Every Step Counts, Benefits of Short Bursts, Walking Lowers Blood Sugar
Lightbulbs & Pearls | 013 | Walking Edition
I met up with a friend for an afternoon tea and when the conversation turned to her current exercise regime, she was lamenting how much she loathes any form of strength training, despises running (me too!), and avoids just about every other form of formal movement. I genuinely felt badly for her because I know first-hand the multitude of benefits movement has to the quality of life. I also know she is not an anomaly…in fact, many of my friends do not enjoy or engage in exercise.
While I rarely offer unsolicited advice—especially over a relaxed catch-up chat—the conversation rolled around in my mind as I tried to come up with a few alternatives for her, and then the lightbulb went on. Walking. Still at the top of the list as one of the best forms of movement with cascading benefits such as improved cardiovascular health, reduced body fat, stronger bones, and increased muscle power and endurance…just to name a few.
The next time we talk or text, I’ll drop the not-so-subtle hint to walk, walk, walk!
10,000, or 6,000, or 4,000 Steps?
For years, experts and advertisers alike have drilled into our minds that 10,000 steps a day is some sort of magical number to hit for optimum health, but most of us don’t realize that was a totally arbitrary number pulled out of thin air. Well, maybe not entirely out of thin air, but close. In the mid-1960s, a Japanese company developed a marketing campaign to sell their pedometer promoting good health, and the Japanese character for 10,000 resembles a person walking. I actually admire the clever creative who came up with that…but it was a marketing ploy, not a scientific fact.
Since then, researchers have been trying to either justify that number or find the correct one, but they haven’t quite determined that perfect amount for all. The good news is there are several notable mile markers, and they may be even lower than you think. From a 2023 meta-analysis, as few as 2,337 steps a day can have an impact on the risk of dying early from cardiovascular disease, and 3,867 lessen the odds of an all-cause early death.
Naturally, more steps correlate to better overall health and to a greater drop in the risk of dying from disease. In fact, with every 1,000-step increase above the median, the risk was cut by 15%. In other words, walking 7,000 steps a day cuts the risk of early death in half compared to 4,000 steps. 11,000 steps cut the risk by 67%! These are startling statistics and the reality of daily steps adding years to our health span and longevity is no marketing gimmick.
Short Bursts as Beneficial as Longer Bouts
Aside from genuinely not enjoying exercise, the number one excuse I hear from people is not having enough time…and I totally understand it. The day seems to get eaten up with family and work obligations and before I know it, my energy is all used up and I’m unable to do much of anything else.
For the last several decades, the recommended guidelines for cardiovascular health have been a minimum of 150 minutes of vigorous exercise a week, broken into 30-minute blocks. If you are one of those people who have been intimidated by this half-hour edict, take heart! More and more research is dispelling conventional wisdom and showing that short 10-minute bursts that add up to 30 minutes have the same efficacy on fitness, blood pressure, lipids, insulin, glucose, and overall impact as one continuous session of exercise.
Some studies also contradict the “vigorous” requirement and demonstrate that brief bouts of any movement can improve oxygen absorption, insulin activity, and cardiorespiratory fitness. Additionally, boosting your heart rate for as little as 3 minutes will significantly increase all those benefits. This means during brief walks, if you pick up the pace every so often, you will experience even greater results!
Walking Lowers Blood Sugar After Eating
As if you don’t need another reason to get up and walk, this is a great one!
Insulin resistance (the inability of the body to metabolize sugar properly) is the root cause of many of the diseases that ail society, including predominately type 2 diabetes, which accounts for the majority of non-communicable diseases in the world and has a cascading impact on health. Despite the plethora of anti-diabetic medications available, diet and exercise remain the key advice in the management of the disease.
Now, research shows that taking a brisk walk after eating can lower your blood sugar levels and decrease the deleterious glucose spikes. This particular study compared the glucose profiles of participants who, in group A, took a 15-minute walk after a meal, to the participants in group B, who exercised for 45 minutes before breakfast.
The results are rather astonishing. Group A had a significant decrease in their blood glucose profiles, whereas Group B had an increase in the overall level of glucose after the meal.
Timing is also important. The variables of starting exercise after eating of either 15, 30, 45 minutes, or beyond found the sweet spot of 30 minutes most beneficial. This means you don’t have to jump up from your meal and dash out the door!
Every Step Adds Up
It’s clear that each and every step adds up to have a big impact on our overall health and longevity. Seriously, what could be easier? It doesn’t cost anything, doesn’t require equipment, can be done at any age, and even a handful of minutes here and there throughout the day can add up to notable, positive changes.
Even with it being easy, I still need to remind myself almost daily to weave more walking into my day, so I’ve developed a few habits that really help me reach my goals.
• Prioritize. This may seem like a no-brainer, but I find when something is not a priority, it doesn’t happen. It’s just that simple.
• Walk early. I walk early mornings before the day gets too busy or I get too lazy (which I’m very prone to do.) I’m a total morning person so this fits with my rhythm, but from a pragmatic perspective, it makes the most sense for me as the days tend to slip away and the excuses pile up.
• Ten-minute breaks. Depending on my day, I shoot for taking a couple of walk breaks mid-morning, mid-afternoon, and sometimes lunch—top of the hour is a good reminder—to loop around the block or simply walk up and down the street. Fresh air and change of scenery are good for the brain and an easy way to add steps to the day.
• Park far away. When I go to the grocery store, I pick the farthest spot to park, and I often park a block or two away from my destination when I run errands. It only adds a few minutes at most, not enough to be a deterrence.
• Stairs are my friend. I consider myself very fortunate to live in a two-story house and I see them as a blessing, not a curse. When I’m out and about, I take the stairs and I’ll walk the escalators if that’s my only choice. I’m always surprised how many people don’t take the stairs option…
• Walk and talk. When meeting up with a friend, I’ll suggest a walk instead of sitting.
• Videos. Just as a change of pace, every so often I’ll walk to a video (I’m a Leslie Sansome fan) that incorporates other movements. Every time you move your body differently, it’s a benefit.
The bottom line is walking is an easily accessible and viable key to living well, aging great.