Walk - Don’t Run

Welcome back to the LenDentonThrive Letter. This is where I write every week about the ThriveLife - my food-first, gym-optional approach to help you lose weight, get fit, and stay fit for life!

This week, I’m thinking about the never-ending debate about the “best exercise” for weight loss.

My gym-bro friends say, “Just lift harder and forget about the cardio.”

My runner friends say, “Find your zone and stay in it as long as you can.”

I’ve got my own ideas about this, and I’m bringing the receipts!

I think the best exercise for any guy is the one they’ll do the most! And, for most of us, that means the exercise you enjoy doing the most. The more you enjoy it, the more likely you are to keep doing it. 

This idea of enjoyable exercise is especially important when you’re working to build a sustainable, healthy lifestyle. That’s because you want to build your fitness on long-term strategies that you can count on doing for the rest of your life. Short-term strategies give you short-term results. And who wants to spend time chasing short-term fitness?

So, if you’re a busy guy who needs to lose 20 or more pounds (and keep it off forever), then I want to introduce you to the benefits of brisk walking (also called power walking). Let’s dive in!

3 Benefits of Walking

In our gym-centric world, walking is an underrated form of exercise. But, it's been scientifically proven to be effective in improving cardiovascular health and reducing weight. So, let’s look at three of the top benefits you’ll experience when you add walking to your daily fitness routine.

1 - Accelerated Fat Loss

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. (Technically, it’s called Zone 2 Cardio.)

This 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. Learn more about the effectiveness of Zone 2 cardio here. Because it’s so effective, I do a fasted, fat-burning walk every morning! 

2 - Improved 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. 

And, the cardiovascular benefits you get from walking are very similar to the results you’d get from exercising at a higher exertion level, such as jogging, running, or swimming. It's similar benefits for less effort! That’s a win in my book!

3 - Reduced Joint Stress and Injury

Walking puts lower levels of stress on our bodies, especially our joints. This is important for a couple of reasons. First, if you’re moderately overweight (20 or more pounds), activities like jogging or running can put a lot of stress on your legs and knees, which leads to more injuries.

And, if you’re a more seasoned (older) guy like me, you’re typically more susceptible to injuries such as muscle strains and joint damage. Walking produces lower stresses, thus reducing the risk of injury. 

So, making walking a part of your daily exercise program leads to fewer injuries, which means less downtime and more benefits from your exercise time. 

Bonus - Lower Risk of Death!

But, wait! There’s more! (Don’t you love it when you hear that? I do!)

Guys who make walking part of their regular exercise routine experience improved longevity and a lowered risk of early death! 

A study published in March 2022 in the British medical journal The Lancet found that walking an average of 7,000 steps per day reduced all-cause mortality (ACM) in adults over 50 by approximately 50%. That means 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! 

Summing It Up!

• Brisk walking is more effective at burning stored body fat than working at higher exertion levels.

• Brisk walking delivers similar cardiovascular health benefits to those we get from running, cycling, or swimming. That’s the same benefits for less effort.

• Brisk walking results in lower physical stress and injuries.

• Walking 7,000 steps or more per day can lower the risk of death by 50%.

So, power walking can be a great addition to your daily fitness routine, especially if you’re:

• 20 or more pounds overweight

• Prone to injury

• Interested in building an effective, sustainable, fit and healthy lifestyle

• Or just beginning a fitness program

Smarter, Not Harder

Remember, 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 will be built on a few smart daily habits that fit 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!

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