Blood glucose levels are a fairly common term due to large-scale concerns of spotting surges in them for various reasons. Be it consuming certain foods or overlooking insulin secretion in the body, several factors could trigger an increase. Dr. Andrew Huberman and Dr. Casey Means recently talked about combating this issue with a simple solution.
In his recent podcast about improving metabolism and transforming health, both Dr. Huberman and Dr. Means reveal various approaches to glucose disposal and deriving energy from it. In general, Dr. Means champions short, 2-minute walking or squatting breaks every thirty minutes to increase energy output and ensure better health.
However, another crucial aspect of such walking breaks is its timing before and after certain activities. Particularly, the duo focused on post-meal walks and their benefits for blood glucose levels.
In her detailed prescriptive note about how to avoid spikes in one’s blood sugar levels, Dr. Means recommended an easy walk immediately after a meal. Not only are the results dramatically effective but the activity itself is quite simple and cost-effective.
“30-35% (difference), just taking a walk around the block after a meal. That’s definitely a prescription I think everyone should do.”
Dr. Means clarified that the key wasn’t solely limited to walking but generally meant any form of muscle contraction. Therefore, the post-meal activity could be suited to anybody’s convenience as long as they could ensure at least ten minutes of movement.
“You’re taking up the glucose, you’re using it…it’s a whole different physiology than sitting on the couch after a meal.”
Be it a fun dance session in the kitchen or a couple of air squats for a couple of minutes, Dr. Means had several studies to back up the idea that small tasks like these could make a significant difference. Walking in itself has several benefits, and Dr. Huberman once talked about including the activity along with several other Zone 2 workouts in one’s schedule.
Dr. Andrew Huberman clocked in his weekly cardio quota with a simple trick
Apart from being a neuroscientist teaching at Stanford University, Dr. Huberman is known to have a busy schedule throughout his career. Keeping fit, however, is essential, and he often resorts to zone 2 cardio for that.
While he keeps track of his activities, he once talked to kinesiology professor Dr. Andy Galpin about hitting at least 150 minutes of cardio weekly. The trick, as the latter revealed, was simple – as long as one took into account simple activities such as walking to get groceries, pacing around while speaking over the phone, and many more. One could easily perform these tasks during breaks and still hit their desired amount of movement for the day or week.
