Being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes can be overwhelming. In addition to dealing with a complicated disease, you now must remember a new set of healthcare habits and get used to medications, glucose monitoring, and other aspects of managing this condition.

If you are an avid hiker or backpacker, a diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes can come as a shock. As you get used to dealing with your diagnosis, regaining some of the activities you enjoy isn’t an impossibility. Many people have gone on to hike, ski, backpack, travel, and enjoy the adventurous lifestyles they had before diabetes.

Hiking with diabetes

Diabetes doesn’t have to slow you down, but it does require you to invest a little more in the planning process when it comes to your hiking or backpacking adventures. Once you have been diagnosed with diabetes, it is important that you take a few weeks or months to monitor how your body is doing. You’ll need to make sure your body is adjusting to your insulin pump, that you make it a habit to check your blood glucose levels, and that you can manage your diabetes on a daily level without mishaps.

Starting off with short day hikes near your home will make it easy to get back in the swing of things without being too far away from help, should you need it. Starting out small allows you to pay attention to what your body needs as you increase the amount of weight you may be carrying and what kind of terrain you are crossing.

As you grow more comfortable with the things you must do to manage your diabetes, start adding in longer hikes further away from home. You can work up to an overnight camping trip or multiple day trips if that’s something you enjoy. Throughout the process of building up  your stamina, you should pay attention to what foods are most effective for keeping your glucose levels regular and how much water you’ll need to be drinking.

Create your own trail

There are many helpful online resources that you can take advantage of to learn about how other people manage their diabetes and balance an active lifestyle. You’ll come to create your own go-to gear checklist for your own adventures, and you’ll know what your body needs even as you push your limits.

Spontaneous might not be in the picture anymore, but adventure can be.