(STYLIST) – Going for a quick post-dinner stroll is standard practise in many nations. Here are some reasons why you might wish to follow their lead:
You’re enjoying a lovely supper one minute, and the next you’re sighing beneath the steadily increasing weight of a food baby. You feel sluggish and exhausted, which is rather typical. You just want to unwind and pass asleep while watching Netflix before enjoying a bowl of dessert. Going for a walk is the last thing you want to do.
Therefore, it is annoying that your body may require a walk after eating lunch or dinner. A 2022 study found that light-intensity walking can stabilise blood sugar and insulin levels after meals, with as little as two minutes of walking having a beneficial effect in comparison to sitting or standing after eating.
Preventing blood sugar spikes is crucial. Maintaining steady levels can reduce the risk of diabetes and heart disease, contrary to what you would believe. People with diabetes are not the only ones who need to be concerned about this.
It would definitely be advisable to start moving at this period because studies have shown that blood sugar surges within 90 minutes of eating.
High blood sugar symptoms (and why they matter)
We all experience brief spikes in blood sugar, but the trick is to minimise them whenever you can. Common symptoms when allowed to soar include:
- Feeling thirsty
- Fatigue
- Stress
- Needing to go to the toilet
By lowering the spike, you can lessen the intensity and regularity of those symptoms. Additionally, you could notice that you have more energy, are happier, and can think more clearly (no post-dinner brain fog).
But don’t just believe what we say. We’ve enlisted a team of specialists to explain how taking a quick stroll after meals can have significant advantages.
A 10-minute stroll after eating, according to diabetes dietician Paula Chinchilla, is unquestionably wise advice. “By doing this, you prevent the glucose excursion after eating and help glucose levels to be more stable,” she explains to Strong Women. Many people have large glucose surges after eating, especially if the meal contains a lot of carbohydrates or is absorbed quickly.
Advantages of a 10-minute stroll
You may be wondering at this point if we’re advocating a 10-minute stroll in an effort to make it more manageable. Even though we’re all for making exercise as accessible and inclusive as possible, walking for only 10 minutes, as opposed to 45 or an hour, has some clear advantages.
After eating, intense activity can make you feel sick.
It is not advisable to exercise vigorously for two hours after eating, and this includes lifting heavy weights. Integrative physician Dr. Anna Forbes comments to Strong Women: “It is important to remember that speed-walking or more severe exercise is not recommended immediately after eating as this can interfere with digestion, why we say that we need to’rest and digest’.
Ten minutes are sufficient, according to science, to reduce blood sugar.
The stroll should preferably take place within an hour and a half of eating in order to benefit the blood sugar level, says Dr. Forbs. According to study, 10-15 minutes is the ideal amount of time to walk after eating, but even a short amount of time has a big impact.
Although standing after eating has advantages, they are not as great as walking.
DR ANNA FORBES
Blood glucose (sugar) and insulin levels are crucial indicators of cardio-metabolic health, as was before mentioned. When blood glucose levels increase, the hormone insulin is released, which aids in transporting glucose to the cells where it is required. Therefore, larger amounts of blood glucose cause higher levels of insulin.
Dr. Forbs notes that while standing after eating has advantages as well, they are not as significant as walking because standing requires more muscle work. “After eating, blood sugar levels are reduced because light exercise encourages the muscles to work more actively and absorb some of the additional glucose.
The result is that blood sugar levels will rise and fall more gradually rather than abruptly, which is simpler for the body to handle.
Shorter walks are simpler to incorporate into a schedule.
While most of us can spare 10 minutes, it’s not practical to plan to walk for hours every day if the goal is to develop the habit of doing so after every meal. Always choose smaller, more manageable goals than more ambitious ones.
Chinchilla advises: “For people that are at home, you could do housekeeping tasks after meals as it also helps have the same effect,” if you are unable to leave for a little walk.
