Should You Take A Walk Before or After Eating? (Image Credits: iStock)
Walking is indeed among the best ways to not just improve your physical health and well-being but also have great mental health. It helps regulate your sleep quality, boost your heart, and improve your mood as well.
Experts say the timing of your walks—like before or after eating—makes a lot of difference to how it impacts your overall health.
Should you walk before or after meals?
According to studies, walking on an empty stomach can make you burn fat faster as it boosts metabolism—along with taking care of your other parameters like weight loss, improvement in digestion, and regulation of blood sugar levels.
The timings of your walk totally depend on your health goals and preferences. Even though both have different benefits, taking a walk after eating can prevent many underlying health conditions, apart from boosting digestion.
Benefits of walking before meals
When you take a walk for 15-20 minutes on an empty stomach in the morning or a considerable time after eating, it helps significantly boost your metabolism and help your body burn more fat, thereby helping in weight loss.
According to studies, those who exercise on an empty stomach burn about 70 per cent more fat than those who exercise after eating. It also helps boost energy levels and reduce lipids in your blood.
What happens when you walk after meals?
Walking after can be extremely beneficial for some people, especially those battling digestion issues. According to studies, walking after a meal can reduce bloating, gas, and belching in the long run.
Also, since eating can have a big impact on your blood sugar levels, if you are prediabetic or diabetic, walking after meals can keep them under control.
How long before and after meals should you go for a walk?
Doctors say the time you choose to take a walk depends on your goals. If you are planning to walk before you eat, make sure it has been three or four hours since your last meal or that it is the first thing in the morning. It helps your body burn more fuel instead of the calories you consume.
However, walking after meals requires you to be quick, especially if you are hoping to stabilise blood sugar levels or boost your weight loss efforts. Additionally, you will lose more weight if you plan your walk within that 30-minute window right after eating.
Tips for effective walking to take care of your digestion
For those looking to enhance their digestion, you need to consider the following:
Timings
If you plan to walk after you eat, exercise as soon as possible after your meal.
Chose your food wisely
If you plan to walk before you eat, pay attention to your food choices later. Studies say people may make less nutritious choices when they eat after completing their walk. Also, do not begin eating right after coming back.
Walk for a longer time
Walk for as long as you can.
Avoid high-intensity exercise
After eating, do not indulge in high-intensity exercise, rather choose walking due to its impact on the gut.
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