Know Your Physio

The Post-Meal Secret That Lowers Blood Sugar Faster Than Ozempic

• Andrés Preschel • Season 2 • Episode 5

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In this solo episode, I’m diving deep into one of my favorite metabolic hacks: the humble postprandial stroll. As a physiologist and health coach, I’ve seen firsthand how this 10-15 minute habit can outsize its effort—slashing blood sugar spikes, turbocharging GLUT4 transporters, and unlocking the soleus muscle’s “secret” glucose-burning superpowers. With metabolic chaos everywhere, I’ll break down why moving after meals isn’t just about steps—it’s about reclaiming energy, mood, and longevity through a lens of modern physiology.

I’ll geek out on studies to show why timing your walk matters more than duration, how calf raises can save the day when you’re stuck at a desk, and why chewing your food like an Ayurvedic pro pairs perfectly with post-meal movement. Spoiler: Big Pharma’s GLP-1 agonists? We can boost those naturally. I’ll also share why dinner timing + a stroll might be your sleep’s new best friend, and how skipping this habit keeps you on the blood sugar rollercoaster. 

This episode is for anyone tired of post-meal slumps, brain fog, or fearing carbs. I’m handing you the science to transform walking (or calf raises!) into a “micro-dose” of metabolic magic. Whether you’re optimizing for performance, longevity, or just want to feel lighter after meals, let’s make postprandial strolls your non-negotiable. Ready to move with your metabolism—not against it? Let’s stroll.

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Episode Overview: Health, Longevity, and High Performance. [00:00:11]
Benefits of Postprandial Strolls. [00:02:12]
Key Definitions: Postprandial Metabolism. [00:02:34]
Key Definitions: Blood Glucose and Insulin. [00:03:27]
Key Definitions: GLUT4 Transporters. [00:04:07]
Key Definitions: GLP-1. [00:05:01]
Key Definitions: Soleus Muscle. [00:05:55]
Influence on Digestion and Gut Health. [00:07:33]
Benefits of Calf Raises. [00:10:04]
Energy, Mood, and Longevity Benefits. [00:10:58]
Actionable Steps and Tips. [00:16:00]
Conclusion. [00:16:33]

Listen to Weight Management and Obesity Medication Podcast Episode

Important Links:


Chen et al. (2022): Interrupting Prolonged Sitting with Intermittent Walking Increases Postprandial Gut Hormone Responses

Hamilton et al. (2022) A potent physiological method to magnify and sustain soleus oxidative metabolism improves glucose and lipid regulation

Engeroff et al. (2023): After Dinner Rest a While, After Supper Walk a Mile?

Lipp et al. (2000): Effects of postprandial walking on delayed gastric emptying and intragastric meal distribution in longstanding diabetics

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Andrés Preschel:
Hello, and welcome to another episode of the Know Your Physio podcast. I'm your host, Andres Paracel, physiologist, neuroscientist, and health coach, helping you discover your size to optimize your life. And today's episode is very exciting because this is one of my favorite topics in the realms of health, longevity, high performance. And it's one of the easiest topics and evidence-based strategies to help you optimize your health. It is just so easy, it's so simple and it works great. So before we jump in to the science of postprandial strolls, I want to make sure to mention that I've been having so much fun recording these mini solo podcast episodes. It seems like you guys have been absolutely loving it and I want you to take advantage of my passion and I want you to ask me any questions that you have that I can answer on this show and to suggest any topics that are excited about that I can dig into and uh, Yeah, and share with you guys. So, if you have any questions or topics, please email me, Andres at knowyourphysio.org. That's A-N-D-R-E-S at knowyourphysio.org. Or DM me on Instagram at Andres Preschel. A-N-D-R-E-S P-R-E-S-C-H-E-L. So, let's jump right in. So, why are postprandial strolls relevant. Well here's the thing is we're living in a time where metabolic dysfunction, things like insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and obesity are at an all-time high. According to the CDC, nearly one in three adults in the U.S. has pre-diabetes and many don't even know it. We sit more than ever before at desks, in our car, on the couch after meals, but our bodies are designed to move And the science is showing that when we move right after eating, amazing things happen. So postpandial strolls. That's where they come in. They're one of the easiest, most accessible ways to improve your blood sugar regulation, digestion, energy, and even mood. And this takes as little as 10 to 15 minutes. So I'm going to break down exactly why this works, what the science says, and how you can make this a daily habit for better health, longevity, and performance. Before we jump in, I want to make sure I outline some relevant keywords and definitions so that you don't get lost. 1. Postprandial or Postmeal Metabolism Postprandial plain and simply means the period after eating a meal when the body is digesting and metabolizing food. After eating, blood glucose naturally rises as carbohydrates are broken down and absorbed. The goal is to help the body manage that glucose efficiently. preventing spikes and crashes. It is a normal physiological response to have a spike in glucose. What we want to do is we want to help just, you know, stabilize that a little bit. We don't want to have completely dysregulated blood glucose. We don't want to have a glucose roller coaster because that leads to very impulsive decision making, very poor energy, poor mood and disease. 2. Blood Glucose and Insulin Blood glucose is the sugar circulating in your bloodstream that provides energy to cells. Insulin is the hormone that helps shuttle glucose from the blood into your muscles, your liver, and fat cells for energy and storage. And, well, we know that chronic high blood sugar can lead to insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic dysfunction. Number three, GLUT4 transporters. Oh my god, I love GLUT4 transporters. GLUT4 is a specialized glucose transporter that's found in your skeletal muscle that allows glucose to enter cells without requiring insulin. And we know that exercise, including walking, activates GLUT4, helping clear glucose from the bloodstream without over-relying on insulin. The beauty, well, one of the beauties of exercise, besides looking great and feeling great, is you build up these GLUT4 transporters and you build up the ability to store carbohydrate. You literally have like imagining muscles like a sink where you can just dump carbohydrate into. More muscle, bigger sink, less dent in your health and well-being if you consume more carbs. You can get out of eating more carbs if you have more muscle. It's incredible. I eat a ton of carbs. I love carbohydrate. Moving forward to GLP-1. You've probably heard of GLP-1s and GLP-1 agonists, these fancy new weight loss meds. So GLP-1 is the gut hormone that controls blood sugar and appetite. It stands for glucagon-like peptide 1. It's a hormone released from the gut after eating that stimulates insulin release, it slows gastric emptying so it promotes satiety or fullness, and it reduces appetite. And walking has been shown to increase GLP-1 levels without It's a natural way to stabilize blood sugar and appetite. And there's a great study on this by Chen et al in 2022 if you want to learn more. And this is obviously super exciting because look, you know, big pharma is making billions on DLP1 drugs like ozempic, but you can get a natural boost just by moving your body. The soleus muscle, so the calf muscle, is your metabolic powerhouse. So yeah, the soleus and gastrocnemius, those are the scientific names for your calf muscles. Just to define them here, these are uniquely designed to burn fat and absorb glucose independent of insulin. Great study on this by Hamilton et al in 2022. We know that even small movements like calf raises or walking can activate this metabolic cheat code, so to speak. All right, now let's actually dive into the science. Now that you know the definitions, let's actually dive into the science and mechanisms of action. So, first and foremost, we've got improved blood sugar control with these postprandial strolls. So, there's a key study here by Engeroff et al. in 2023. It's a meta-analysis. This is the highest tier of scientific evidence. Walking within 30 minutes of eating significantly reduces post-meal glucose spikes. And this is important because frequent glucose spikes lead to, like I said, all these metabolic issues, fatigue, etc. And you can imagine, you know, your body as a car. And if you were to slam on the gas, or in this case, you have a glucose spike, and then all of a sudden you hit the brakes, so you dump insulin. You do this over and over again. Look, this is going to be rough on the engine. Walking smooths out that ride, making metabolism more efficient. And in this study, something really, really cool is that it talked about how the proximity of movement, the sooner that you do movement, the more powerful this effect is. So the sooner that you walk after you eat, the more powerful that walking is in reducing that that postprandial glycemia. Moving forward to the influence of postprandial strolls on digestion and gut health, you better move it or lose it according to Lip et al in 2000. Walking and gastric emptying. So walking helps food move through the stomach faster, reducing bloating, indigestion, acid reflux. This is especially important for diabetics who often experience delayed gastric emptying. And so if you feel, you know, sluggish or bloated after your meals, it's probably because food is just sitting there. Walking gives your digestive system a gentle push and helps you feel lighter and more energized. And I want to go ahead and mention that one of the best ways, outside of walking, one of the best ways to reduce bloating or feeling sluggish after meals is to chew your food more thoroughly. Every time you chew, you increase the surface area of the food exponentially, which makes it way easier for your digestive system to break down that food more quickly and more efficiently. So you don't have to basically force your body to dedicate more energy, more attention, more resources to break that food down. If you think about it, if you were to just swallow a piece of steak, right, which is a lot of protein, a lot of connective tissue, very difficult to digest. If you were just to swallow state without chewing it, oh my gosh, your body has to dump a ton of blood into the digestive tract to support the gastric enzyme production and such. And now it's like, it's going to take forever to break that down. You're going to feel bloated and disgusting. Whereas if you chew that thoroughly, man, that surface area increases like you wouldn't imagine. Now your body doesn't have to work so hard. So same thing, rather this applies to all foods. Chew more thoroughly and Ayurveda said that you should chew your drink and drink your food. When you're drinking calories, you should probably chew to support the digestive process. When you're consuming hard food, you should chew it down to the point where it's like a liquid to support your digestion. I'm a big fan of chewing thoroughly, chewing slowly. This is going to help you prevent overeating and it's going to help you prevent bloating and feeling sluggish. You help your body digest faster and easier. Alright, moving forward to the soleus muscle. Why do calf raises help when you can't walk? Well, according to Hamilton et al., the soleus muscle or the calf muscle absorbs glucose unlike any other muscle, even when the rest of your body is sedentary. So if you can't go for a walk, 30 to 50 calve raises or so can activate your soleus and stabilize blood sugar. So there really are no excuses. If you're stuck in a meeting, a plane, a restaurant or in traffic, well maybe not in traffic, but you can do calve raises and mimic some of the benefits of walking. Nobody has to know that you're a citizen scientist and biohacker in the office. Just do your thing after your meals and you will have an objective advantage mentally and physically over everybody else in your office. But hey, every good scientist knows that with great power comes great responsibility. So I hope that you guys share this with the folks that you're shrouded with. All right, then moving forward to energy, mood, and longevity benefits. So the key benefits from multiple studies show that more stable blood glucose equals fewer energy crashes. You get to prevent that midday crash. You have better focus, more mental clarity and improved mood. So when you get these, you know, these massive spikes in glycemia or these big dips in glycemia, so when you're hyper or hypoglycemic, I mean, your judgment, your decision making, your mood, it goes out the window. You become impulsive. Your body is craving, like for example, when you're hypoglycemic, when you have low blood glucose, your body wants that to establish homeostasis to return to baseline as quickly as possible. And look, we live in a modern world with modern food. What's the fastest way to do that? Well, choosing something sweet and you know it's there, so you're going to go reach for that. But now you're going to make the problem worse because that impulse of decision making is going to lead to a decision that further dysregulates blood glucose because now you have hyperglycemia. Now you overproduce insulin again and the cycle just repeats itself. You don't want to do that. You want to walk after your meals, make better decisions, get better sleep, get better movement. So beyond enjoying this postprandial glucose lowering effect, walking outside also helps to regulate our circadian rhythms and reduce stress. Just 10 to 15 minutes will support your cardiovascular system and longevity. It will increase LPL, lipoprotein lipase activity, which improves your cholesterol profile, helps increase HDL, lower LDL, and lower triglycerides. So think of this postprandial stroll as a habit stack. It's a micro-investment in your long-term health and all it costs is a few minutes of your time. So look, start small, walk for a few minutes after your meals, especially dinner. Dinner is an interesting time to take a postprandial stroll because we know that one of the best ways to support sleep quality is an earlier dinner. Now, why is that? Two reasons. Number one, if you didn't already know this, having a late dinner is an issue because when you bring that food into the digestive tract, you need blood to go in there, support that digestive system to do what it needs to do. And you have a limited amount of blood in your body When all of a sudden you introduce food into the system You have to draw blood away from other areas To break that food down And if you're like me, you like having a large dinner So, where does that blood come from? It comes from the brain, central nervous system And your extremities, your arms and your legs So if you have a large meal for dinner You just have to draw blood away from those areas Towards that digestive tract And now you have this warm blood in your midsection That's an issue for sleep because While there's many things that make you sleepy, like accumulation of melatonin, adenosine, general fatigue, what actually initiates deep sleep is a decline in core body temperature. So experiencing that decline in core body temperature is one of the best ways to get great sleep. When you have a large meal before bed and not very much time to break it down, You will feel lazy and hazy because again, you're drawing blood away from these areas, from your brain, from your extremities, but you're not going to get good sleep. You're actually going to reduce sleep quality significantly. So that's one. Number two, this is where postprandial strolls are especially relevant. You actually want to have enough time after dinner to break down this food, overcome that postprandial rise in blood glucose and enable a small degree of ketosis. So once you overcome this hump of blood glucose, the idea is that you establish some degree of ketosis. What's cool about ketosis is you shift something called RQ, the respiratory quotient. In a ketogenic state, you actually breathe less times per minute. Your respiratory rate goes down and you have higher parasympathetic rest, digest, heal activity. So if you eat late, you don't get the chance for this to really kick in and support your sleep quality. And, if it isn't already clear, a postprandial stroll helps you enable that ketogenic state a little more quickly and efficiently. So, after dinner, postprandial strolls are especially relevant and even more so when this is a late dinner. Okay? Now, moving forward and just finishing off these actionable steps here for you guys. If you can't walk, do your calve raises. Use your soleus to stabilize blood glucose. Make this enjoyable. When you go on your postprandial strolls, go outside, listen to some music, call a friend and normalize this. Get your family and friends involved as you enjoy your postprandial strolls. I will be making, by the way, postprandial stroll society t-shirts. And so if you're interested, let me know and we'll get you some. So yeah, postprandial strolls aren't just simple little health hack. It's a time-tested, scientific-backed practice that can truly transform the way that you think, the way that you feel, and the way that you perform. Give it a try and let me know what you guys think. Anyway, that's all for today. Looking forward to our next show and I'll see you guys on the other side. So that's all for today's show. Thank you so much for tuning in today. For all the show notes, including clickable links to anything and everything that we discussed today, everything from discount codes to videos, to research articles, books, tips, tricks, techniques, and of course, to learn more about the guest on today's episode, all you have to do is head to my website, Andrespereschel.com, that's A-N-D-R-E-S-P-R-E-S-C-H-E-L.com, and go to podcasts. You can also leave your feedback, questions, and suggestions for future episodes, future guests, so on and so forth. Thanks again for tuning in, and I'll see you on the next one. Have a lovely rest of your day.