One minute you’re eating a delicious dinner, the next, you’re groaning under the ever-growing weight of a food baby. You’re bloated and tired – and that’s pretty normal. All you want to do is crash out in front of Netflix and relax before having a a bowl of dessert. The very last thing you want to do is head out for a walk. 

So it’s annoying then, that walking after having lunch and/or dinner might be exactly what your body needs. According to a 2022 study, light-intensity walks after a meal can stabilise insulin and blood-sugar levels – with as little as two minutes of walking showing to have a positive effect when compared to sitting down or standing post-consumption.

Stopping blood sugar from spiking is important. You might think it’s only something people living with diabetes need to worry about but you’d be wrong; maintaining stable levels can lower the risk of diabetes and heart disease. 

As studies show that blood sugar spikes within 90 minutes of eating, it’s probably best to start moving during this time.

We all have moments of high blood sugar, but the key is to dampen the spike where possible. Allowed to rocket, common symptoms can include:

• Feeling thirsty
• Fatigue
• Stress
• Needing to go to the toilet

You can dampen the severity and frequency of those symptoms by reducing the spike. You may also find that your energy improves, mood increases and you’re better able to think clearly (no post-dinner brain fog). 

Don’t just take our word for it though. We’ve roped in a bunch of experts to explain how a short walk after eating can offer big benefits.

Paula Chinchilla, a diabetes dietitian, says walking for 10 minutes after eating is definitely good advice. She tells Strong Women: “By doing this, you prevent the glucose excursion after eating and help glucose levels to be more stable. A lot of people struggle with high glucose spikes after meals – mostly if they contain big amounts of carbohydrate or the meal is absorbed faster.”

Now, you might be wondering if we’re encouraging you to walk for 10 minutes in a bid to make it more doable. While we’re all for making exercise as inclusive and accessible as possible, there really are specific benefits to walking for 10-minutes rather than 45 or an hour. 

Intense exercise after eating can make you feel ill

It’s not a good idea to do any intense exercise for two hours after eating – and that includes doing large volumes. Dr Anna Forbes, an integrative medical doctor, tells Strong Women: “It is important to note that speed-walking or more vigorous exercise is not recommended straight after eating as this can interfere with digestion, hence we say that we need to ‘rest and digest’.

The science tells us that 10 minutes is enough to lower blood sugar

Dr Forbs continues: “The walk should ideally be within an hour and a half of eating to derive the benefits to the blood sugar level. The research suggests that an optimal duration of time to walk after eating is 10-15 minutes, but even a few minutes confers significant benefit.”

As previously mentioned, blood glucose (sugar) and insulin levels are important markers of cardio-metabolic health. When blood glucose levels rise, this stimulates the release of insulin – a hormone that helps to drive glucose into the cells where it’s needed. So, higher blood-glucose levels lead to higher insulin levels.

“Standing after eating has its benefits too, but it’s not as significant as walking due to the increased use of the muscles, Dr Forbs explains. “Light walking allows the muscles to engage more actively and the muscles in turn soak up some of the extra glucose from the meal, resulting in lower blood-sugar levels after eating. 

“The effect is that instead of a sharp rise and a ‘crash’ in blood sugar levels, they will more gradually rise and fall – this is easier for the body to cope with.”

Shorter walks are easier to build into a routine

The idea is to get into the habit of going for a walk after every meal and while most of us can spare 10 minutes, it’s not realistic to plan to walk for hours every single day. Small and achievable goals always trump more grand plans. 

And if you can’t get away for a short walk, Chinchilla recommends: “For people that are at home, you could do house cleaning tasks after meals as it also helps have the same effect.”

Images: Getty