Obviously, diabetes and glucose intolerance—pre-diabetes—are conditions we all want to avoid.

But on the whole, we’re not doing that great a job. More than 75 percent of adults in the U.S. have some form of type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes.

Forty percent of adults over the age of 65 have some form of glucose intolerance.1

Sure, you know it’s important to monitor what you eat.

But there’s something you can do after you eat that helps you fight off diabetes and insulin resistance. And it’s easier than you may think.

This keeps your blood sugar levels under control for hours after you eat.

Walking for just 15 minutes after each meal is all it takes to significantly lower your blood sugar for up to three hours.

One study followed a group of overweight adults at risk for type 2 diabetes. Their average age was 71. The group tested out two different types of walking. They walked for 45 minutes at a time once during the day or they walked for 15 minutes after each meal.2

They got better results from taking the shorter walks after each meal. Their longer walks lowered blood sugar levels by 7 percent. The after meal walks dropped their sugar levels by 10 percent.3

This is great news for people who like to be active… But it’s also good news for folks who can’t find the time or motivation to walk for longer periods of time. You get sugar-balancing benefits from doing the same amount of work but in easier increments.

And you don’t have to be a track star to see the benefits of walking after your meals. The study shows that a 2-mile per hour pace is all it takes to fight blood sugar spikes.

That’s a leisurely stroll through your neighborhood. You should be able to carry on a full conversation without getting out of breath.

Not only will you help keep your blood sugar levels low, the walking will actually aid digestion.4 You’ll be taking positive steps to healthier living and all you have to do is put one foot in front of the other.

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References:
1 http://www.diabetesincontrol.com/component/content/article/64-feature-writer-article/143&Itemid=8
2 http://blog.aarp.org/2013/07/25/to-reduce-diabetes-risk-eat-stroll-repeat/
3 http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/early/2013/06/03/dc13-0084.abstract
4 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18392240