Walking and Regular Intensity Exercise on Glycemic Control

Physical activity is shown to positively reduce the risk of developing both cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Current guidelines recommend 30-60 minutes of moderate intensity cardiorespiratory exercise five days per week. However, studies report that <40% of young adults 18-24 years achieve the recommended weekly physical activity guidelines, and close to 40% of young adults are overweight or obese. Traditional aerobic exercise and high intensity exercise have been shown to improve glycemic control in young and middle-aged sedentary adults, however, long term implementation of such exercise regimens are difficult. Recent evidence suggests that short bouts (15 minutes) of moderate intensity walking following a meal, significantly improves glycemic control in older adults with impaired glucose control. Due to the low burden of walking on participants, moderate intensity post-meal walking might be a better alternative exercise intervention to improve overall health in a sedentary population. Therefore, the purpose of this pilot proposal is to determine if 15 minutes of post-meal walking is an effective intervention to improve glycemic control in sedentary young adults at risk for developing MetS. Additionally, the study will investigate whether ambulatory blood pressure profiles in obese young adults are disrupted.