Walking After Meals: What the Old 'Shatapawali' Habit Does for Your Blood Sugar, and How to Start

What did the Chandigarh study find?

Researchers at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh tested two walking routines on adults with type 2 diabetes. They published the results in Diabetology & Metabolic Syndrome in 2017.

The two routines were:

1. Post-meal walking: a brisk 15-minute walk, about 1,500 to 1,600 steps, starting 15 minutes after each meal.
2. One long walk: a single 45-minute brisk walk before breakfast, about 4,500 to 4,800 steps.

Sixty-four people could be fully assessed. Everyone tried both routines, each for 60 days, in a different order. The results were clear. When people walked after meals, their blood sugar and their HbA1c, a measure of average blood sugar over about three months, improved. The middle value of the HbA1c change was a fall of 0.7 percentage points with post-meal walking, compared with a rise of 0.3 with the single long walk. No one had a dangerous low blood sugar during the study.

The authors say the study has limits. It was small. They did not use continuous glucose monitors. And there was no gap between the two routines, so the first routine may have affected the second. That is why one study alone should not be treated as the final word.

Why might a walk after eating help?

When you eat, the sugar from your food enters your blood. Your muscles use sugar for energy. When you walk, your muscles pull sugar from the blood, so less of it stays there after the meal. This is a simple explanation, not a result from the study above.

How to make it a habit

• Start small. Aim for 10 minutes after dinner. Add the other meals later.
• Keep the pace gentle to brisk. The NHS says you are walking briskly if you can talk but cannot sing. That pace is about 3 miles an hour.
• Make it social. The NHS suggests an after-dinner stroll with family or friends. It turns a chore into time together.
• Use what is near you. A building corridor, a terrace, a park or the lane outside your home all work.
• Keep your phone in your pocket. Walking and scrolling can make the walk shorter than you planned.

How does this fit into your weekly exercise?

The World Health Organization says adults should do at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity a week. Walks after meals count. Ten minutes after each of three meals is 30 minutes a day, or 210 minutes a week. The WHO also says that any amount of activity is better than none, so even five minutes helps.

The WHO notes that about 31 percent of adults do not get enough activity. A small habit tied to something you already do every day, eating, is one of the easiest ways to join the other 69 percent.

Who should be careful?

• People with diabetes who take insulin or other medicines should ask their doctor how walking fits with their medicines and meal times. Do not change your treatment on your own.
• People with joint pain, heart problems or breathing problems should ask a doctor what level of walking is safe. The Chandigarh study left out people whose joints or other problems stopped them from exercising.
• If a walk makes you dizzy, short of breath or gives you chest pain, stop and get medical help.

The bottom line

You do not need a gym, special shoes or an app. Eat your meal, rest for a few minutes, and take a walk. It is a small habit with a decent chance of helping, and almost no risk for most healthy people.

This article is general information, not medical advice. If you have a health condition, speak to a qualified doctor.

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