Fighting for balance

At the rink, I've been working on spirals, which are those lovely moves where the skater is on one leg with the other lifted behind her.

Sasha Cohen
 known for her amazing spiral

Mine look nothing like that, but they are getting closer to the passing standard, which is hip height.  

Trying to skate on one leg isn't the only balancing act I participate in at the rink. I also have to balance my blood sugars. Most type 1's know that exercise can sometimes raise blood sugars, and it is generally a bad idea to exercise if your blood sugar is over 250mg/dl. 

Skating definitely reeks havoc on my blood sugars. I've learned through trial and error, that I cannot skate if my blood sugar is over 200mg/dl, or I will end up very high. If my number is in range (120-130mg/dl) and I treat with glucose tabs, I will go high, but if I don't treat, I will go low. So whats a girl to do?

Thank goodness for my pump and CGM. I always use the capture event feature to mark my exercise, that way my endo can see any patterns that may occur while I am at the rink. I skate with a temporary basal rate, which is dependent on quite a few factors; time of day (I love 6am freestyle ice), IOB, Carbs in my system, and my blood sugar. The CGM helps me catch if my blood sugar starts to climb, or if I am going low. 

I can only skate my best when my blood sugar is balanced and I rely on my diabetes technology to help maintain that balance, the same way I rely on my blades and edges to keep me balanced on the ice.