Walking before and after meals helps lose weight, control blood sugar, and improve digestion.

Walking after dinner should be on flat terrain. (Illustration image created by AI)

Fat burning, weight loss goals

Walking before meals, especially in the morning, is considered an effective way to help burn excess fat. When exercising on an empty stomach, the body tends to use stored fat for energy because it has not been fed new calories.

This mechanism, if maintained regularly and long-term, can promote weight loss. Therefore, many weight control programs often encourage morning walking before eating as a simple but effective method.

Meanwhile, walking after meals also brings certain benefits, especially in controlling insulin and limiting fat storage. After eating, blood sugar (glucose) tends to spike and then drop quickly, easily leading to fat storage - especially in the abdomen.

Light exercise right after eating helps slow down the rise in blood sugar, thereby reducing the secretion of insulin - the hormone that plays a major role in fat storage. In other words, low insulin means less fat storage.

Goals to improve digestion

Light exercise after eating helps food move more quickly through the digestive tract, which can reduce bloating, heartburn, and constipation. This is especially true if you feel heavy and sluggish after a large meal. A light walk is a simple way to improve this condition and promote smoother digestion.

For people with acid reflux, the timing and intensity of walking are even more important. Experts recommend only light walking after meals, avoiding climbing hills or jogging because vigorous movements can make symptoms worse.

It's best to walk slowly on flat terrain, especially after dinner - when the digestive system slows down.

Goals to improve mental health

Walking before meals can help improve mental focus, especially before lunch when the body enters the mid-morning slump. Just 10 minutes of outdoor exercise can significantly increase the amount of oxygen supplied to the brain, while also reducing levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

So, if you want to feel calmer and more in control before eating, taking a walk before meals can be a simple yet effective solution to help you avoid the "everything you see" craving.

Blood sugar reduction goals

In Indian Ayurvedic medicine, a slow walk after a meal - especially dinner - is called "shatapavali" and is considered essential for digestion.

Modern science agrees. Several recent studies have shown that walking for 10-20 minutes after eating, even at a slow pace, significantly reduces blood sugar spikes, especially in people with type 2 diabetes or prediabetes.

A 2022 meta-analysis published in the journal Sports Medicine looked at data from multiple studies and found that taking a light walk after a meal — just 2 to 5 minutes — can lower blood sugar more effectively than sitting or standing.

That's because when we exercise after eating, our muscles use some of the glucose from the food, reducing the amount of glucose entering the blood and reducing the insulin load.