Walking After Food

 WALKING AFTER FOOD

    The importance of the human health benefits of walking after food is contemplated. The physiological reasons may have been unknown, but physical activity – in its most basic form, has been in existence for a very long time.

Shasta Pawali

    Hippocrates, Greek physician, the father of western medicine wrote, “Walking is a man’s best medicine.” There is  a word Shatta Pawali in Marathi for their tradition of walking after dinner. “shata”,  means hundred, and “Pawali ”, means "steps", so this age-old custom of taking a stroll after a meal means “100 steps.”

    When Hildegard of Bingen was a saint, a German writer recommended walking — particularly after meals — more than 1,500 years after Hippocrates’ claim, her advice was hardly pioneering. This ancient wisdom regarding the benefits of movement is more important now that walking is not the primary form of transportation.

Walking is outdated

    Modern life is sedentary. Technology advancements, Immediacy of food, media, and communication come handy with compromise. That prove detrimental to overall health and wellness. The advancements were meant to improve our lives. It gives us more free time. But at the same time trappings and distractions that lend to a life lived inside, in recline, or in constant pursuit of a faster, easier way.

    The result is that modern living is an easy life, but not necessarily a physically active life. mostly, the evening meal often leads directly to reclining in front of the TV, or even bed. One small change you can incorporate today to improve your life is take a walk after every meal.

Care Before Walking

• Do not load belly full

• ¼ th stomach should be free

• Chew the food before swallow

• Do not lay down immediately after food

• Sit or recline for 30 to 40 minutes. 

• If you are reluctant to walk outside, walk within your room.

• Avoid brisk walking or jogging

Pace of walking

    Avoid brisk walking or jogging after eating may cause stomach ache and bloating. Walk for 5 to 6 minutes at a light pace. After a few days you can increase to 10minutes at a moderate pace. People should take their personal circumstances into account, and know that if they prefer to walk at different times of day, they are still reaping many health benefits.

Best free medicine

    In  modern living: “not enough time” is an excuse. For most people this is hardly the case; it is simply a matter of priorities. Walking after dinner is the best free “medicine” you can get. Studies indicate as little as 15 minutes of walking after a meal can lead to significant health benefits relating to digestion, metabolism, weight loss, blood sugar, mood, and sleep.

Benefits of Post meal walk

• Reduces gas bloating (irritable bowel syndrome)

• Stimulus digestive system 

• Common digestive issue

• Food moves fast from stomach to the small intestine

• Regulate blood sugar

• Supports mental health(reduces stress hormones)

• Improve sleep

• Lower blood pressure

• Lower LDL cholesterol

• Improving heart health

• Weight loss

• Calories burned

• Constipation(prevent or lesser)

• Colorectal cancer(-do-)

• Lower body fat.

Downside of walking

• Abdominal pain

• Fatigue

• Can cause digestive distress

• Diarrhea

• Nausea.

How Far, how fast

    Studies indicate that most of the benefits increase with the level of intensity and duration, but the most important factor is often the regularity of overall activity. The idea is to habituate a moderate, post-meal walk into your daily life first, and then work on increasing duration and intensity.

So, after your next meal, start your "Shatapawali", one step at a time.