Diabetes Fits sports camp aims to promote safe physical activity for individuals with Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes through education and hands-on learning.

The camp, held at the School on the Crawley campus, teaches individuals with diabetes how to minimise blood sugar fluctuations which are caused by exercise.

The program includes:

• educational seminars
• motivational talks by athletes with Type 1 diabetes
• group discussions to teach techniques developed through years of research.

We emphasise that we do not have all the answers - we simply offer a way to communicate important skills which promote safer and healthier participation in physical activity and sports.

The camp is geared for all levels of fitness, from those interested in starting an exercise regimen for the first time to those who want to take their marathon or triathlon training to a new level.

Parents are urged to attend alongside their son or daughter with diabetes - the information gained will be invaluable to establishing a strong foundation for your child's future health and quality of life.

We also aim to improve fitness and sports technique with swimming, biking, running and general fitness sessions. The swim session will be conducted at the UWA Aquatic Centre, while the scenic path along the Swan River will provide a beautiful setting for the running and biking sessions.

Healthy lifestyle

Daily physical activity is an important part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. But exercise itself often seems to make matters worse when you have diabetes.

Calculating how much insulin to take for a meal is a complex matter which depends on a seemingly countless number of factors:

• your carbohydrate to insulin ratio
• how many carbohydrates are contained
• what type of carbohydrates they are (low vs high glycemic)
• what they are served with and how they are prepared
• correction bolus, if required
• your health (that is, any illness)
• stress levels
• age
• gender
• exercise. 

Even a simple 30 minute walk, can make these decisions even more complicated! Sometimes, you may find your blood sugar to go down, for example, during a casual bicycle ride, but then skyrocket during a bicycle race.

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