Walking after meals You can't be strong all the time: Sometimes an unhealthy, fast food, fatty meal presents itself and you just don't have the willpower to say no. Fortunately, we're now learning that in many cases you can counteract that lapse in nutritional judgment pretty easily: All it takes is a good walk.
Several past studies have shown that your blood vessel function can be impaired for up to six hours after you eat a high-fat meal. During this time, your blood flow increases, but your blood vessels struggle to expand and contract (or dilate), putting you more and more at risk for cardiovascular disease the more you eat these high-fat foods.
But a more recent study has shown that vigorous aerobic exercise can counteract this effect if done within two hours of eating.
In this study, researchers tested eight 25-year-olds after feeding them a no-fat, 945-calorie breakfast and instructed them not to exercise at all afterwards A few days later, the same participants were tested after being given a 940 calorie meal with a whopping 69 grams of fat and, again, instructed not to exercise.
Finally, the participants were given the same high-fat meal, but were allowed to take a brisk 45-minute walk on a treadmill.
When the researchers examined the test results, they noticed that participants' blood vessels dilated much more easily when they exercised after the high-fat meal-even more so than after they ate the low-fat meal.
Obviously this doesn't mean you can just go out and eat all the McDonald's and all the fried chicken that you want and not gain a pound. That's not how it works. Those foods are still unhealthy, empty calories and fat grams, no matter how much you walk. But this does remind us that every little eating mishap doesn't have to be irreversible.
I usually recommend waiting at least half an hour after a meal before taking a walk. It allows your meal to settle down and can help prevent cramping. If you wait half an hour and still cramp up, try waiting a full hour or more if necessary.
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