Not spending hours at the gym – one simple habit can lower your blood sugar levels, says Johns Hopkins-funded researcher: ‘The secret is in the timing…'

Does a 10-minute walk after a meal really help you lose weight and lead to an overall better quality of life? Taking to Instagram, Neal K. Shah, a Johns Hopkins and NIH-funded caregiving researcher, claimed that a ten-minute walk after meals may beat one hour at a gym in a “specific-powerful way". He also added that the secret lay not on the walk, but on the timing. He explained that after every meal you eat, your blood sugar levels rise. A walk helps your muscles pull the sugar out from your blood and translate it to energy, thereby preventing spikes.

Watching your blood sugar is important for anybody over 50, as those daily surges contribute to the development of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes over time. Ten peaceful minutes that work for you at the ideal time.

This does not imply that you should avoid going to the gym. A quick walk cannot substitute the benefits of strength training and extended cardio, which protect your heart, build muscle, and maintain the strength that truly predicts how well you age. Timing is an underutilised instrument, which is the true lesson. One or the other is not the most effective regimen. It's both: lift weights and perform cardio exercises, as well as go for a daily walk after supper to subtly stabilise your blood sugar levels.


Does Walking After Meals Really Help Controlling Blood Sugar & Weight Loss?

According to an article published on the website of UCLA Health, the results of a survey revealed that after a meal, even a five-minute walk had a discernible impact on blood sugar regulation. Walking was found to have a positive impact between sixty and ninety minutes after eating. Blood sugar fluctuations were less severe and happened more gradually for those who went for walks throughout that period. This is significant since abrupt blood sugar fluctuations are thought to contribute to the development of Type 2 diabetes and can increase cardiovascular risk.

Regardless of whether they had diabetes or not, every participant who went for a post-meal walk experienced this beneficial effect on blood sugar. Although it was far less significant, standing after eating also had a positive impact.