Motion is Medicine

Welcome back to the LenDentonThrive Letter!

This week, I want to talk about the simplest, most overlooked tool in your fitness toolkit - walking! At LenDentonThrive, we believe motion is medicine. You don’t need grueling workouts to build a sustainable ThriveLife. You just need to get moving.

Is 10,000 Steps a Myth?

Have you ever wondered where the "10,000 steps a day" rule came from? It didn't start in a lab. It started with a marketing campaign!

In 1964, a Japanese company released the "Manpo-kei"—the 10,000-step meter around the time of the Tokyo Olympics. The number was arbitrary. The Japanese character for 10,000 actually looks like a person walking. It was a catchy gimmick that stuck. For years, we’ve been chasing 10,000 steps a day without really knowing why!

The good news? You can start to see real health improvements with far less than 10,000 steps a day! But, there’s also great value in getting 10,000 steps a day, and even more. To see what I mean, check out Figure 1 below.

The Benefits of Walking

The benefits of walking kick in much sooner than you think. The science is clear: moving from sedentary (~2,700 steps) to just 4,400 steps drops your mortality risk by 41%. When you hit 7,000 to 8,000 steps, you reduce your risk of death and heart disease by 50%. 

That’s an amazing statistic. I can’t think of any other physical activity that you can do that has that kind of positive impact on your overall health. 

And the news keeps getting better! For every additional 1,000 steps you add to your daily step count, your risk of premature death drops by an additional 15%! That’s a pretty big deal, and a great reason to make walking a regular part of your fitness routine. For this reason,  I call this range from 2,700 to 7,000 steps a day  "The Health Zone."

But wait - there’s more!

If weight loss is your goal, walking is a great tool to have in your fitness toolbox. That’s because walking in the Zone 2 cardio range (60-70% of your max heart rate) is the very best way to burn stored body fat and associated weight. 

In Zone 2, your body uses stored fat for energy almost exclusively. Most guys can reach Zone 2 by taking a brisk walk.

But, you may be asking: Doesn’t running burn more calories than walking? 

The answer is yes, you burn more calories running than you do walking. But, when you exercise above Zone 2, your body can’t generate sufficient energy from body fat. So, it draws the needed additional energy from your muscle tissue. (This is a primary reason bodybuilders prefer to avoid cardio.)

Here are three reasons why walking beats running for weight loss:

• Preserves Muscle: Running at high intensity can cause your body to convert muscle to energy. Walking keeps your muscle mass intact.

• Sustainability: Running is hard on the joints. Walking is something you can do for the rest of your life.

• Low Stress: Walking clears the mind and lowers cortisol, while grueling workouts can spike stress hormones.

The more time you spend walking in Zone 2, the more body fat you’ll burn. For this reason, I call the step count range from 7,000 to 12,000 “The Weight Loss Zone.”

The Health Zone and the weight Loss Zone are shown in Figure 2.

At this point, the health and weight loss benefits of walking should be clear. I aim for 12,000 steps every day because I want to spend as much time in the Weight Loss Zone (in Zone 2 cardio) as possible. I recommend this for my ThriveLife guys as well. Here is how you can stack up extra steps without having to add additional workout time to your busy schedule:

• Move Hourly: Set a reminder to move for 5 minutes every hour from 7 AM to 8 PM. This boosts your metabolism even while you rest.

• The Stairs Hack: Skip the elevator. Climbing stairs strengthens your heart and racks up steps fast.

• Walking Meetings: If you're on a phone call, stand up and pace. If you have a meeting, make it a "walking discussion".

• Park Further Away: Stop hunting for the front spot. Park at the back of the lot for an easy win.

Motion is Medicine! When you Move Smarter like we teach in the ThriveLife, your motion becomes a super drug!

Are you moving smarter yet? 

Smarter, Not Harder

Remember, building sustainable health and fitness isn’t about sheer willpower or perfection. It’s about consistency and making smarter choices. You don’t need crazy diets or killer workouts. Your ThriveLife is built on a few smart daily habits that fit into your life and that you’ll actually enjoy doing. 

Here are two ways I can help you build your own ThriveLife:

1 - Subscribe to the LDT Letter for weekly tips and strategies

2 - Join the wait list for my upcoming new book ThriveLife Transformation, where I’ll show you how to build a healthier version of YOU with 6 Smart Daily Habits that you can do in 30 minutes a day. 

To join the waitlist, just reply to this newsletter and say “Sign me up!” I’ll send you an email when the book is available.

Thanks for reading today.

And remember, God loves us. He wants us to thrive. So, let’s do this together!

All the best… Len

Healthy dads raise healthy families!

My mission is to help 1 million men raise healthy families for the Kingdom of God. So, I write this newsletter to make a positive impact on the lives of men and their families. If you found this information useful, please consider subscribing to receive new editions each week. And, please share this with friends or family that would benefit from the ThriveLife!

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