Understanding the Impact of Stress and Exercise on Blood Glucose Levels

Walking off weight – in far less time than you might think – not only sounds easier and more accessible than most exercise options, but also been proven.

Move over intermittent fasting, here comes intermittent walking.  Seriously, I don’t mean to dish fasting. And plenty of prior episodes have reviewed the plausibility of fasting based on when and how as well as your status.

A recent study published in the Journal of Sports Medicine found that intermittent walking throughout the day reduced post-prandial (that is, after meal) glucose by 17%. More on this in a minute.

Intermittent standing didn’t have the same effect, but it was good. That improved glucose by 9%. So, your stand-up desk may indeed be beneficial for posture and energy, and for benefits on those days you can’t walk, but it is the walking that offers the best benefit.

Spikes in blood sugar after a meal, or drinks, are normal. But too great a spike and too frequently increases inflammation.

A big point to clarify though that this benefit comes not from walking after a meal. The benefit to post meal glucose was made on intermittent walking throughout the day. You, like many, will find this provides a lot of latitude to be successful. Having to walk 10 minutes after a meal, during the workday for instance, isn’t always possible if you’ve got a short time for lunch anyway, have to drive to do it, or you’re shortchanging yourself on lunch at all.

Walking Off Weight in Menopause

Women in menopause may already be more prone to negative effects of stress due to hormonal and metabolic changes. That can impact the rise in inflammation’s negative effects.

There’s no question that breaking up sedentary periods with standing is better than continuous sitting. There’s also the very clear bigger benefit when that is light walking.

That could be 2 minutes of marching in place, walking down the hall or to the next floor in your building and back. Turn on the music and dance like no one, or everyone you love - is watching because they might catch it!!

I want to repeat this. The intermittent movement during the day, decreased the spike in glucose after meals, even when the activity wasn’t at mealtime or after it. It reduced glucose levels by as much as 17%.

Now, you want amplify results? Walk after meals. Within 30 minutes of a meal, walk for 10 minutes. That reduced glucose levels by 22%. Your goal is to walk soon after a meal when that post-meal spike is high.

How Does this Compare to Strength Training?

Given strength training is recommended as a treatment for Type 2 Diabetes, it is fair to say, strength training decreases risk by improving glucose levels as well. In a study of type 2 diabetics intense resistance training trumped more frequent lighter resistance training. Skeletal muscle is the major tissue associated with glucose uptake. When you lose that, and particularly during menopause transition if you weren’t lifting or aren’t yet, where accelerated losses can easily occur, risk of pre-diabetes or what’s known as insulin resistance can occur.

Walking will stimulate muscle tissue but will do little to increase or even maintain that muscle tissue. But the news is good no matter who you are or where you lie on the continuum of activity.

So, whether you’re barely active, and begin two minutes of movement several times a day, or start walking after meals, or decide you’re going to give strength training a try, your time commitment is relatively small. The return on investment may support with energy today and a stronger longer future.

Even on the couch, move the body parts you can. Substitute “walking” for moving your arms, swaying in your chair, supporting yourself and moving feet side to side. It is the movement of body parts that counts.

Not started yet? This is a fantastic place to get started and be notified when our next 12-week program opens too.  

References:

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-022-01649-4

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18781481/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6267507/

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00125-016-4085-2

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5446383/

Resources:

Last Day for Food Flip: https://www.flippingfifty.com/food-flip

CBM: https://www.flippingfifty.com/glucose

Additional Episodes You May Like:

Intermittent Fasting for Women: https://www.flippingfifty.com/intermittent-fasting-for-women/

Midlife Weight Loss for Women: https://www.flippingfifty.com/midlife-weight-loss/

The Missing Link to Weight Loss: https://www.flippingfifty.com/weight-loss-for-women/