Do this indoor walking workout immediately after eating to lower your blood sugar in 10 minutes, a coach says
If blood sugar regulation or weight loss is your goal, studies show that walking after eating could help you hit them. Back in 2011, the International Journal of General Medicine compared the benefits of walking for 30 minutes straight after a meal to walking for 30 minutes starting one hour after eating. After one month of the participants walking for 30-60 minutes straight after lunch and dinner, they had lost between 1.5 kg and 3 kg. But even just 10 minutes could help.
Fitness coach Caroline Jordan shared this 10-minute indoor walking workout on YouTube, explaining, ‘You can use this video immediately after eating to lower your blood sugar,’ and users in the comments section claim that this has helped them to lose weight.
One wrote, ‘It helped me so much with weight loss, and every time I do it, I feel so energetic,’ while another said, ‘I’ve been doing your videos after lunch and dinner for five days (keeping my daily diet and workout routine), and I was able to lose 1lb in just days.’ Others praised the indoor walking workout for helping them maintain stable blood sugar levels. ‘I’ve been doing these after-meal workouts after each meal since being diagnosed with gestational diabetes and it has helped my glucose level to be within range,’ one commented. Another said, ‘My goal is to get my blood sugar in order so I can have more energy, no nausea and no fatigue, so I can play with my child more and create more family memories. Thank you for helping me with that.’
The video could also help you hit your daily step goal. One follower commented, ‘I started doing this 10-minute walk after meals and I get 1250 steps or more.’
Speaking in the video – which involves variations of marching on the spot, side steps, hamstring stretches and overhead stretches – coach Caroline Jordan says, ‘You can use this video immediately after any meal to lower your blood sugar. It’s a simple yet effective workout designed to elevate your wellness, boost your digestion, and enhance your overall vitality. Best of all, it’s appropriate for all ages and you don’t need any special equipment or much time.’
How can walking after eating help blood sugar regulation and weight loss?
When we caught up with sports and exercise medicine consultant Dr Rebecca Robinson to explain how walking after eating could help you improve your body composition or lose weight, she said: ‘Walking straight after a meal appears to be more effective at reducing both blood sugar (glucose) and the level of glucose in your interstitial fluid (the thin layer of fluid surrounding your body’s cells). If you don’t walk straight away, excess glucose in your bloodstream will be stored by insulin and may be stored as fat.
‘The contractions of your muscles during walking increase glucose uptake as the glucose is metabolised by your muscles for energy. This reduces the amount of sugar in your bloodstream. Digestion also uses glucose for energy, but walking boosts the total metabolic cost on your body after eating.’
How often should I walk after eating for benefits?
As for how often you should walk after meals to see the benefits, Dr Robinson advises doing a 10-minute walk, as in the video, three to five times a week. ‘Starting with a little, like 10 minutes, will help you to build a sustainable habit that you can stick to,’ she says.
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