Do you want to feel better, look sexy, and live longer? Run more. As health advice says, it's not exactly earth-shattering. But it is often ignored.
As a species, walking is what we do best. In fact, it is likely how your ancestors got from Africa to where they eventually settled The standardized exercise guidelines of thirty minutes a day are based on the dramatic benefits walking can have for your health, but no one seems to be doing it.18 For people with an average lack of time, the basic movement pattern of walking is often suppressed in favor of more intensive forms of movement. However, the positive effects of walking on health are many and far-reaching.
This is the second of my articles that details why the Great Upside-Down Pyramid of Movement can be your one-stop framework for lifelong health. In this piece, I'll cover why you should walk more now that you're sitting less.
Calming the Fires
Modern life does not seem to be geared towards optimal health. The combination of daily work, the food we eat, and our need to stay in one place to work all day have all been linked to increased rates of inflammation and, as a result, rising rates of cancer, type 2 Diabetes, heart disease and obesity.5–8 Unfortunately, we cannot all change jobs and live on the land. Instead of resorting to pills and antioxidant formulas that could ruin some of your good work, the best step is to get more exercise by walking more to reverse some of these problems
“Aerobic exercise like brisk walking also increases your ability to deal with oxidative damage. This makes exercise both anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. "
When we move our muscles, signaling molecules (often called myokines) are released. Although many of these myokines can also be linked to an inflammatory response, when stimulated by exercise they actually decrease inflammation.11 This is one of the main reasons why regular walking can drastically lower the risk of metabolic diseases as well as certain types of cancer. and even erectile dysfunction.13–17 Aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking, also improves your ability to deal with oxidative damage.12 As a result, exercise is both anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. And all without a single pill in sight.
Losers wandering
While many people still rely on counting calories as a guide to fat loss, there isn't as much evidence to support this idea as we believe. Not all calories are created equal, and just creating a calorie deficit through increased exercise alone will not result in long-term weight loss.2,3 But fear not. The advantage of this complex equation is that some low-calorie activities can still help you manage weight (if you like that). Instead of worrying about starving yourself thin, you can achieve significant fat loss by spending less time sitting and more time walking.4 No gym membership or Weight Watchers * required.
* Other hunger programs with minimal scientific support are also available.
Every little bit helps
As I mentioned earlier, killing yourself on the treadmill is not enough to offset the negative effects of a sedentary lifestyle on your life expectancy. That means there needs to be exercise built into your day, and the best way to do it is by walking more. For most of us, this can start with walking to work.19 Use public transport? Get off a stop or two earlier. Go to work? Take a park and ride and walk the last ten to twenty minutes. Are you afraid of being late for work? Perfect – a brisk pace has even greater advantages. 20
To build on that, there are a number of other ways you can incorporate walking into your day:
- Break it open: Go for a walk while you talk on the phone at work or drop by for a few minutes between meetings. Accumulating walking time in sections of just two or three minutes is enough to improve metabolism.21,22
- Lunch with friends: Even the shortest lunch break is enough to go for a walk. And why not bring your colleagues with you for a more relaxed and productive workplace?
- Move around meals: The evening meals are another great hiking opportunity. Take a quick lap while dinner is up in the oven. Better yet, take a walk after you eat.22,26 Your online dating profile says you like long romantic sunset walks, but when was the last time you actually took one?
Most importantly, all of this walking adds up. Several ten-minute walks can even be better than one long one.23.29 That means ten minutes to / from work, ten minutes for lunch, and ten minutes after dinner is a great way to start.
Pro tips
If you're the kind of person who needs a solid plan before going for a walk, You may have two more questions – where should I go and how fast should I go?
- Take it outside: Most studies examining the health effects of walking use a treadmill in a sports science lab or give people pedometers to keep track of their steps without specifically examining where they are walking. This suggests that you can go pretty much anywhere to see most of the health improvements. However, studies have shown that walking outdoors in green spaces has greater psychological benefits than walking indoors or in the city.30 Most importantly, finding the environment that you enjoy most, be it the beach, is one River, forest, or park will likely bring you the greatest benefit of all. 31
- Overtaking death: I know what you've been wondering all along. How fast do you have to move to defeat the Grim Reaper? Fortunately, science has the answer, and it seems to be 5 km / h.27 Other studies suggest that 80 percent of your maximum walking speed is the most efficient and sustained speed.28 If you want to estimate those speeds, try one of the the following:
- Use a map or online pedometer to measure a nearby half-mile loop. Try to complete it in ten minutes (three miles an hour).
- Find a short distance that you can walk as fast as possible for twenty seconds. For a speed of eighty percent of your top speed, you can cover the same distance in 25 seconds.
Remember that the key is to move around and build habits rather than reaching a certain speed. Take your time to stroll and enjoy. It is well known that faster is not always better.
summary
Jumped to the end? What you need to know:
- After you've sat less, start walking more
- Collect at least thirty minutes a day
- Aim for eighty percent of your maximum walking speed, or at least three miles per hour. Alternatively, you can just run like you're late for work.
- For maximum benefit, find your favorite outdoor spot and bring some friends with you.
More like that:
References:
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2. Feinman and Fein. "Non-equilibrium thermodynamics and energy efficiency in weight loss diets." Theor Biol Med model. July 30, 2007; 4:27.
3. Franz et al. Weight Loss Results: A systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials in weight loss with a follow-up of at least 1 year. J Am Diet Assoc. 2007 Oct; 107 (10): 1755-67.
4.Healy et al. "Replacing sitting time with standing or pedaling: Associations with cardiometabolic risk biomarkers." Eur Heart J. 2015 Jul 30. (Epub before pressure)
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8. Tommy Wood, Move It or Lose It: How to Sit Less, Move More, and Feel Better, Breaking Muscle UK, 2015.
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10. Craig Marker, do antioxidants hinder the benefits of exercise? Breaking Muscle, 2015.
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