How Much Do You Need To Walk To Offset The Harmful Effects Of Sitting?

People who enjoy walking say that the activity has helped them lose weight. For one, walking is a low-impact exercise that can be done anywhere—in a gym or through a neighborhood.

Walkers say—and clinical studies agree—that walking offers many health benefits. Now, a new study suggests that walking can help people manage their blood sugar levels. Blood sugar, or blood glucose, is your body’s main energy source and the primary sugar in your bloodstream.

“Walking helps manage blood sugar through multiple mechanisms that largely center around the activation of skeletal muscle,” Dr. Clare A. Kelly, an assistant professor of medicine at Case Western Reserve University and an endocrinologist at University Hospitals, explained to Women’s Health. “As our muscles are working to expand, contract, and strengthen, they take in glucose from our bloodstream as energy.” This can cause blood sugar levels to drop, Dr. Kelly said.

Dr. Christoph Buettner, chief of the division of endocrinology at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, told Women’s Health that walking helps boost insulin sensitivity, which refers to how effectively your cells respond to insulin, a hormone that regulates blood sugar levels.

According to Dr. Buettner, maintaining stable blood sugar levels is “crucial” because it supports energy levels, lessens craving, and helps prevent long-term issues such as nerve and kidney damage. Additionally, blood sugar can also influence your mood and memory.

In contrast, “poor blood sugar control can lead to insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, weight gain, and increased risk of heart disease,” Dr. Buettner said.

Walking Study Results

For the study, researchers had 11 middle-aged and older adults sit in an ergonomic chair for eight hours, during which they got up only to use the bathroom and to perform a recommended “exercise snack,” defined as short bursts of physical activity lasting anywhere from 30 seconds to a few minutes.

There were four different “snacks” involving light-intensity walking:

Participants were also asked not to walk.

Throughout the study, participants had their blood pressure and blood sugar checked. The researchers found that while most exercise “snacks” helped manage blood sugar:

• Walking for one minute every 30 minutes was the next best “snack” for lowering blood sugar.

• Walking every 60 minutes, either for one minute or five minutes, did not appear to affect blood sugar levels.

The study concluded that “breaking up prolonged sitting with regular bouts of light intensity physical activity” reduces glucose and blood pressure in middle-aged and older-aged adults. Moreover, regularly moving around may be a valuable addition to current recommendations for exercise and health management.

Is running better for managing blood sugar?

When it comes to burning more blood sugar and increasing cardiovascular health, running has a slight advantage over walking, according to Dr. Mir Ali, medical director of MemorialCare Surgical Weight Loss Center at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, CA. “But both are great options,” Dr. Ali told Women’s Health.

Dr. Buettner notes that running and other intense exercises can cause temporary spikes in blood pressure due to the release of the stress hormone cortisol. However, for consistent blood sugar control, Dr. Buettner said taking a quick walk after meals can be a “simple and effective strategy.” Running can also offer further metabolic benefits.

What Are Other Benefits of Walking?

In addition to helping manage weight and blood pressure, Women’s Health offers a list of other health benefits of walking. For example, walking may help to:

• Boost your immunity.

• Burn calories that can help you lose weight.

• Improve heart health.

• Improve your sleep.

• Strengthen your muscles.

• Lower your risk of diabetes.

• Increase your longevity

• Reduce cravings.

Health experts recommend incorporating walking into your daily routine, especially if you spend most of your day sitting at work or have a sedentary lifestyle.

Source Links:

https://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/a64467191/walking-blood-sugar-sitting-offset-effects/
https://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/fulltext/2023/05000/breaking_up_prolonged_sitting_to_improve.9.aspx