Constitutional. La PassegGata (literally “The Stroll” in Italian). Postprandial walks.
A speed walk with any other name would smell like sweet. #Troftwalk -hashtag can increase in popularity on social media, but practice to take a Walk after meal Has been around for centuries and has been with many names.
So, what is a “speed walk”, exactly? As the name suggests, this is a walk you take after dinner to Relieve gas and bloating. The term was popularized in early 2024 by Mairlyn Smith, a 70-year-old cookbook writer who described the ritual in a Instagram. “Going on a” speed walk “after dinner is something that will help you age wonderfully,” explains Smith in the video. “It is the small healthy habits we practice every day that can have the greatest impact on our long -term health.”
The #thardwalk hashtag has since created hundreds of videos and received millions of views on Tiktok. Proponents claim that practice to take a walk after a meal can unlock a variety of benefits, including Stress reliefbetter nutrition absorptionand even improved Skin health.
Social media is notorious for Propagating wellness trends with the support of questionable science. So how does the speed stack up? To find out, I tested it for myself and asked a handful of experts about its benefits.
Experts displayed in this article
Richa MittalMD, is a doctor and diplomat from the American Board of Obesity Medicine and Lifestyle Medicine.
Christopher J. DammanMD, is a gastroenterologist at the University of Washington.
Austin perlmutterMD, is a physician, brain health researcher and senior adviser for Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine.
My daily speed walk experience
Here is a controversial (and a bit ridiculous) statement for someone who writes about health and fitness for a living: I don’t like to go. Sign up for a HIIT-PILATE Fusion class Or Power Yoga session every day. Walking, on the other hand, is boring. It hardly gets your heart rate. When it comes to physical activities, it is literally just steps above standing.
That’s how I used to feel, anyway. But to hear about the viral practice on a Section of LifeKitI was fascinated. As a person who eats a lot of cauliflower and drinks a lot of Heb brand sparkling water, I have long struggled after dinner (read: Gassiness). It gets bad enough that I have canceled the plans after dinner because I like an Unsexy, fast -paced balloon.
Can a speed walk be my salvation? I decided to see myself. I took a 10-minute walk around my area after dinner for a week. In front, I have shared a day-to-day division of how the experiment went.
Day 1: I take a walk but don’t. Does it still count as a speed walk?
Day 2: My flip-flops are broken about halfway through a walk and I have to throw home barefoot. This seems like a bad sign. I didn’t either.
Day 3: Dang, 10 minutes goes slower than I thought. Still no speed.
Day 4: Finally some speeds. Science is real!
Day 5: Should I listen to a podcast on my walk? No. It is important to be present (for feeling Farts).
Day 6: I have been speeding up all the time and none of these passing cars have any idea.
Day 7: I’ll take it back: 10 minutes goes too fast. I will take an extra long speed walk today.
The verdict: Color me a speed walk -fan! After introducing speed walks to my routine, I feel noticeably better in the evenings – physically, gastrointestinally and even emotionally. I am less bloated after a walk, whether Farting actually happens. Not only that, but I also feel calm, clear and kind of authorized- as a real, human adult who goes for a walk after dinner as a mature decision for their health and power starts all the way. Why haven’t I gained momentum for my entire life?
Is speed walks good for you?
To confirm the results of my experiment, I turned to experts. Science and health care personnel I interviewed unanimously agreed on: When it comes to Internet Wellness Trends, this one goes on site. Here are the benefits of going on regular speed hikes, according to doctors.
1. Improved digestion. Rumors are true: go for a walk after dinner really do Help with your digestion – and by extension, potentially cause speed, according to Richa Mittal, MD. “Mild physical activity helps with gastric mobility after a meal.”
Gastric or intestinal motility is the overall process for moving food, fluids and waste through the body. A speed hike can improve gastric mobility by stimulating digestion and encouraging gas release.
2. Reduced acid reflux. If you are struggling with acid reflux, you can go on a walk after meal reducing the symptoms, says Dr. Mittal. Acid refluxAlso known as gastroesophageal reflux (Ger), occurs when the stomach content flows back up to the neck. Walking after eating can help move food through the digestive system, reduce the time the food spends in the stomach and lowers the likelihood of its contents returning.
3. Blood sugar control. Going for a meal can improve blood sugar levels and help prevent diabetes, says Christopher J. Damman, MD. “When we exercise, blood sugar goes directly into our muscles – instead of our fat cells – and turn into energy. With physical activity we create a sugar barrel that pulls all that sugar from the blood much faster.”
Blood sugar, also called blood glucose, is the sugar in the bloodstream. Blood sugar levels Need to stay in a healthy supply because consistently high levels can lead to prediabetes or diabetes, says Dr. Damman.
Blood sugar control is important for everyone but especially older adults, Mittal adds. Estimated 29 percent of adults aged 65 and older have diabetes in the United States and almost 50 percent meet the criteria for prediabetes, according to US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Data.
4. Improved brain health. Walking is a powerful way to increase the brain, according to Austin Perlmutter, MD. “Physical activity is one of the best studied ways to improve short -term and long -term brain health. Movement is linked to immediate increases into cognitive function, and when it regularly acts to translate to a lower risk of mental health problems and dementia.”
Dr. Perlmutter quotes a study published in Jama Neurology, which linked to walking around 10,000 steps a day with a 50 percent reduction in the risk of developing dementia.
5. Reduced anxiety and depression. Walking can also benefit our mood and emotional health, says Dr. Pernmutter. “People who move their bodies regularly may be at a lower risk of developing conditions such as anxiety and depression,” he says. “In addition Exercise has been shown to reduce symptoms of depression. ”
You can maximize the mental health benefits by going by doing it outside – bonus points if you take your walk in nature, he adds. Walking in nature has been in connection with to reduced stress, better mood and even increased empathy.
6. Improved life. Studies consistently show that regular physical activity is associated with increased life span and reduced mortality risk, with Some research Suggest that even moderate training can add years to life. “Exercise is one of the very few therapies that have been shown to help prevent age -related shrinkage of the brain,” says Dr. Pernmutter.
It does not take much to unlock the benefits of exercise. Even “excerpt” of physical activity – as a speed walk – can affect your health, according to Dr. Mittal. “Being sedentary is a huge risk factor for high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol and mortality,” he says. “Getting small movements throughout can be of great help to improve life.”
How and when to take a momentum for a walk
Are you thinking about going into speed hikes yourself? I asked our experts to share some tips to maximize the physical and mental health benefits:
Time issues. To take advantage of the benefits, take your speed at 15 to 20 minutes after eating, Dr. Damman. “In the average person, the stomach is emptied in about three hours,” he explains. “It’s essentially a race against your stomach: you want to take time on your walk with when the stomach content enters the small intestine and starts to be absorbed into the bloodstream.”
As little as five minutes makes a difference. “Studies have shown that even short walks – five minutes – can be helpful in blunt blood sugar search,” says Dr. Damman and adds that adults should strive for 30 to 60 minutes of physical activity daily, and walks can help to meet these recommendations.
Other exercises will do in a pinch. Too rainy, cold or hot for a speed walk? Speed calf increases, speed lifting and even speed squats will make in a pinch, according to Dr. Mittal. “Everything that activates the gastrocnemius muscle may be helpful after a meal.”
The Gastrocnemius muscle is a complex muscle on the back of the leg. “You want to do something that raises your heart rate and that activates your muscles because that is what pulls the sugar out of the blood,” adds Dr. Damman.
