The Healthy Side: Walking after meals
Hopefully you are experiencing nice weather in your part of the country and you are able to spare a couple of minutes to do some healthy outdoor activities – like go for a walk.
Taking a walk this time of year reminds me of something that my grandma would always make my siblings and I do after each meal while we were visiting her out at the farm. She would always tell us to go take a walk to the crick (for those of you who don’t know what a crick is, it’s also known as a creek). This particular “crick” was just down the road from her house. So the four of us would set out for the crick not knowing why exactly she would send us for a walk after we ate, perhaps some peace and quiet?
After coming across this article on nbcnews.com, my grandma’s wisdom became oh so clear. This article highlights a study that suggests going for a walk after a meal can help control diabetes in older adults. It found that a 15-minute, moderate speed walk about 30 minutes after eating exerts significant control over the high blood sugar of older people. Not only is this healthy practice beneficial for older adults, but for people of all ages too.
After reading the article that’s when it clicked, my grandma who was diabetic wasn’t trying to get rid of us kids after all, but instead she was trying to get us into a habit that would help us grow into healthier adults. Though she may not have known the science behind it then, she did know that taking a walk after meals was good for us and that we would do it like it or not. I have to admit I never truly got into the habit of walking after meals but after reading this article I am certainly going to try and make a habit of it.
If you have any special tips you use, handed down from grandma or otherwise, I would love to hear them and share with the group!