Motion Is Medicine

Reading Time: 5 Minutes

Welcome to the LenDentonThrive Letter, my weekly newsletter focused on helping 50+ Guys lose weight, get fit and stay fit for life… without crazy diets or grueling workouts.

Do you want to live a longer and healthier life? In this week’s newsletter, I’ll show you a simple activity that you can use to make an extraordinary change in your overall health, fitness, and longevity!

Motion Is Medicine

We humans were designed to move!

To move a lot!

Our ancient ancestors were hunter-gatherers, moving from dawn to dusk in search of food. This required an immense amount of movement, as much as 13,000 to 20,000 steps per day on average. (Research has confirmed this by studying the Hadza tribe in Tanzania, a modern-day version of hunter-gatherers.)

For our ancestors, if you stopped moving, you died!

Today, our lives are so different (and so much better) than the lives of our ancient cousins. Modern science and technology have made it easier for us to feed ourselves. Throughout our history, calories were so scarce that starvation was a major threat to daily life. That began to change around 1900 when scientific food production techniques appeared. Today, obesity, driven by an overabundance of cheap calories, is a major health threat in America.

Modern technologies power our homes; move us from place to place effortlessly; and allow us to live lives that an American from just 150 years ago would have considered to be science fiction. (Wait…we hadn’t invented science fiction yet!)

All of these technological advances have eliminated our need for constant movement to survive. Today, the average American adult moves only 3,000 to 4,000 steps per day.

But, here’s the key point: while our lives have changed for the better, our biology hasn’t changed.

Humans still need to move in order to remain healthy. Our bodies are built to move. And the more they move, the better…and longer…they work.

An interesting study from the United Kingdom (2021) makes this point clear. It shows the impact that simply walking can have on our overall health and longevity.

The study tracked 2000 adults for 10+ years, measuring the number of steps they took per day. The study focused only on daily step counts and did not consider the pace or intensity of the steps.

The analysis showed that people who walked at least 7,000 steps per day had a 50-70% lower risk of mortality than those who took fewer steps!

This is HUGE!! … for at least two reasons:

First, walking is a simple exercise that is available to almost everyone. It doesn’t require special equipment, a membership, or training to be able to do it well.

Second, what other activities can we do so easily to have a similar 50-70% reduction in mortality?

I can’t think of any!

I’ll quickly illustrate the immense value that this represents with a couple of charts. As we age, mortality rises at an exponential rate. This can be seen in the blue line in Chart 1 below, which is based on all-cause mortality data from the U.S. Centers For Disease Control (CDC):

Chart 2 shows the same mortality rate (blue line), but adds the red line, which indicates a 50% reduction from the original mortality rate.

This shows that walking 7,000 or more steps per day bends the mortality curve downward! Which means living longer!

I don’t know about you, but I definitely want to be on the red line instead of the blue line…especially as I get older!

Here’s the most important point - we get to decide on the red line or the blue line based on our choices and behavior!

This study proves that there is power in motion!

Motion IS the best kind of medicine!

• It’s free.

• It’s easy.

• It’s effective.

• It’s a life-extension technology that is available to almost everyone!

Take Action

Now that we know that motion is the best kind of medicine, what should we do?

Here are my suggestions, based on three different scenarios:

1. If you aren’t presently moving (walking, jogging, or similar exercise), I suggest that you begin doing so. Start at whatever level you feel comfortable with. Don’t overdo it in the beginning. Then, gradually build up to 7,000 steps per day (or more). Then, make it a daily habit.

2. If you are currently moving, walking, or jogging, work your way up to 7,000 steps per day in a gradual and comfortable way. Once you achieve this level, keep it up. Make it a daily habit.

3. If you are currently moving in excess of 7,000 steps per day, congratulations! You’re on your way to a longer, healthier life. Keep going.

Now, who’s up for taking a walk?

When you’re ready for a real and sustainable fitness transformation, here are three ways I can help you:

#1 - Sign up for this newsletter. Every week, you’ll receive tested, actionable tips and strategies to help you build your own customized version of the ThriveLife that fits your needs, preferences, and personal style. And, it’s free!

#2 - For a Do-It-Yourself approach to the ThriveLife, download your free copy of my new ebook: 6 Smart Moves To Your ThriveLife. Just click the button below.

#3 - When you’re ready to join a community of other busy 50+ Guys building their ThriveLives together, check out my new ThriveLife Transformation course. The ThriveLife Transformation guides you through a 30-day transformation process which includes online video training and daily support and assistance through our online community. Join alone or bring your friends. To learn more about the ThriveLife Transformation, click the button below.

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