Squats or walking: Which is better for lowering blood sugar?

You've probably heard: spending hours sitting is as harmful as smoking a cigarette a day. Many people spend their days chained to their desks, which triggers a host of health problems, such as those famous post-meal glucose spikes. But what if the key to curbing these increases were simpler than we think, and could even be integrated into your work routine without breaking a sweat or changing clothes? Well, the answer exists, and it puts an end to a common debate: Is it better to do squats or walk for this purpose?

If you've been told you need to control your blood sugar levels, exercise, combined with a healthy diet, is one of the best places to start. A new study has compared the benefits of squats with those of walking , and the results might surprise you. Perhaps an unlikely candidate.

Let's get down to business: Doing just ten squats every hour could dramatically improve your health. It seems overly simplistic, but according to experts, it could be one of the most powerful habits you can develop, especially if you spend most of your day sitting. And no, it's not better than walking.

Researchers recruited 18 young people and subjected them to four single-day physical tests, including prolonged sitting, a half-hour walk, three-minute mini-walks every forty-five minutes, or ten brisk squats at the same time. Results? The squats and brisk mini-walks dramatically reduced postprandial blood sugar spikes by 21%, compared to constant sitting. It seems that when it comes to blood sugar control, muscle activation and pace seem to be more important than the total number of steps or prolonged exercise sessions.

And why do squats stand out more?

The key is to activate the large muscles: intense squats recruit the quadriceps and glutes, which are where the body's largest glycogen stores are located. Researchers found that greater electromyographic amplitude in these muscles translates into lower glucose increases, since the more fibers contract, the more sugar they extract from the blood. By working them even in short sessions throughout the day, their glycogen stores are depleted, and by replenishing them with insulin, the blood sugar spikes after meals are effectively attenuated.

“Only an increase in aEMG (quadriceps surface electromyography) in the quadriceps and glutes was associated with a reduction in the postprandial glycemic response,” the authors noted in their paper published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports . A greater number of muscle fibers contracting simultaneously appears to remove excess sugar from the circulation; hence, spending some time engaged in intense movement provides the muscles with a periodic stimulus without the need for sportswear.

And of course, walks are also positive (but only if they're short and frequent, not long and exclusive). Short walks seem to repeatedly awaken leg muscles, keeping sugar-eliminating pathways open throughout the day, although squats emerged as the clear winner. It seems the body values frequent efforts more than a single, massive effort, something that coincides with previous studies showing that hourly movement reduced cholesterol and insulin spikes.

When you do a squat, you activate your glutes, quadriceps, calves, hamstrings, and core. Adding squats to your workout can help you not only improve your performance, but also reduce your risk of injury and strengthen your body. In short: do 10 squats every 45 minutes, and your body will thank you.

The key is to break your sedentary routine frequently and exercise your major muscle groups—quadriceps and glutes—with enough intensity to feel them working. Remember that 10 deep squats can take approximately 20 seconds and don't require any equipment. If you set an alarm to go off every 45 minutes, you can do this even at the office.