A 5-Minute Walk Can Reduce Blood Sugar Spikes By 58% Coach Explains How to Get More Actions

Here’s what the study found, along with what a personal trainer recommends using it.

Meet with an expert: Albert Matheny, RD, CSCS, co-founder of SoHo Strength Lab.

What did the study find?

The study, which was published in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exerciserecruited 11 adults and had them sit in an ergonomic chair for eight hours. They were divided into groups with a prescribed “snack” of 1 minute of walking after 30 minutes of sitting, 1 minute of walking after 60 minutes of sitting, walking five minutes every 30 minutes, walking five minutes every 60 minutes, and no walking.

DeerRun DeerRun Walking Pad 2 in 1 Under Desk Treadmill

The researchers measured the participants’ blood pressure and blood sugar levels, which indicate their heart health. During the lesson, the participants worked on the computer, read, and used their phones.

The researchers found that people who walked every five minutes for 30 minutes were the ones who could reduce blood sugar and blood pressure. It also affects how they respond to large meals, lowering blood sugar by 58% compared to sitting all day.

It is important to point out that this was a very small study, making it difficult to draw much from the findings. However, they are certainly attractive and offer good values ​​to consider when working at a desk.

Why is traveling so good for you?

Walking has become a form of exercise starting in the last few years. Most people like it because it’s easy for most people to do, says Albert Matheny, RD, CSCS, co-founder of SoHo Strength Lab. It also doesn’t require any equipment, he points out. “You don’t have to go to the gym for this,” Matheny adds.

Walking is also vigorous exercise, which can help support muscle and bone strength, Matheny says. “This is very helpful for women with osteoporosis,” she says.

Research has found that walking can boost your mood, burn calories, promote heart health, and reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, if you have prediabetes. It may even help you live longer.

How much should I walk a day?

It’s hard to be honest. This study, which was also small, suggests that you should walk five minutes for every 30 minutes of sitting, which amounts to 80 minutes over an eight-hour period. of work. But a recent study found that you can see health benefits from something as simple as walking at a steady clip for 11 minutes a day.

“Like everything healthy, it depends on where you start,” Matheny says. “If you’re on the couch all the time, five minutes is good.” But Matheny also said that science finds that you will start to experience cardiovascular benefits after 20 minutes or so of walking.

How can I travel more if I have a desk job?

Walking five minutes for every 30 minutes of sitting time sounds like a lot, but Matheny says there are ways to be creative about squeezing it into your day. Those include:

• It takes a long way to the bathroom and back when you have to go
• Park away from your office, if you have one
• Walk before work, after work, and at lunch
• Go during calls
• Take the stairs
• Take the long way to fill your water bottle

If you’re not happy with your step count after all of this, Matheny recommends considering an under-the-table treadmill. He says: “Many people like those things.

Korin Miller is a freelance writer specializing in general health, sexual and relationship health, and lifestyle, with work appearing in Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Self, Glamour, and more. He has a master’s degree from American University, lives on the beach, and hopes to own a tea truck and a taco truck one day.