When I hear about quick fixes, I am a bit skeptical.
How can anyone possibly cure anything in just 10 minutes?
Well, that’s a pretty good question and not one I’m prepared to answer right now. However, 10 minutes of walking after you eat can definitely lower blood glucose levels.
I know that’s probably not all that surprising since you’ve already heard that walking after meals regulates blood sugar.
But do you remember how many minutes you’re supposed to walk? 30. The standard recommendation is 30 minutes of walking after you eat dinner.
Though this is a fairly simple task, that chunk of time might turn many people away from the activity. So researchers set out to find whether or not the magical 30-minute marker was absolutely necessary.
Their discovery? It’s not mandatory at all.
In fact, one study put two groups against each other to see just how effective short walking times can be.
The first group was instructed to walk 10 minutes after every heavy meal and the second
group was told to walk 30 minutes a day.
The two groups completed the exercises daily for 14 days, followed by a 30-day break.
What they found was that the group that walked for 10 minutes immediately after their meals showed a 12% lower in blood glucose levels than those who went for a daily 30-minute walk.
Yup, that’s right. The 10-minute walks showed better effects than the 30-minute walks.
Don’t get too excited, though. This does not simply mean that a random 10-minute walk here and there is more healthy than a 30-minute walk.
Instead, this highlights the importance of the timing of the walk. The reason the 10-minute group showed such a significant difference in blood glucose is because they walked immediately following a heavy meal.
So, after dinner tonight, head outside and walk around for 10 minutes. This is the perfect time to start the healthy habit now that the temperatures are starting to warm up again!
[expand title=”References“]
NHS. URL Link. Accessed April 21, 2017.
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