EXERCISE

How to Work off Your Thanksgiving Meal - Continued

By Temma Ehrenfeld @temmaehrenfeld
 | 
November 22, 2017

If you exercise during that peak, however, your muscles are using some of that glucose, and you may get less of an insulin spike.

In a 2013 study, overweight sedentary older adults who walked for 15 minutes shortly after each meal improved their daily blood sugar levels, and the regime worked better than walking for 45 minutes in the morning. In earlier research, a 20-minute post dinner walk helped people with type 2 diabetes. In a 2008 German study, researchers concluded that walking on a slow pace on a treadmill right after meal speeded up digestion.

In one experiment, Yasuyo Hijikata, a 60-year-old woman with a family history of type 2 diabetes in Osaka walked briskly for 30 minutes as soon as possible after lunch and dinner each day for a month. She lost nearly seven pounds. Another volunteer, a 67-year-old woman, did the same, except that she walked at a stroll, losing half as much. When the pair repeated the experiment, they had the same results. They also walked after waiting an hour after eating, but didn’t lose weight.

So plan on a walk as soon as possible, and ideally keep up the habit. And don’t beat up on yourself if you go off your diet during the holidays. It’s normal and doesn’t mean you’re doomed to balloon. Another trick is to remind yourself to eat only food you actually love. People sometimes overeat food they don’t even consider especially good.

 

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Updated:  

April 08, 2020

Reviewed By:  

Janet O’Dell, RN