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LenDentonThrive Letter #22

The Wisdom of Taking a Walk

Welcome to the LenDentonThrive Letter! My mission is to help Over-50 Guys lose weight, get fit, and stay fit for life!

In this week’s edition, we’re continuing our conversation about exercise. If you’re an Over-50 Guy like me, one of the wisest things you can do is to simply take a walk. We’ll cover 7 reasons why walking is one of the most effective exercises you can do.

Here’s a quick preview of what’s in the LenDentonThrive Letter #22:

• The Big Idea - This week, we’re talking about the wisdom of walking!

• Tip of the Week - A quick tip or strategy to help you improve your health, fitness, and life.

• News You Can Use - I’ll share two or three useful items from my reading stack for you to check out later.

I’m glad that you’re here! We have a lot to cover in ten minutes or less, so let’s get started!

1. The Big Idea - The Wisdom of Taking a Walk

We all know that exercise is important if you want to lose weight and become fit. A quick tour of the Internet and social media will leave you with the impression that the only way to lose weight and get fit is to head to the gym and do a lot of weight lifting. Strength training and lifting weights can be an effective approach, especially when coupled with smart nutrition.

But, heavy lifting workouts are not the only way. Not by a long shot. And, for Over-50 Guys who need to lose 20 pounds or more, a wiser answer might be to simply take a walk!

In this edition of the LenDentonThrive Letter, I’ll show you 7 ways that walking is a nearly ideal exercise to help you lose weight, burn body fat, and improve your fitness. Let’s jump right in!

1. Walking is Simple! - Walking is one of the simplest and most accessible forms of exercise there is. Anyone can begin a walking program with minimal equipment and little to no training or cost.

2. Better Calorie Burn - Walking is a surprisingly effective way to burn body fat. When you walk at a moderate pace (50-65% of your maximum heart rate) your body burns energy directly from your stored fat reserves. This heart rate zone is referred to as the Fat Burning Zone for this reason. The fat-burning effect is amplified when you walk in a fasting state, such as early in the morning before eating breakfast. Having some coffee before your walk will increase the fat burn even more since caffeine promotes the transport of lipids (fats) in the bloodstream. (Note 1) Because it’s so effective, I do a fasted, fat-burning walk every morning!

3. Improves Cardiovascular Health - According to the American Heart Association, walking is one of the best exercises for heart health.  It can improve your cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and energy levels, in addition to the weight loss benefits that it provides. (Note 2)

4. Fewer Injuries - Walking puts lower levels of stress on our bodies, especially our joints. This is important for a couple of reasons. First, Over-50 guys are typically more susceptible to injuries such as muscle strains and joint damage. Walking produces lower stresses, thus reducing the risk of injury. Second, if you’re moderately overweight, activities like jogging or running can put a lot of stress on your legs and knees, which leads to more injuries. Starting an exercise program with walking leads to fewer injuries, which means less downtime and more benefits from your exercise time.

5. Strengthens Muscles and Bones - Walking isn’t going to help you build big muscles like a dedicated weightlifting program will. But, it does strengthen and tone the muscles in your legs, hips, back, and core while helping you to burn excess body fat. You gain functional strength that helps you to move more efficiently and with greater coordination. Walking also improves overall bone density and strength, which is an important consideration for Over-50 Guys. Walking also counteracts the natural loss of bone density, which can begin as early as age 40. Walking is a low-impact, load-bearing exercise, which helps to decrease the natural loss of bone strength as we age. (Note 3)

6. Improves Mood and Brain Health - Moderately paced walks stimulate the release of a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF, that is key to the survival of existing brain neurons and the generation of new ones. Furthermore, the increased blood flow to the brain initiates a cascade of feel-good neuro-transmitters as we walk! This is why taking a walk puts you in a better mood! (Note 4)

7. Improves Longevity - The last benefit on the list is improved longevity. A study published in March 2022 in the British medical journal Lancet found that walking an average of 7,000 steps per day reduced All Causes Mortality (ACM) in adults over 50 by approximately 50%. (Note 5) That means that simply walking 7K Every Day reduces the risk of death by half! What other activity can we perform that provides this sort of benefit? That’s quite a bonus!

When you think about starting a new fitness approach, there are lots of options to consider. The key is to find the one that works best for you. I’ve developed the 4PM tool to help Over-50 Guys make that selection a smart one.

Here are two additional things to consider as you embark on a new fitness journey:

• First, choose an exercise that you actually enjoy doing. If you enjoy doing it, you’re likely to keep doing it. If you don’t like it, you’re likely to stop doing it.

• Second, make sure that you couple your exercise with a smart nutritional strategy that puts food to work for you instead of working against you. Check out the easiest way to eat smarter here.

Finally, don’t overlook the wisdom and value of simply taking a walk!

Be sure to check out the Tip-of-the-Week and the News-You-Can-Use sections before you go!

Notes:

1. https://youtu.be/3MZb__YYjKs?feature=shared

2. https://www.abbott.com/corpnewsroom/healthy-heart/improve-heart-health-by-walking.html

3. https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/slowing-bone-loss-with-weight-bearing-exercise

4. https://www.aarp.org/health/brain-health/info-2023/ways-walking-improves-your-brain.html#:~:text=Walking%20may%20reduce%20the%20risk%20of%20cognitive%20decline.&text=That%20brain%20region%2C%20called%20the,the%20size%20of%20the%20hippocampus.

5. https://www.axios.com/2022/04/05/walking-exercise-10000-steps

Want to Go Deeper?

Do you want to dive deeper into ThriveAge and what it can do in your life? If that sounds like a smart move for you, then consider subscribing to the LenDentonThrive Letter. It’s totally free!

As a bonus, new subscribers will receive a free .pdf version of Chapter 1 of my upcoming new book, The ThriveAge Way (The Over-50 Way To Lose Weight, Get Fit & Stay Fit For Life).

ThriveAge is the roadmap to your custom-built ThriveLife!

2. Tip of the Week: Winter is Coming…Are You Ready?

Fall is finally here, and winter can’t be far behind. Now’s a great time to check your fitness gear to see if you’re ready for the colder weather to arrive.

Whether you just need a warm jacket or need to move to an indoor alternative, now is a great time to do some advance planning to be ready for the cold stuff.

In my case, I’m able to continue my outdoor walking on most days. On the coldest days, I’ll put in extra time on my treadmill in the garage. Either way, I’ll be able to maintain my routine.

Planning for the win!

3. News You Can Use

Here is some “news you can use” from my research and socials:

1. Ultra-processed foods make up 60% of the calories Americans consume and contribute to poor health outcomes like obesity, insulin resistance, and inflammation. This short YouTube video explains why we should avoid these foods, and what to choose as better options.

   https://youtu.be/D5wALF9Zu5Y

2. I post a question every Sunday on my social accounts. Here’s the most recent one:

Follow me on the socials for daily tips and strategies for living your ThriveLife:

I’m Writing A Book!

I’m a busy Over-50 Guy who has spent the past ten years building a practice of personal health and fitness that relies on real food and smart exercise instead of crazy diets and killer workouts. This process, called ThriveAge, helped me to lose 70 pounds and keep it off for going on ten years. Now, I want to share what I have learned with other Over-50 Guys. So, I wrote the book!

In The ThriveAge Way (The Over-50 Way To Lose Weight, Get Fit & Stay Fit For Life), I share everything I’ve learned about the principles and practices necessary to create and sustain a healthy lifestyle. I call it my ThriveLife.

New subscribers to the LenDentonThrive Letter will receive Chapter 1 of my new book for free. To get your free copy of Chapter 1, just subscribe to the LenDentonThrive Letter.

Thanks for your time and attention. Have a great weekend. See you next Saturday!

Thrive & Prosper,

Len

Hey, Before You Go…

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See you next weekend!