“When the kids were growing up, we had a holiday tradition of taking a walk break after a meal,” says Teresa Kowalski, a second-grade teacher in Cranford, New Jersey. “Getting out into the crisp air and sunshine was a great way to turn down the stress of dealing with family and alleviate the sluggish feeling after overindulging. We felt refreshed afterward.” In fact, the benefits of walking may allow you to have your pie and eat it too. “Taking a 30-minute walk after a meal—especially during the holidays, when meals are bigger and more tempting—does a lot of good things for your body and mind,” says Philip Junglas, M.D., an internist at Cleveland Clinic. Moderate exercise “stresses” the body in a good way, increasing your metabolism and optimizing many of your body systems. It also lowers blood pressure and increases heart rate—two keys to a healthy heart. Here, Junglas highlights five reasons to take a walk after a holiday lunch or dinner.
Why You Should Walk After Eating
1. It’s good for digestion
After a big meal (or any meal), slow movement will aid in processing and metabolizing some of those delicious calories. A gentle activity like walking moves food from the stomach into the intestines, helping you shake off the sleepiness you sometimes feel after overindulging. A faster walk, on the other hand, slows down digestion, says Junglas, but it has other benefits—fending off heartburn and constipation.
2. It’s calming
If you are still a little ruffled after your child acted up at the table or you had a political tussle with your opinionated uncle, a short walk can reset your attitude. Activity increases blood flow to the brain, improving cognitive function and memory, says Junglas. Taking a walk outside among the trees and greenery delivers more benefits than a short spin on a treadmill, significantly reducing the levels of cortisol, the stress hormone.
3. It helps control blood sugar
Even a brief walk after eating—two to five minutes—can lower blood sugar and insulin levels, studies show. Waiting an hour or so after a meal—when blood sugar levels spike—is the ideal time to head out. Tidy the table and load up the dishwasher after dessert and lace up your walking shoes when you’re done. You’ll come back refreshed—and you won’t have to face a sink full of dirty dishes.
4. You’ll sleep better
The holidays ask a lot of us—heck, they drain us. Everyone needs to recharge, and getting sleep is an effective way to do it. That walk can help. “Exercise can help reduce the time it takes to get to sleep,” says Junglas. Simply taking more steps during the day leads to better sleep at night in healthy adults, according to a 2019 study. So a walk after a meal will deliver double rewards: burning calories to keep the pounds off and setting the stage for a good night’s sleep.
5. You’ll strengthen family bonds
“When you go outside, you get outside your head,” says Kowalski. “The conversations begin to flow and stress melts away. We always excused ourselves from holiday proceedings to take a short walk. And we felt calmer when we got back—a little more carefree and open to what the rest of the holiday offered.” Even moms and their preteen daughters got along better and felt closer after a 20-minute walk together, according to research from the University of Illinois.
