The 7 major benefits of walking after eating

After a big meal at night, even the lightest form of physical activity may be the furthest thing from your mind. But as it turns out, walking after eating has many benefits.

We’re not just talking about boosting our endorphins or reducing stress levels when taking these leisurely, serotonin-inducing strolls. Walking after eating has been proven to do many things for our overall health, and it’s definitely something to consider for future meals. But don’t just take our word for it. Below, Heather Viola, DO, primary-care physician at Mount Sinai Doctors-Ansonia, breaks down all the reasons you should be taking a post-meal walk after breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Both times can be beneficial, just in different ways. Dr. Viola explains that walking before your body has ingested food will enact different chemical reactions than walking after eating. Walking before a meal helps burn stored fat efficiently and assists with weight loss. When you walk half an hour or so after eating, she says, it can decrease the amount of sugar and fats that accumulate in your bloodstream. It can also give your body more energy to exercise, digest, and regulate blood sugar levels more effectively.

So it’s up to you and your specific health goals on when to take that walk. But you can’t go wrong either way. “No matter whether you decide to walk, before or after dinner or another meal, remember that whenever you participate in physical activity, you’re enhancing your overall health,” she says.

Dr. Viola says walking after eating has five primary health benefits: It will improve digestion, reduce the risk of heart disease, improve blood-sugar management, help maintain a healthy weight, and promote better sleep patterns.

Improved digestion: Bloating, constipation, acid reflux, upset stomach—all are uncomfortable signs of indigestion after eating. One way to relieve those symptoms is with a quick walk. “Walking after eating [stimulates] your stomach and intestines, making your food move through you more quickly and aiding digestion,” says Dr. Viola.

Reduce Heart-Disease Risk: Studies have always shown that regular forms of exercise are great for your heart health. It is shown to lower your blood pressure and cholesterol and reduce the risk of heartburn, heart attack, stroke, and other heart problems. One study even shows that doing small quick exercises, such as a 10-to-15-minute walk after meals, over one long workout might be more beneficial to reducing the chances of heart disease.

Regulate Blood-Glucose Levels: Dr. Viola says that not moving after eating might result in excessive spikes in your blood sugar levels. (This is also a tenet of the Jessie Inchauspé, also known as the Glucose Goddess.) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explains that having too much blood sugar in the bloodstream will overwhelm our liver and muscles that normally store blood sugar and cause the insulin in our bodies to store any excess in other places. If this keeps happening, it will make our bodies insulin resistant over time and set the stage for pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes.

Studies show that walking after eating will help reduce blood sugar levels and is an effective way to lower those risks

Exercising regularly is the most effective way to be healthy, but even a short walk after a meal can help maintain or lose weight. Dr. Viola explains that you must burn more calories than you take in to lose weight (to lose one pound, you’ll need to burn about 3,500 calories, she says) and that your body expends more energy when you walk, thus burning more calories. Walking will also help regulate appetite and curb the urge to grab those unhealthy snacks between meals.

She advises a brisk walk of three to four miles per hour, but even a light walk at a slower pace will still do some good over just sitting and doing nothing.

Dr. Viola explains that walking after dinner particularly helps regulate circadian rhythms; it enhances the body’s natural sleep-wake cycle, making it easier to fall asleep and enjoy deeper, restorative rest. She adds that because these walks can help with post-meal stomach discomfort, it also allows for a more comfortable and – more importantly – uninterrupted sleep throughout the night.

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Dr. Viola says that studies have shown that walking for about 30 minutes or in several 10-minute intervals throughout the day can reduce high blood pressure by a significant amount. She says you can easily achieve that goal if you take three 10-minute walks after each meal of the day.

To quote Legally Blonde: Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people don’t [insert unpleasant action here], etc. Dr. Viola says walking can kick-start dopamine and serotonin to get you feeling good. Even a short 10-minute walk, she says, can help release these hormones.

According to Dr. Viola, there is no specific time frame for starting your walk. You can go immediately after you eat, as some studies show that is the time that reaps the most benefits. But she says you might encounter stomach discomfort if you do any physical activity soon after a meal, so it could be worth waiting 15 minutes or so before walking. “It really comes down to how you’re personally feeling,” she says.

This all depends on your goals. If you just want to help digest food more easily, Dr. Viola says a 10-minute walk around the block after each meal is enough to be beneficial. But if you want to improve your overall fitness goals or reach those 10,000 steps, she recommends a 30-minute walk.

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You don’t need to be speed walking to gain the most benefits, but Dr. Viola does recommend picking up your normal pace. She says studies have shown those who walk about 10% faster had greater effects on reducing blood sugar levels. Just be sure not to overdo it. “It doesn’t take very much activity to stimulate the bowel and stomach to move,” she says. “Overdoing it may divert blood flow away from the bowel and lead to poor digestion of food, causing an upset stomach or heartburn.”

While walking is encouraged after eating, Dr. Viola advises against doing anything more extraneous, like jogging or rigorous exercise, as it will lead to digestion problems. “The problem with jogging is that blood flow is needed for your working muscles to deliver the oxygen and fuel they need,” she explains. “This leaves your digestive system without the blood flow needed to process food. Eating shortly before more vigorous exercise can overwhelm the digestive system, potentially leading to cramping and discomfort once exercise begins.”

Simply put, the benefits of walking are so good for you that there’s hardly any reason not to want to do it regularly. It’s an easy way to keep your health in check, and that’s all anyone really wants.