Before You Sit Down: Why Walking After Meals Matters

By Shannon Kasun, Neuroscience Specialist

After a delicious meal that satisfies both our stomachs and taste buds, it is common to feel a gravitational pull toward the couch. A soft cushion, a warm blanket, and the chance to kick your feet up and savor that full, contented feeling lures us to the living room.

But science tells us this is exactly what you should not do.

Evidence suggests that postprandial—or post-meal—walking, even for a short duration, offers powerful health benefits. Walking stimulates stomach and intestinal motility, helping to accelerate digestion and reduce bloating—an issue experienced weekly by an estimated 18% of people (Ballou et al., 2023).

Beyond digestion, post-meal walking has a profound impact on glucose regulation. A 2025 randomized trial found that a 10-minute walk after glucose ingestion significantly lowered 2-hour total glucose and mean blood glucose levels (Hashimoto et al., 2025). Notably, there was no difference in benefit between a 10-minute and a 30-minute walk, suggesting that just 10 minutes may be sufficient to confer meaningful metabolic improvements.

Multiple studies reinforce this finding. A 2022 meta-analysis showed that light-intensity walking after eating was more effective at reducing both glucose and insulin levels compared to standing interruptions or prolonged sitting (Buffey et al., 2022). A smoother rise and fall in glucose supports a more controlled insulin response, helping to combat insulin resistance—a condition linked to chronic diseases such as type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, sarcopenia (muscle loss), and neurodegeneration. With up to 40% of adults estimated to be insulin resistant, postprandial walking represents a necessary lifestyle strategy to improve glucose metabolism (NIH, 2023).

The benefits extend beyond metabolic health. Just 10 minutes of walking after each meal adds a meaningful number of steps to your daily total. Reaching approximately 7,000 steps per day compared to 2,000 has been associated with a 47% lower risk of all-cause mortality, a 47% lower risk of cardiovascular disease mortality, a 38% lower risk of dementia, a 22% reduction in depressive symptoms, and a 28% lower risk of falls (Ding et al., 2025).

With just 10 minutes of walking after meals—only 30 minutes per day—you can make significant strides toward becoming a healthier you.

References 

Ballou, Sarah et al. “Prevalence and Associated Factors of Bloating: Results From the Rome Foundation Global Epidemiology Study.” Gastroenterology vol. 165,3 (2023): 647-655.e4. doi:10.1053/j.gastro.2023.05.049

Hashimoto, Kaito et al. “Positive impact of a 10-min walk immediately after glucose intake on postprandial glucose levels.” Scientific reports vol. 15,1 22662. 2 Jul. 2025, doi:10.1038/s41598-025-07312-y

Buffey, Aidan J et al. “The Acute Effects of Interrupting Prolonged Sitting Time in Adults with Standing and Light-Intensity Walking on Biomarkers of Cardiometabolic Health in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.” Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) vol. 52,8 (2022): 1765-1787. doi:10.1007/s40279-022-01649-4

Ding, Ding et al. “Daily steps and health outcomes in adults: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis.” The Lancet. Public health vol. 10,8 (2025): e668-e681. doi:10.1016/S2468-2667(25)00164-1