Flatulence Gets a Glow-Up: Welcome to the Fart Walk Era

What used to be shameful is now a wellness trend with benefits for your gut, blood sugar, and sanity.

Booty bombs, toots, cheek squeaks, or heinie hiccups. Church it up all you want, but a fart is still a fart. Kids find them endlessly hilarious, men take them in stride, and women have been trying to rebrand them (or deny their existence altogether) since the dawn of time.

And if you’ve noticed an uptick in air biscuits with each turn of the calendar page, it’s not your imagination. With age comes a general slowdown in digestion, and women in particular get a double whammy—menopause can trigger changes in gut bacteria and less diversity in your microbiome.

It may be a fact of life, but as far as we’ve come with all sorts of taboo subjects, farting stands alone on the final frontier. But that may be changing.

It’s 2025, and fart walks are a thing. And while some may view the latest buzz as a form of permission “to do the thing,” it turns out that there are real health benefits to those farts you’ve been blaming on the dog all these years.

Breaking Wind—and the Stigma

Beyond the boon to your physical and mental health, fart walks are packing a silent, but deadly punch to the long-standing stigma surrounding women and flatulence.

Historically, women were held to stricter standards of propriety and decorum than their male counterparts. Female flatulence flew in the face of feminine ideals—delicacy, modesty, virtue, and grace were always on the line for any woman who dared exercise her right to free speech.

Today, the taboo around female flatulence persists because of how deeply these gendered expectations have been ingrained into our culture. Male flatulence is portrayed in a humorous light or, even worse, as a source of camaraderie that stops just short of congratulating each other on personal attempts at biological warfare. Meanwhile, women are required to remain discreet and suppress their natural bodily functions—anything else is just “unfeminine.” It’s almost as if farting sullies our delicate nature, and how dare we emit a smell that’s anything but vanilla-sugar allure?

Guess what? We can and we should. And fart walks may be how we quietly (or not so quietly) rage against the machine and turn taboo into trend.

What Is a Fart Walk, Exactly?

According to best-selling cookbook author and the person who first coined the term, Mairlyn Smith, “A fart walk is an after-dinner flatulence stroll that can help reduce your risk of developing Type II diabetes. As a bonus, it’s also great for your heart, gut, and mental health.”

As to the origin story of the fart walk, Smith, who is also a “fiber evangelist,” recalls that the term was born when she and her husband had to coordinate their post-meal walk without getting their dog all riled up. Ultimately, they decided to call a spade a spade; it was a fart walk because they walked and farted. Fart walks remained an inside joke between the two until Smith posted a video of her own fart walk on Instagram in 2024, which went viral. To date, the Smith’s #fartwalk video has almost half a million likes, and 951k people have hit the share button.

Release Gas, Release Stress

Teenagers sassing you again? Go on a fart walk to (literally) blow off some steam. Mad at Amazon for screwing up your order? Nothing like a fart walk to make you feel better. It’s not just a stress release—it’s science.

According to Dr. Bharat Pothuri, a board-certified gastroenterologist, farting is an indicator that good things are happening. “Passing gas is actually quite healthy—it’s your gut microbiome at work fermenting fiber and producing beneficial short-chain fatty acids,” he said. “When my patients worry about normal flatulence, I remind them it’s often a sign their gut bacteria are thriving.”

And, of course, farting is the way to release trapped gas; the alternative to which is real pain that can range from mild discomfort to mild agony.  The practice is deceptively simple, but post-meal fart walks are a low-cost menopause hack that actually works. Here’s why.

Blood Sugar? Blame the Beans

To prevent Type II diabetes, keeping blood sugar levels low is the key. And believe it or not, the answer to both is as easy as taking a fart walk.

“Walking after eating helps your muscles use glucose more efficiently, which in turn lowers your blood sugar levels,” said Bonnie Taub-Dix, RDN, host of the Media Savvy podcast and author of Read It Before You Eat It—Taking You from Label to Table. “Even a brief walk can help reduce insulin resistance and lower the risk of developing Type II diabetes.”

And air biscuit-fueled walks may be especially helpful when the hormonal gods and Father Time conspire against us. During perimenopause and menopause, declining estrogen can trigger insulin resistance, weight gain, and a higher risk of diabetes.

The good news? Gaining the upper hand may be as easy as walking it off. “Exercise is essential, but that doesn’t mean you need to join a fancy gym or learn an extreme sport,” said Taub-Dix. “Something as simple and accessible as regular walking can improve insulin sensitivity, help manage weight, support overall blood sugar control, and perhaps even help you sleep better.”

Smooth Your Moves

“Fart walks are actually one of the simplest ways to support your digestive system,” Pothuri explained. “The mechanical movement of walking creates gentle pressure changes in your abdomen that naturally encourage gas to move through your intestines rather than getting trapped.”

Keep Your Gut Happy

Better digestion leads to better gut health, and a healthy gut firing on all cylinders means better digestion. “A healthy gut relies on good circulation, movement, and consistency, and walking can contribute to all three,” Taub-Dix said. “Regular physical activity (a la fart walks) can help support a healthy digestive tract, especially if your pre-walk meal includes fiber and fluid.”

Death to the Stigma

 By midlife, women have spent years playing by the rules, following the cultural script, and hiding our bodily functions in the shadows because everyone, everywhere, told us that cutting the cheese is unladylike. But the truth is, farting isn’t a personal failing; it’s completely normal, and everyone does it. Mairlyn Smith blew this one open for all of us. And half a million likes and countless views on her video are solid proof that we’re not alone—fart walks might just be “death to the stigma” we’ve been waiting for.

So go ahead—toot your own horn, and own every note. A fart walk might just be the healthiest thing you do all day—for your gut, your blood sugar, and your mood. And if the dog takes the blame, well … that’s between you and him.

******

MEDICAL ADVICE DISCLAIMER

DISCLAIMER: This website does not provide medical advice. For health or wellness-related content, SFD Media LLC emphasizes that information about medicines, treatments, and therapeutic goods (including text, graphics, and images) is provided for general information only. No material on this site is intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users are advised to independently evaluate and verify the accuracy, reliability, and suitability of the information before relying on it. You should not rely on the content as a substitute for professional medical advice. Consult with a physician or other health care professional for any health concerns or questions you may have. SFD Media LLC is not responsible for any action taken based on the information provided on this website. The use of any information provided on this website is solely at your own risk.