Nearly 18% of the global population experiences bloating at least once a week, and yet most people aren’t getting professional help to deal with it. But what if there were an easy, in-reach way to relieve uncomfortable gas and bloating after your meals?
Well, readers, good news — there is, and it’s called fart walking. Fart walks, or strolls that are taken with the intention of moving gas through and out of your intestines, are having a moment. The trend took off after wellness influencer Marilyn Smith shared that she and her husband regularly walk after dinner with the sole intention of, well, tooting.
HuffPost tapped gastroenterologists and asked them for their take on fart walks. As it turns out, Smith is on to something. “Any activity that helps you eliminate gas naturally — like walking — is a good way to promote healthy bowel transit,” Dr. Gulchin Ergun, a gastroenterologist with Houston Methodist, told HuffPost.
Here’s why fart walking is so good for your gut — and the best way to go about it:
Why even go on a fart walk?
Fart walking, despite its current position in the spotlight, isn’t anything new. Many cultures around the world have been going on after-dinner walks for centuries, said Dr. Lisa Ganjhu, a gastroenterologist at NYU Langone Health. In Italy, the post-meal strut is called la passeggiata. It’s labeled volta in Greece and shatpavali in India.
Of course in the United States, we’ve decided to gracefully call it a fart walk.
Why does it work? Because when you move, your gut does, too. “Walking encourages the motion of the gut to move stool and air all the way through the system and out the anus,” Ganjhu said. And if you pass gas? That’s a surefire sign air is moving along your GI tract. Breaking wind can help relieve bloating, discomfort and abdominal pain, Ganjhu said.
Fart walks also can help reduce heartburn. Movement causes your stomach muscles to contract, which facilitates emptying of your stomach. “More rapid emptying will decrease the time that acid is present in the stomach, which will reduce the time that acid has the potential to travel (reflux) into the esophagus (the muscular tube between throat and stomach) and cause heartburn,” Dr. David Clarke, a board-certified internal medicine physician and gastroenterologist and president of the Association for the Treatment of Neuroplastic Symptoms, told HuffPost. (It’s worth noting that in people with abnormal sphincter muscles, walking after eating can have the opposite effect and lead to an increase in reflux.)
Walking after meals can also lower the risk of diabetes. How so? According to Clarke, movement prevents your blood sugar from spiking and regulates insulin levels in your body.
Here’s how to fart walk.
Ideally, your fart walk will take place roughly 60 to 90 minutes after your meal. As you’re walking, make a point to take long, deep breaths — doing so can relax you and your body, Ganjhu said.
Try to walk for at least five minutes, Clarke advised. And if you can, aim for 20, suggests Ganjhu. You don’t want to walk too long or intensely, as vigorous movement could actually have a negative impact on your GI function, Clarke said. “The key is to find the right balance.”
As for what to expect? Well, that depends on what you ate and what’s going on within your gut, according to Ganjhu. “You may or may not fart,” she said.
In general, there are no downsides to walking leisurely after a meal. That said, if bloating persists or worsens, it’s worth checking in with a doctor as you may have an underlying digestive issue like irritable bowel syndrome, Clarke said.
The most important thing, according to Ergun, is to just do it. Whether you walk fast or slow, long or short, is up to you. Start slow, she adds, and go at whatever pace feels comfortable. “Everyone can benefit from walking after a meal despite any GI or health issue,” Ganjhu said.