BGLs. You need to test before, during and after sport.

Insulin
You might need some changes to your insulin dose when you are active. Sports and exercise can lower your BGL and you might need less insulin. Your diabetes team can help you and your family with this.

It is not a good idea to inject insulin into your arms or legs when you are active as it is absorbed more quickly and might cause hypos. Your tummy is the best place to give your insulin.

Carbohydrates
When you are active, you usually need extra carbohydrate foods to stop your BGL going too low. It is a good idea to have a carbohydrate snack like a piece of fruit, juice or muesli bar before exercise and extra carbohydrates to top up during and after the activity. It is a good idea to have one extra serve or exchange of carbohydrate for every 30-40 minutes of exercise.

Hypos
When you are active your BGLs can sometimes drop too low and you can have a hypo. When you have a hypo you need to quickly eat or drink something sweet straight away and then eat something else to stop the hypo from coming back. It is important to have your hypo kit with you at all times. Make sure that your teachers and coaches know to look out for hypos when you are active. They need to let you treat your hypo straight away and re-treat it if necessary. Remember that you can still have a hypo a long time after being active (even at night or overnight), so you may need to eat extra carbohydrates later in the day and before bed. Make sure that your bedtime BGL is above 7mmol/L. You might need an overnight test when you have been really active.

High BGLs
If your BGL is above 15mmol it is really important to test for ketones – either by urine with a urine test strip or if you have an Optium meter, you can test your blood ketones. If you have ketones or you are unwell then you should not play sport. Ketones mean that you need more insulin. If you have ketones, ask Mum, Dad or someone at home what to do - they can check their “Parents Manual” or contact your diabetes team.

If your BGL is over 15mmol, with no ketones and you are not unwell, it is OK to do something less energetic (eg. walking, tennis) but not high energy activities like a game of football or basketball. It is a good idea to check your BGL again in 1-2 hours to see if it has come down.

Ways to get more active…
Here are some ideas for getting more active…
• Walk the dog
• Walk to and from school (if you can do so safely)
• Try a new sport like dancing, netball, swimming, athletics, cricket or soccer
• Do active stuff with your friends, like shooting a few baskets
• Try something different like roller blading or beach volleyball
• Turn off the TV
• Do not spend too much time on the computer or video games console