If you’ve been on TikTok recently, you’ve probably heard about fart walking — the idea of going for a walk after eating to help boost digestion and relieve bloating.
Yet according to research published in the International Journal of General Medicine, there’s another huge benefit of walking directly after a meal: lowering your blood sugar. If weight loss is your goal, lowering your sugar levels is a good place to start.
The best part about this workout is you don’t have to leave your house — perfect if you’ve got kids upstairs in bed, or you don’t want to walk alone in the evenings. All you’ll need is 10 minutes, and perhaps a yoga mat to walk on.
If you want to check out your calorie burn, strapping one of the best fitness trackers to your wrist might help, but as with all indoor walking workouts, you’ll want to make sure you’re swinging your arms throughout for a more accurate reading.
What is the workout?
The workout, devised by fitness coach Caroline Jordan, was shared on her YouTube channel. "You can use this video immediately after eating to lower your blood sugar," Caroline says, and users in the comment section of the video have claimed the workout helped them to lose weight.
Far from just walking on the spot for 10 minutes, the workout involves various marches, side steps, hamstring stretches, and overhead reaches. It’s designed to boost your digestion. The best part is, you won’t need any special equipment; you can just follow along with Caroline in real time.
What are the benefits?
According to the International Journal of General Medicine study, there are several benefits to walking straight after a meal.
The researchers compared the benefits of a 30-minute walk straight after a meal to a 30-minute walk one hour after eating. Participants completed a month of walks, and the team found that the group who walked for 30-60 minutes right after their meals lost more weight.
But why? Walking after a meal reduces your blood sugar levels and the level of sugar in your interstitial fluid (the layer of fluid surrounding your body’s cells). While digestion uses this glucose for energy, excess glucose in your bloodstream can be stored as fat.
If you’re looking to lose or manage your weight, focusing on your blood glucose levels is a good place to start. Of course, if you’d prefer to head outdoors, especially in the summer months, you have the added mental health boost of an evening walk, which can lower your stress levels and help you sleep better.
That fart walk might not be so silly after all! Why not carve out 10 minutes and give this workout a try?
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