The humble after-dinner stroll has a new name thanks to a TikToker (mairlynthequeenoffiber). spoke openly into the camera about how a “fart walk” will help you “age beautifully.” Her voiceover has been included in dozens of videos, some funny, some heartfelt. But most importantly, the fart gait really is a health hack, so you might want to give it a try—whether you call it that or not.
What is a fart gait?
A fart walk is a walk you take after eating. It gets its name for an obvious reason: After a meal, your intestines start moving things around, which can sometimes feel like an unpleasant bloated feeling. But exercise like walking helps relieve this feeling, but also brings some benefits to your metabolic health and increases your daily and weekly exercise intake.
Fart walks can help with the feeling of fullness
Exercise does seem to relieve flatulence. Anecdotally, this has been known for a long time, but to really prove it, Researchers injected gas into the intestines of people(!) Then she was made to lie on her back and pedal with her legs like a bicycle. This pedaling helped relieve the bloating compared to just resting. They concluded: “Low physical activity improves intestinal gas clearance and relieves symptoms in patients complaining of abdominal bloating.”
Fart walks can aid glucose control
After eating, our digestive system releases glucose (blood sugar) into our bloodstream. This is normal and good, and the hormone insulin is then supposed to signal the cells in our body to store and use this blood sugar. Exercise helps with glucose control, and this applies to all types of exercise – from walking to strength training recommended for a long time to prevent diabetes and relieve symptoms if you already have it.
Exercise after meals can be particularly helpful. A Systematic review 2018 found that exercising after eating helped people with type 2 diabetes improve their glucose control. The authors concluded by recommending that people with this condition should try to do at least 45 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise (such as walking) after the largest meal of the day.
However, it is not entirely clear in the literature whether exercise really needs to occur after a meal to be beneficial. The authors of a Study 2017 on exercise timing and glucose control concluded that it is better to exercise a little throughout the day than to exercise just once, whether after a meal or elsewhere.
It’s nice to get some exercise and go for a walk, whether you fart or not
In addition to the gut health and metabolism benefits, you may also find that you enjoy a walk after dinner. A 30-minute walk, at least five times a week, meets the minimum Exercise guidelines we should all follow (but don’t forget to do a little strength training along the way).
Or to put it another way: when you go for a walk in the evening, you are practicing an Italian tradition called ” the walk. As Becca Lewis writes there: “It’s about taking the time to enjoy quiet time with your mind (if you’re traveling alone) and connecting with others (if you’re traveling with a partner or a group ). It’s not about a brisk walk to get your heart rate up, it’s about taking in the sights and maybe taking a break to enjoy a drink.” You don’t have to tell anyone that you think of it as your fart walk.
