You must have heard of taking a walk after meals. 100 steps Though it is recommended, experts urge against overeating. “Avoid overeating anything. After a heavy meal at lunch or dinner, I find myself bloated,” says Shalini Santosh Kumar, founder of Early Foods, a premium organic food company for kids and mothers. walk “I walked around the office with my colleagues for 30 minutes. Not only did I feel tired, but I also realised that food was not being digested properly as all the blood and energy was going to my feet and hands instead of being focused on my stomach,” Shalini said.
She first heard about this Ayurveda Course This is a recording of a training session she underwent a few years back. “We had a good laugh comparing the reality with what is being recommended in our training. A simple vajrasam or a 100-step walk is enough. But we walk for kilometres together, sometimes for an hour. A lot of it is due to lack of awareness,” she added.
She also recommends not letting even young children play or jump around too much after meals: “Sit down with them and play board games, write, read, tell stories or just get them involved in some very light, low-motion exercise,” Shalini says.
Taking this as a hint, I decided to consult with an in-house expert.
Shatapavali (100 (shata) steps (pavali) after a meal) is recommended in the Charaka Samhita Sutra Sthana, said Dr Arun Pillai, wellness director at Dharana, Shirim. “The same is called thermal walking and is practiced in the West as well. The number 100 is significant in Ayurveda as human age has always been capped at Shataayu (100 years). Walking 100 steps is exactly what is needed to rejuvenate the Jatharagni (stomach fire) which is responsible for the metabolism of food,” he said.
It’s also worth considering the research-based benefits of taking a short walk after a meal, says Dr Pillai, which range from increasing your metabolic rate to aiding digestion, elevating your mood, and reducing bloating, gastritis, and blood sugar levels.
It also enhances the absorption of oligominerals from food, Dr Pillai added.
© IE Online Media Services, Inc.
First uploaded: December 12, 2023, 7:00 AM
