"Fart Walks" Are the Wellness Trend Taking the Internet by Storm

Walking has made an extreme comeback as a preferred mode of exercise. Between the "hot girl walk" and the 12-3-30 exercise, these low effort wellness trends are taking the internet by storm. So, please allow me to introduce you to the next hot trend: the "fart walk."

The concept of the fart walk has gone astronomically viral thanks to a cook book author named Mairlyn Smith, whose video introduced the phrase to the world as an easy way to help with everything from digestive upset to ensuring that you age like fine wine.

But what exactly is a fart walk? Are the benefits really as awesome as Smith claims, or are they nothing more than a little bit of hot air? Keep reading to find out more!

Simply put, fart walks are walk you take within an hour of eating, and they are supposed to help aid in digestion by passing a little bit of gas as you move. And while the funny-sounding routine seems like more of a joke than a surefire way to stay healthy, doctors seem to support this post-meal activity.

One doctor who was quoted in SELF magazine said that movement is essential to digestion, so the act of taking a walk after a meal does help get the juices going.

Not only can it grease the wheels of digestion, but it can also relieve some common digestive symptoms, like bloating. Even the American Journal of Gastroenterology seems to support the idea of a fart walk (although they don't call it that) by way of a published study that says participating in a mild post-meal activity has been proven to reduce bloating, help with heartburn, and alleviate the pain caused by gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

Clearing the air in your digestive tract may not be the only trick fart walks have up their sleeve. It seems like they can also help keep blood sugar levels regulated. The journal Nutrients posted a study about after-dinner walks and diabetes, and they found that taking a stroll after eating can make blood sugar levels more stable, reducing your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

While Smith does have some credentials that make her fart walk claims a little more believable — in addition to having written seven cookbooks, she also works with Diabetes Canada and is a diabetic educator, according to an interview with CTV Your Morning — she's also a former improv comedian.

While that explains how she can discuss these topics with so much humor, it doesn't explain how her concept only goes viral now after she's been talking about it for years.

In an interview with Today, she explained how she coined the fart walk phrase a while ago, and she's been using the hash tag to describe the 20-minute walks she and her husband take for years. But, whatever the reason for the sudden notoriety, Smith is glad it's happening.

As an advocate for healthy eating, she says she's pleased to be getting feedback from her followers who say that the fart walk has changed their lives, if only because it's helped them to get their husbands to lace up their walking shoes. That makes perfect sense to me because as far as wellness trends go, this is one I can get behind... as long as nobody else is behind me while I'm doing it, that is!