Benefits Of Exercise After Meals

Effect Of Post Meal Exercise On Weight, Blood Sugar And Insulin

Exercise any time is extremely beneficial to our health and its effects on your our health are well documented in international research.

Exercise boosts the levels of endorphins, the feel-good neurotransmitters,
Reduces stress,

Lifts gloom and depression,

Improves self-esteem,

Improves cardiovascular fitness,

Improves lung function,

Lowers blood pressure, blood sugar, total cholesterol, and LDL Cholesterol and triglycerides,

Improves HDL, the good Cholesterol,

Protects us from hypertension, diabetes, heart disease and strokes,
And boosts immunity.

Exercise also improves our metabolic health.

People with better metabolic health generate more energy and and use it more efficiently, burn fat better and maintain a healthy weight easier. They also have more energy and better memories.

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Effect of insulin and exercise after a meal on blood sugar:

Carbohydrates in our food raise our blood glucose levels, when they are digested and absorbed in our small intestines.

Our body releases insulin in response to the raised blood sugar levels. Insulin influences muscle, liver and fat cells, amongst others, to absorb this extra sugar from the blood, so the blood sugar levels are brought down to normal.

Research has shown that exercising after a meal has similar effect on blood sugar and much better effect on overall health.

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How exactly does post meal exercise lower our blood sugar?

Exercising after a meal triggers several important mechanisms simultaneously that help lower blood sugar naturally and efficiently.

Physical activity causes the heart to pump more glucose-rich blood toward the working muscles. At the same time, muscle contractions activate complex enzyme and signalling pathways inside muscle cells, which greatly increase the muscles’ demand for glucose as fuel.

Most importantly, exercise stimulates special glucose transporter proteins called GLUT-4 transporters to move to the muscle cell surface. These GLUT-4 transporters act like microscopic gateways that allow glucose to rapidly enter muscle cells from the bloodstream. During and after exercise, muscle cells become far more efficient at absorbing and utilising glucose, even with less dependence on insulin.

Together, these mechanisms help muscles remove excess glucose from the blood and use it for energy, which is why light to moderate physical activity after meals can be especially beneficial for diabetics, prediabetics and overweight individuals.

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When is the best time to exercise after a meal, to lower our blood sugar?

Recent research suggests that post-meal exercise may offer special benefits when performed from about 30 minutes after a meal up to several hours later, as this is the period during which blood sugar levels are usually elevated. Some studies suggest that exercising between about 30 minutes and 2 hours after eating may be particularly effective for reducing post-meal blood sugar spikes.

However, the ideal timing can also depend on the type of meal consumed. After a predominantly liquid meal such as a milkshake, sweetened beverage or smoothie, blood glucose may rise much more rapidly because liquids are usually digested and absorbed faster than solid foods. In such cases, beginning light physical activity immediately or soon after the meal may help the muscles utilise some of this incoming glucose more efficiently.

Even gentle activities such as walking, climbing stairs slowly or light household work after meals may help improve post-meal glucose control, especially when practised regularly.

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Which kind of exercise is most beneficial to lower blood sugar and insulin levels best?

Researchers have found that medium intensity exercise like walking lowers blood sugar and insulin best.

How much time should one walk after meals to lower blood sugar and insulin levels?

Thirty minutes would be ideal, but even ten minutes would be fine compared to being sedentary post meals.

Keeping moving around a little every half hour too would be more beneficial than being sedentary.

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To summarise:

Exercising after a meal helps improve our metabolic health, lowers our blood sugar and blood insulin levels and helps us maintain a healthy weight and boosts our energy levels and memory.

That is the reason why exercising after a meal is very beneficial to our long term health!

It could be life saving if you are a diabetic!

Also read the articles ‘Science Of Exercise’ and ‘Walking To be Slim And Healthy’, on this website.