An ancient concept has gotten new attention as a healthy habit: taking fart walks for health. Seniors Guide writer Lisa Monroe shares benefits and tips for this humorously named but important idea.
Canadian cookbook author Mairlyn Smith is credited for creating the term “fart walk” after sharing on social media how she liked to take a short, brisk walk to relieve gas and bloating after a fiber-rich meal. However, the practice of taking a walk after eating is anything but new. In fact, people have been doing it for centuries. It’s even mentioned in proverbs from ancient China, and in Italy, it’s known as la passaggiata.
Regardless of what you call it, many health experts agree that walking after meals can be good for you, especially when you walk within an hour of eating.
What are the benefits of taking fart walks for health?
Here are six benefits of walking after meals, followed by some tips on how to get started if you want to try taking fart walks for health.
1. Supports blood sugar control
One of the most significant benefits of walking after meals is that it helps prevent sharp spikes in blood glucose levels. This lowers immediate blood sugar and can reduce the risk of developing diabetes. With consistency over time, fart walks can also help lower HbA1c to improve insulin sensitivity as well as help prevent the progression of Type 2 diabetes.
2. Improves digestion
Walking stimulates the digestive system, helping your intestines to contract and move food and gas through your gut faster. This can reduce discomfort from gas and bloating, especially after heavy meals.
3. Boosts mood
Walking after eating releases endorphins, reduces stress hormones such as cortisol, and combats post-meal fatigue, boosting overall mood and energy.
More mood-enhancing activities: Natural Mood Boosting Strategies
4. Supports weight management
Moving your body after eating helps to burn extra calories. These saved calories can add up over time, helping you to control your weight or even lose weight.
5. Fosters heart health
Fart walking is good for the heart through a combination of benefits. These include improving circulation and supporting healthy blood vessels, by reducing blood sugar spikes that damage them over time; helping to keep blood pressure within a healthier range and helping to control weight, both of which can put a strain on the heart.
6. Promotes better sleep
Walking after meals can help you feel more relaxed and improve sleep quality, an example of the sleep-exercise connection.
Tips on taking fart walks for health
If you’d like to reap the benefits of fart walking, it should be fairly simple to incorporate this gentle exercise into your daily routine. And remember, it doesn’t matter where you walk. It can be done outside or indoors.
1. Start slowly
If you already walk daily for exercise, then shifting to fart walking may just mean rescheduling your walks so that they follow meals. If you’re new to walking, then start slowly by walking after one meal a day, then expand to walking after other meals later. As a target, aim for 10- to 20-minute walks, but don’t give up if you can’t reach this goal. Some research has shown that even five minutes of walking after meals can make a difference.
2. Walk at the right time
According to an article from the University of Washington, fart walks should be taken within one hour of eating. That’s because blood sugar rises within the first 60 to 90 minutes after consuming a meal.
3. Walk at a gentle pace
You don’t have to walk fast to get the benefits of fart walking. In fact, since you’re walking to improve digestion, moving at a light to moderate pace is recommended.
4. Be consistent
Try to walk after at least one meal per day and stick with it! It doesn’t matter if you walk after breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
If walking isn’t your thing or you’re unable to walk, any kind of light movement after meals is helpful and can have similar benefits as fart walking. So, the next time you eat, try getting up and moving a bit afterward to see how you feel. After all, less sitting and more movement support heart health
