My After-Dinner Glucose Peaks Were Lower on Days I Walked
Unclaimed author
Posted October 20, 2026
Summary
I compared my glucose peaks after dinner on days I walked and days I didn't. Using a Stelo continuous glucose monitor, I recorded the highest reading in the hour after dinner. Across 11 recorded dinners, peaks averaged about 110 mg/dL with walking and 138 mg/dL without. Every walking-day reading was lower than every non-walking-day reading.
Background
Research shows walking even 2 minutes reduces glucose spikes, so I wanted to test it to see if it holds for me personally.
I used SquareOne to set up the experiment and record my readings, comparing dinners followed by a walk with dinners without one.
Method
The plan covered 14 days, alternating between walking and no-walking assignments each day.
On walking days, I started my walk within 15 minutes of finishing dinner. I wore a Stelo continuous glucose monitor and recorded the highest glucose reading shown in the Stelo app during the hour after dinner. Walk duration and distance were not recorded but approximately half-mile route around the neighborhood at casual speed with my wife and dogs.
I had glucose readings for 11 dinners. On four days, I did the opposite of the assigned plan. These days were marked “skipped” in SquareOne, but they were not missing observations: I walked when assigned not to, or didn't walk when assigned to.
For this write-up, I grouped readings by what I actually did. That left four walking dinners and seven dinners without walking, and broke the alternating pattern.
Results
The difference was easy to see: all four walking-day peaks were below all seven peaks on days without walking.
| Walking | No walking | |
|---|---|---|
| Dinners recorded | 4 | 7 |
| Average peak | 109.8 mg/dL | 138.4 mg/dL |
| Lowest–highest peak | 97–120 mg/dL | 124–153 mg/dL |
The average peak was about 29 mg/dL lower on walking days.
Figure 1. Glucose peaks grouped by whether I actually walked after dinner. Each dot represents one dinner. Boxes show the middle half of the readings, and the horizontal line marks the median.
Here are all the readings, in the order recorded within each group:
- Walking: 109, 97, 113, 120 mg/dL
- No walking: 140, 124, 142, 132, 133, 145, 153 mg/dL
Discussion
In this small experiment, my first-hour glucose peaks after dinner were consistently lower when I walked soon afterward. The average difference was about 29 mg/dL, and there was complete separation between the two groups.
Still, the comparison has limitations. There were only four walking dinners, and I didn't follow the original alternating assignment pattern. Whatever led me to change the plan (energy levels, stressfull work demands) could also have affected my glucose. Meal composition and portion size were not accounted for in this comparison. I knew whether I had walked, obviously, so the study wasn't blinded.
In future experiments I want to explore glucose levels vs meal composition (protein/fat/carb macros), meal times, and intermittent fasting.
Figures and attachments
Cite this study
Unclaimed author (2026). My After-Dinner Glucose Peaks Were Lower on Days I Walked. nof1rxiv. nof1rxiv:2026.0005. https://nof1rxiv.org/study/my-after-dinner-glucose-peaks-were-lower-on-days-i-walked-968821aead744b1fb4308045cbd48239