Patriot Health Digest
Most people believe you should wait 30 minutes after eating before attempting any strenuous exercise. Well, the truth is not so simple.
Yes, if you exercise very hard and try to get into a huge sweat, there is a chance you could experience discomfort by mixing exercise with digestion, like heartburn, pain, and diarrhea. But if you go for a walk that is using a moderate or light speed, the science really says there are many benefits. Read on to see what they are:
1 — Better Digestion
According to research revealed in the American Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases Journal, going for a slow 15-minute walk after eating a meal will help your digestion by increasing the “gastric emptying” of your meal. In other words, a small walk aided the participants of this study in moving their food through their stomach.
2 — Better Blood Sugar
According to 2018 research released in the journal Nutrients, people who ate two slices of white bread and then walked, lowered their blood sugar by more than people who walked before they ate the same amount and type of bread. The study also revealed that the timing of the light exercise also had an impact. “Among 14 participants, slower 15 minute walks done right after eating gave a 1.5 mmol/L lowering in blood sugar levels., the study revealed.
3 — Less Gas
A study released last year in the journal PLOS One said that those who suffer from Irritable Bowel Syndrome reported that their IBS symptoms were directly connected to the amount that they walked. “Based on these findings., the study read, “increasing your daily walking to 9,500 steps from 4,000 steps will give 50% less IBS symptoms.”
4 — Less Stress
Scientists have long known that moderate exercise like walking can lower your stress levels. But if you take your after-meal walk outdoors, you will be doing your body an even bigger favor. One 2019 research that was released in the journal Frontiers in Public Health reported that doing a 20 minute walk within nature can greatly lower your cortisol levels (the hormone that increases when your are stressed).
Author: Steven Sinclaire
